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Desert Storm as a Symbol
Air Power Journal, 6 (3): 6--13 (Fall 1992)
Аннотация
VICTORY IN the Gulf war brought with it both euphoria and controversy. Almost nothing could dampen the euphoria which followed such a successful short war that produced remarkably few casualties. The controversy has been mostly good-natured, centering on the question, Who won the war? Success has a thousand fathers, and proud airmen, soldiers, sailors, and marines are quick to trumpet their contributions to the victory.
In truth, everyone is correct. It was a great victory for joint warfare. The strangling naval blockade, the devastating air campaign, the integration of space assets into all operations, the lightning-fast ground maneuvers, the threatened seaborne invasion--these and many other operations define the essence of joint warfare. The spirited controversy between the services is good fun, even if it sheds little useful light on the event.
There is, however, a serious side to what might otherwise be harmless macho posturing by airmen, soldiers, sailors, and marines. Operation Desert Storm symbolized a fundamental shift in the traditional method of waging mechanized warfare. The stunning performance of coalition air power symbolized both the maturity of air power and its dominant position in late twentieth-century warfare. Most important, however, victory in the Gulf war symbolized the need to reevaluate and reform traditional ways of thinking about the art and science of war.
