Lesson of the Gulf

by Greg McCulley,  drafted 14 June 1997

"In this day when quick powerful counterattack is America's only real answer to aggression, there can be no question that we need the world&'s first Air Force.  The question of whether we shall have adequate American air power may be, in short, the question of our survival."

Stuart Symington, first Secretary of the Air Force

10 January 1948

With these words, Secretary Symington effectively predicted the great responsibility for this nation's defense that rests upon the wings of the United States Air Force. In the 50 years since he took office, the Air Force has undergone scores of changes. To select a single point in Air Force history and designate it as having the greatest impact on the Air Force is a formidable task. There have been several pivotal moments. From Brigadier General Billy Mitchell's demonstration bombing of the battleship Ostfriesland, to the National Security Act of 1947; from the racial integration of the force in 1948, to the Berlin Airlift, the Air Force has grown and developed through change. Yet, all of the activities mentioned above reflect only a part of the development of the Air Force. These things were the impetus for a movement to make the Air Force the best, and that vision was realized in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

One could argue that the war in the Gulf was fought for two reasons: to liberate an oppressed people and to ensure US access to Saudi oil and petroleum products. These are both worthwhile and legitimate causes. What makes the Gulf War so important in AF history is not why we fought it, but rather how we got there. It was a long road that started in the late 19th century, when European powers were negotiating how to deal with the emerging technology of the steerable rigid airship, or dirigible. By the first decade of this century, the dirigible had become an accepted addition to American and European armies, but the question of how to functionally organize air units was left unanswered. The advent of the airplane made it evident that a solution had to be devised. The airplane, after all, was quite unique in that it had no historical predecessor. For example, the origins of the tank lie in ancient Rome, chariots. War fighters knew how to organize tank units;  they simply followed the example of armies before them. Operators of airpower had no such luxury, and they had to forge a new way of thinking. Men like Brigadier General Billy Mitchell and General "Hap" Arnold, who firmly believed that there should be an independent arm responsible for air operations, were instrumental in the design of this new mindset.

Progress was made following World War II in ensuring autonomous operation of an air force with the signing of the National Security Act of 1947. This established the Department of the Air Force and Headquarters USAF, and in doing so, made it possible for the Air Force to do its job with a lot less political hassle and red tape. Beyond independent administration, the act allowed for independent utilization of Air Force assets, a key victory for Air Force architects. They contended that to be useful, air power could not be hindered by keeping it tied to navel or land force objectives.

The Korean conflict showed defense planners that with multiple services possessing combat aircraft, there must be coordination control in the application of these resources to make them effective. An early commander of 5th Air Force, Lt General Earle Partrich, contended that a daily operations order should be established to prevent aircraft from sister services from attacking the same targets at the same time. The war ended before Partrich's definition of coordination control was realized, but the concept was valid. Later, in the Vietnam conflict, the issue of maintaining a strategic force versus a tactical force surfaced. Vietnam indicated there would be a greater role for tactical aircraft in future engagements.

That brings us to the Gulf War, which was both a refinement and culmination of previous schools of thought. The delineation between tactical and strategic was abandoned. The Air Force was utilized as the front-line means to enforce our national policy against Saddam Hussein's troops; the force that stopped the aggression was the Air Force. After years of perfecting the details of how an air force should fit into the big picture, the USAF truly had come into its own. The Gulf War was unique in that for the first time, the lessons of the war were more about "how we were doing it right" instead of "what can we correct about the Air Force". Many people have helped create the Air Force we have today, and the Gulf War was the fruit of their labor. For that reason, Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm have been the most significant moments in the history of the United States Air Force.