Personnel Recovery: Strategic Importance and Impact

Abstract

The breaking news from countless media venues in March 2011 was captivating and compelling: while taking part in coalition operations in Libya, a US Air Force F-15E, call sign Bolar 34 had gone down east of Benghazi. The two crew members had ejected into a chaotic battle between the despotic Libyan regime and opposition forces supported by the coalition. As our nation prayed for the two Airmen, President Barack Obama heard a briefing on the event and monitored the situation as rescue forces from a US Marine task force in the area and opposition ground forces quickly dashed in to recover both men. In many ways, this heartwarming story resembled accounts of other rescues performed in earlier conflicts. The saga of Bolar 34 joined the lore of rescue missions that grace the proud history of our nation.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2012
Accession Number
ADA567478

Entities

People

  • Darrel Whitcomb
  • Lee Pera
  • Paul D. Miller

Organizations

  • Joint Personnel Recovery Agency

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Combat Operations
  • Department Of Defense
  • Department Of State
  • Fixed Wing Aircraft
  • Joint Military Activities
  • Military Operations
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Science
  • Prisoners Of War
  • Search And Rescue
  • Southeast Asia
  • Task Forces
  • Unified Combatant Commands
  • United States
  • United States Special Operations Command
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.