Eliminating the Rhetoric: An Evaluation of the Halt-Phase Strategy
Abstract
This study identifies criteria for an objective analysis of a halt-phase strategy. It identifies the key criteria by examining air combat in three operations: the Battle of Bismarck Sea, the 1973 Golan Heights battles of the Yom Kippur War, and the Iraqi Republican Guard escape from Basra. The focus is on air operations looking for tactics, tactical innovations, and operational circumstances that inhibit or enhance air operations designed to halt the advance or retreat of significant ground formations. Each case is evaluated in three major phases: prehostility preparation, conduct of combat operations, and the results and analysis of the operation. Prehostility preparation specifically examines the doctrine, organization, equipment and technology. and the training of friendly forces. The conduct of operations phase explores the contextual elements, including a summary of the operation, and investigates intelligence, command and control, and logistical factors. Case results are analyzed to discover factors that contribute positively, negatively, or not significantly to the outcome of the operation. Each case study's unique circumstances shaped the result; however, the criteria of organization and training appear dominant with C2, doctrine, and technology being recurrent in allowing air forces to halt an enemy surface force. The specific context of the battle, the intelligence preparation, and logistics of each conflict cannot be ignored but were not determined as recurrent factors in all three case studies, although intelligence was significant in the Bismarck Sea. This study concludes with three major lessons: 1) People make the Air Force successful. 2) The halt strategy is appropriate for certain circumstances; but some sister-service critiques of the strategy are valid. 3) The Air Force should acknowledge the limitations of airpower; but it should also develop methods to minimize the limits in the application of airpower to make "halt" strategy more effective.c
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA388266
Entities
People
- Mark C. Nowland
Organizations
- Air University