Publications
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Gulf War II:
An Air Force Association Special Report, Gulf War II: Air and Space Power Led the Way
investigates the Air Force's planning, preparation and execution of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
It begins by describing how the events of September 11th coupled with Saddam Hussein's history
of noncompliance with UN inspections inevitably led to the war in Iraq. The report traces the
various stages of planning for the war that preceeded 'shock and awe' and then reports on the
fighting of the war itself.Air and Space Power Led the Way By Rebecca Grant
Gulf War II argues that the air war was distinct in many ways. Most notably, the Air Force had been flying sorties over Iraq as part of the no-fly zone right up to the start of OIF operations. This offered a unique view of the battlespace that the Air Force was able to exploit to the advantage of both the air and ground campaigns. The jointness of the campaign and coordination between the services was another exceptional aspect of the conflict. In addition, the air component was able to be truly flexible, reacting quickly to time-sensitive demands and the fluid nature of the ground campaign and tailoring air strategy to three distinct regional battles. Along with its qualitative analysis, Gulf War II: Air and Space Power Led the Way includes a quantititive breakdown of air sorties and their effect in the conflict. A pdf version of this report is available online at the Air Force Association website.
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