Airpower Through The Post Cold War

Overview  Background to the Conflict  Iraqi threats  The Plan of Attack  Concept of Operations  Five Strategic Rings  Targets  Campaign Overview

Overview  Video Clip/Beyond the Wild Blue  Operation PROVIDE COMFORT/NORTHERN WATCH  Operation SOUTHERN WATCH  Operation PROVIDE RELIEF/RESTORE HOPE

Overview  History of the Balkans  Operation DENY FLIGHT  Operation ALLIED FORCE  Background  NATO Actions  Operation ALLIED FORCE Begins  Operation ALLIED FORCE  Lessons learned by U.S. Military  Political Lessons Learned  Impact of Lessons Learned on Future DOD Budget  CFD Review

Gulf War Background  Conflict began 2 August 1990  Iraq and Kuwait could not settle grievances over oil  Saddam Hussein sent Armies to invade Kuwait

U.S. Objectives  Immediate, complete, and unconditional withdrawal of all Iraqi forces from Kuwait  Restoration of Kuwait’s legitimate government  Security an stability of Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf  Protection of American citizens abroad

Operation Desert Shield  CENTCOM CINC - Army Gen H. Norman Schwarzkopf  CENTAF Lt Gen Charles A. Horner  Became the JFACC during the war  In first 5 days:  Five fighter squadrons, contingent of AWACS, and part of 82nd Airborne Division  Equal Iraqi force by first 35 days  Air Reserves/Air National Guard called to active duty

DESERT STORM Begins  15 Jan, an 11th hour appeal for Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait drew silence  16 Jan, Operation DESERT STORM began as allied forces answered Iraq’s silence  Within 10 days air sorties reached the 10,000 mark

Iraqi Threat  4th largest armed force in WORLD  Well over 1 million troops  750 combat and 200 support aircraft  Nuclear, Biological, Chemical  SCUD Missiles

Air Defense Threat  Iraq’s air defense system thought to the best outside of the Soviet Union  U.S. was probably the only nation in the world with the airpower to “disintegrate” an integrated system of this type

Objectives  Isolate & incapacitate Iraqi command structure  Win Air Superiority  Destroy Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) Capability  Eliminate Iraqi Offensive Military Capability  Eject Iraqi Army from Kuwait

Concept Of Operations  Powerful & Focused air attacks on strategic centers of gravity over a short period of time  Target Hussein Regime, not Iraqi people  Minimize civilian casualties & collateral damage  Minimize coalition losses  Pit U.S. and Coalition strengths against Iraqi weaknesses

Instant Thunder  Developed by Colonel John Warden and his Checkmate staff in Washington  Named in direct response to Vietnam’s unsuccessful Rolling Thunder campaign  Based on a unique five-ring model of the modern nation state

The Five Strategic Rings  National Leadership  Key Production & Organic Essentials  National Infrastructure  National Population  Fielded Military Forces

Target Systems

Campaign Overview Four Part Campaign:  Phase I -- Strategic Air Campaign  Phase II -- Suppression of enemy Air Defenses over Kuwait vicinity  Phase III -- Air Attacks on ground forces in Kuwait and vicinity  Phase IV -- Ground Operations as Directed Simultaneous The “Left Hook”

And in the End…  On 27 Feb 91, the Iraqi military was scattered and defeated  Iraq lost 90 aircraft to coalition forces  122 Iraqi aircraft fled to Iran  Stealth provided the needed edge!  The Persian Gulf War officially ended on 11 Apr 91

Overview  Background to the Conflict  Iraqi threats  The Plan of Attack  Concept of Operations  Five Strategic Rings  Targets  Campaign Overview Questions???

Airpower Through The Post Cold War