Political Interference in Air Warfare: The Difference in the Gulf
Abstract
Many air power advocates view the 43 days of Desert Storm as the zenith of military aviation history. Citing the predictions of theorists from Douhet and Trenchard to Mitchell and LeMay, they see the events of 1991 as a watershed, where aviation technology finally caught up with 70 years of theory to produce unqualified success. This aerial success, they would suggest, might even have made a ground campaign unnecessary, given enough time and ordnance. In their zeal to advance the cause of aviation, they have focused on the internal factors that contributed to the unmitigated success. Notably, they have documented the planning factors, organization, target and weapons selections, and systematic execution of the air war in hopes of capturing the key elements that led to success. With the lessons of the desert captured for successive generations, we will, presumably, be able to duplicate the outcome with equal or improved results. Lessons learned provide a wide variety of suggested improvements in areas from "friendly fire" doctrine to ballistic missile defense. Appropriate kudos have been registered in favor of "stealth" technology, precision-guided munitions, night operations, unmanned aerial vehicles, and fully integrated, multi-service, multi-national coalition air warfare, all coordinated under a single command and control structure producing a single dally Air Tasking Order (ATO). Yet all of this introspection has missed one crucial aspect of the execution of the Gulf War: the freedom of action that was given to the military commanders by their civilian superiors. The Gulf War was characterized by only very general "top down" guidance from the President and his cabinet, leaving the theater CINC and his component commanders much greater freedom. One enduring lesson from the Persian Gulf is that air operations can enjoy unqualified success in the absence of specific political restrictions imposed by civilian leadership.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA441704
Entities
People
- R. K. Traylor
Organizations
- National War College