American air power is a dominant force in today's world. Its ascendancy, evolving in the half century since the end of World War II, became evident during the first Gulf War. Although a great deal has been written about military oper ations in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, this deeply researched volume by Dr. Diane Putney probes the little-known story of how the Gulf War air campaign plan came to fruition. Based on archival documentation and interviews with USAF planners, this work takes the reader into the planning cells where the difficult work of building an air campaign plan was accomplished on an around-the-clock basis. The tension among air planners is palpable as Dr. Putney traces the incremental progress and friction along the way. The author places the complexities of the planning process within the con- text of coalition objectives. All the major players are here: President George H. W. Bush, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, General Colin Powell, General Chuck Horner, and Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney. The air planning process generated much debate and friction, but resulted in great success - a 43-day conflict with minimum casualties. Dr. Putney's rendering of this behind-the-scenes evolution of the planning process, in its complexity and even suspense, provides a fascinating window into how wars are planned and fought today and what might be the implications for the future.
Author: Diane T. Putney Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform Published: 05/27/2012 Pages: 494 Binding Type: Paperback Weight: 1.72lbs Size: 9.61h x 6.69w x 0.99d ISBN: 9781477551202
About the Author Diane T. Putney is a historian with the Historical Office of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. From 1982 to 1983 she served as the historian for the 1100th Air Base Wing, Military Airlift Command. From 1983 to 1989 she was the historian for the Air Force Intelligence Agency. She then assumed responsibilities as the Assistant Deputy Chief Historian for Readiness and Field Programs, Office of the Air Force Historian. From 1992 to 2000 she was a historian with the Air Force History Support Office, Bolling AFB, serving as the office's Pentagon Team Chief, 1999-2000. Dr. Putney has written unit histories, articles, book reviews, and reports for special projects, lectured on airpower and intelligence history, and edited the book, ULTRA and the Army Air Forces in World War II.
