History of American Wars and Warfare Concepts - Updated

LeGenD · Jan 13, 2018

The United States (US) has fought many wars and became the most powerful country in the world. This thread provides an overview of American wars and their respective outcomes. This thread also disclose American warfare theories and concepts that were adopted to plan and fight limited-scale wars in post World War II times.

American military publications in following link:

CMH Publications Catalog

DETAILS of major wars in following link:

http://www.historycentral.com/wars.html

American KIA statistics of major wars from 1775 to 2022 in following link:

United States: war fatalities1775-2024 | Statista

The American Civil War is the conflict with the largest number of American military fatalities in history.

www.statista.com

War outcomes in American context:

The US altered political landscape of a particular region = VICTORY = BLUE (Use of force); PURPLE (Other methods)
The opposing side recovered in a particular region or altered political landscape of a particular region = DEFEAT = RED
Victorious Camp in American Civil War = GREEN
Controversy = ORANGE

------ ------ ------

1. REVOLUTIONARY WAR
THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE

Opponent	The British Empire
Allies	France
Duration	1775 - 1783
Outcome	American victory with Treaty of Paris [1]

From [1]: "This treaty, signed on September 3, 1783, between the American colonies and Great Britain, ended the American Revolution and formally recognized the United States as an independent nation."

World Conflict situation

From [1]: "The American War for Independence (1775-1783) was actually a world conflict, involving not only the United States and Great Britain, but also France, Spain, and the Netherlands. The peace process brought a nascent United States into the arena of international diplomacy, playing against the largest and most established powers on earth."

Map of the United States post Treaty of Paris

13545dd10ea1bb23a702a8bdf1cc6616--treaty-of-paris-american-revolutionary-war.jpg

References

Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations - Office of the Historian

history.state.gov 3.0 shell

history.state.gov

Overview of the American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War is forever ingrained within our American identity, and provides all Americans a sense of who we are, or, at the very least, who we should be. Our forefathers fought for liberty, freedom, and republican ideals the likes of which had never before been seen in any...

www.battlefields.org

https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/american-revolution-1763-1783/

Comments

1. USA is the only former colony of the mighty British Empire that fought for its independence and accomplished its objective in this manner. American (settlers) were good at fighting on average and decided to formulate a separate nation due to mistreatment from the British.

2. Territorial disputes with the British and Spanish were far from settled yet which led to additional wars in the region:

2. WAR OF 1812
THE WAR FOR EXPANSION OF THE HOMELAND

Opponent	The British Empire*
Allies
Duration	1812 - 1815 (3 years)
Outcome	American victory with Treaty of Ghent [1]

From [1]: "This "Treaty of Peace and Amity Between the United States and Great Britain" was signed on December 24, 1814. It ended the War of 1812, fought between Great Britain and the United States."

Decisive battle

References

Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations - Office of the Historian

history.state.gov 3.0 shell

history.state.gov

A Brief Overview of the War of 1812

The War of 1812 brought the United States onto the world's stage in a conflict that ranged throughout the American Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast, into...

www.battlefields.org

NMAH | The War of 1812

Although its events inspired one of the nationâ€™s most famous patriotic songs, the War of 1812 is a relatively little-known war in American history.

amhistory.si.edu

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-war-of-1812-102320130/

Comments

1. USA actually fought a 4-front war with the British, Canada, Red Indian tribes, and the Spanish to reshape political landscape of the region.

2. This is the only war in history in which an opponent managed to burn the White House (the center of American politics and power).

3. MEXICAN - AMERICAN WAR
THE WAR FOR EXPANSION OF THE HOMELAND

Opponent	Mexican Empire
Allies
Duration	1846 - 1848 (2 years)
Outcome	American victory with Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo [1]

- YouTube

www.youtube.com

From [1]: "The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, that brought an official end to the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), was signed on February 2, 1848, at Guadalupe Hidalgo, a city north of the capital where the Mexican government had fled with the advance of U.S. forces. By its terms, Mexico ceded 55 percent of its territory, including parts of present-day Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah, to the United States. Mexico relinquished all claims to Texas, and recognized the Rio Grande as the southern boundary with the United States."

Map of the United States post Treaty of Gualalupe Hidalgo

http://teacherpress.ocps.net/johnwalsh/files/2014/04/maps-mexican-american-war.jpg

References

Mexican War Maps

Home Page | A Continent Divided: The U.S. Mexico War

library.uta.edu

https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/mexicanwar/

The Mexican American War | American Experience | PBS

Determined to acquire the land, Polk sent American troops to Texas in January of 1846 to provoke the Mexicans into war.

www.pbs.org

Comments

The US - Mexico War (1846 - 1848) is the largest and most significant armed struggle between two nations in the western hemisphere. See references above for more information.

4. CIVIL WAR
DARK TIMES

American factions	Union versus Confederate
Allies
Duration	1861 - 1865 (4 years)
Outcome	Union victory

References

A Brief Overview of the American Civil War

The Civil War of 1861-1865 determined what kind of nation the United States would be.

www.battlefields.org

The Westport Library Resource Guides: American Civil War: About

This guide provides a comprehensive collection of resources on the Civil War, including books, articles, and multimedia materials. It offers insights into key battles, figures, and societal impacts.

westportlibrary.libguides.com

37 maps that explain the American Civil War

Vox is a general interest news site for the 21st century. Its mission: to help everyone understand our complicated world, so that we can all help shape it. In text, video and audio, our reporters explain politics, policy, world affairs, technology, culture, science, the climate crisis, money...

www.vox.com

Comments

1. Americans turned their guns on each other this time (over the issue of legitimacy of slavery) and a brutal civil war ensued:

2. Between 1861 and 1865, 10,000 battles and engagements were fought across the continent, from Vermont to the New Mexico Territory, and beyond. The four-year struggle between north and south made heroes of citizen soldiers, forever changed the role of women in society, and freed more than 3 million slaves. In the end, 620,000 or more Americans were left dead in its wake. See references above for more information.

5. SPANISH - AMERICAN WAR
BECOMING A GREAT POWER

Opponent	Spanish Empire
Allies
Duration	1898 (3 months)
Outcome	American victory with Treaty of Paris [1]

Decisive battle

Battle of Santiago Bay

The Battle of Santiago Bay By late June it seemed almost certain that Santiago de Cuba, and the Spanish squadron of Adm. PascualCervera y Topete, would be captured. The North Atlantic Fleet instituted a rigorous and effective round-the-clock blockade of the harbor and in late June the United...

www.history.navy.mil

References

Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations - Office of the Historian

history.state.gov 3.0 shell

history.state.gov

https://loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/intro.html

The Spanish-American War and Its Consequences [ushistory.org]

Spanish-American War - Ohio History Central

ohiohistorycentral.org

The Spanish-American War in the Philippines and the Battle for Manila | American Experience | PBS

Congress approved President McKinley's request for a declaration of war on April 25, 1898; yet the Spanish-American War was the culmination of decades of pressure toward U.S. expansionism.

www.pbs.org

American Imperialism: The Spanish-American War | DPLA

The Digital Public Library of America brings together the riches of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world.

dp.la

Comments

1. Accident on and subsequent loss of the USS Maine in Havana, Cuba on February 15, 1898 set the stage for this war.

Special Report - Videos

2. USA was able to cement its reputation as a "world power" by liberating several colonies of the Spanish Empire such as Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. Spanish Empire was one of the greatest in the world for centuries.

6. WORLD WAR I
RESHAPING EUROPE

Opponents	Central Powers (Germany; Austria-Hungary; Ottoman Empire; Bulgaria)
Allies	France; The British Empire; Russia; Italy; Japan
Duration	1914 - 1918 (4 straight years)
Outcome	Allied victory with Treaty of Versailles [1]

From [1]: "After four years of devastating fighting, the First World War came to an end in 1919 in Versailles. The treaty, which represented “peace” for some and a “diktat” for others, also sowed the seeds of the Second World War, which would break out twenty years later."

List of battles involving American troops

World War I Campaigns | U.S. Army Center of Military History

References

Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations - Office of the Historian

history.state.gov 3.0 shell

history.state.gov

Comments

American intervention in 1917 ensured victory of Allied bloc (Russia; France; British Empire; and satellites) over Axis powers. Over 2 million American troops were deployed on the front-lines to help turn the tide. However, American intervention was restricted to the battlefield across Europe.

7. WORLD WAR II
SAVING THE WORLD

Opponents	Axis Powers (Germany; Italy; Japan)
Allies	The British Empire; Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR); China
Duration	1939 - 1945 (6 straight years)
Outcome	Allied victory with occupation and subsequent reconditioning of the Axis Powers

Pacific War (1942 - 1945)

Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor in 1941 set the stage for American intervention in this war.

Major combat operations in the WEST

Operation Torch (1942)

Operation Torch: Invasion of North Africa

The Allied invasion of French North Africa in November 1942 was intended to draw Axis forces away from the Eastern Front, thus relieving pressure on the hard-pressed Soviet Union. The operation was a compromise between U.S. and British planners as the latter felt that the American-advocated...

www.history.navy.mil

Operation Avalanche (1943)

Landings at Salerno, Italy

After victories in North Africa in May 1943, the Allied high command looked to open a second front against the Axis on the European continent. Normandy was the first choice, but British insistence that a cross-channel attack would not be successful until 1944 left the Western Allied leadership...

www.history.navy.mil

Operation Overlord (1944)

Operation Overlord (D-Day): June 1944

Invasion of Normandy, France (Codename: Operation Overlord) On June 6, 1944, in Operation Overlord, the Allied forces landed troops on Normandy beaches for the largest amphibious assault in history, beginning the march eastward to defeat Germany. In a larger strategic sense, the successful...

www.history.navy.mil

List of battles involving American troops

US-led forces produced significant battlefield effects and played a key role in downfall of the Axis Powers around the world.

Listing of the Campaigns of the U.S. Army Displayed on the Army Flag | U.S. Army Center of Military History

References

https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/great-depression-and-world-war-ii-1929-1945/world-war-ii/

Comments

1. American Lend-Lease Act made it possible for the USSR to defeat German forces in the East:

https://historyplex.com/lend-lease-act-1941-facts-summary-significance

2. World War II led to creation of the Global Order in which USA and USSR were respective superpowers. This situation set the stage of Cold War between them (see section 8 below).

8. COLD WAR
THE CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS

Opponents	Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)
Allies	Various
Duration	1947 - 1991
Outcome	Outcome # 1: South Korea is liberated by US-led forces (Coalition victory) Outcome # 2: North Korea is preserved by China (Communist Victory) Outcome # 3: Cuba is denuclearized with coercive diplomacy (American victory) Outcome # 4: South Vietnam is annexed by North Vietnam (Communist Victory) Outcome # 5: Afghanistan is liberated by US-backed Mujahideen (Coalition victory) Outcome # 6: Noriega regime is dismantled in Panama (American victory) Final Outcome: American victory with dissolution of the USSR

Who Won the Cold War?

The U.S. and Soviet Union fought the Cold War for 45 years via proxy wars and a near-complete polarization of the rest of the world. But did either side really win?

history.howstuffworks.com

The US Victory in the Cold War: Economic Strength, Foreign Policy Triumph or Both?

The economic strength of the US alone was not enough to secure victory, and the US foreign policy was frequently counter-productive. But when the disparity in economic strength was utilised by the US foreign policy it enabled the US to have a clear advantage over its enemy and negotiate from a...

www.e-ir.info

Ronald Reagan and the Cold War: What Mattered Most - Texas National Security Review

Scholars, like contemporary observers, continue to argue heatedly over the quality of President Ronald Reagan’s strategy, diplomacy, and leadership. This paper focuses on a fascinating paradox of his presidency: By seeking to talk to Soviet leaders and end the Cold War, Reagan helped to win it...

tnsr.org

https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/archives/sovi.html

Associated fronts and/or engagements:-

8.1. North Korea

Opponents	North Korea; USSR; China
Allies	Various
Duration	1950 - 1953
Outcome	Outcome # 1: North Korea is preserved by China Final Outcome: Allied victory with Armistice Agreement for the Restoration of the South Korean State

Main thread

The Korean War (1950 - 1953) - a visual guide

BACKGROUND North Korea and South Korea were split across the 38th parallel by USSR and USA after World War 2. USSR helped transform North Korea into an organized communist state with well-equipped armed forces in the (1945 - 1950) period. USA did not pay much attention to security needs...

defence.pk

References

https://www.jstor.org/stable/654064

View of China, the Soviet Union, and the Korean War: From an Abortive Air War Plan to a Wartime Relationship | Journal of Conflict Studies

Korean War Campaigns | U.S. Army Center of Military History

Comments

China prevented downfall of North Korea with its military might (Chinese success story), but US-led forces managed to liberate South Korea from communist forces and ensure its independence.

8.2. Cuban Missile Crises

Opponents	Cuba; USSR
Allies
Duration	1962 (13 days)
Outcome	American (coercive diplomacy) victory

References

Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations - Office of the Historian

history.state.gov 3.0 shell

history.state.gov

Comments

Soviet Union agreed to remove its nuclear umbrella from Cuba in-exchange of assurance from the USA to not invade Cuba and denuclearize Turkey.

8.3. Vietnam

Opponents	North Vietnam; Cambodia; Laos
Allies
Duration	1955 - 1973
Outcome	Outcome # 1: Use of force to compel North Vietnam to sign Paris Peace Accords and allow American withdrawal from the region in 1973. Final Outcome: North Vietnam annexed South Vietnam in 1975.

Perspective

Vietnam War in retrospective

USA fought a war in Vietnam in the 1960s when its military technologies were nothing like in 1991 (vs. Iraq) and beyond. Vietcong and American troops could NOT defeat each other due to technological limitations and geographical factors and were locked in a stalemate for a long period of time.

Technological limitations

For perspective; USAF could NOT knock out a Vietnamese bridge (Dragon's Jaw) with "standard munitions" for a long period of time in Vietnam:

"At the outset of the Vietnam War, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff rated the Dragon’s Jaw as No. 14 on the list of the most important targets in North Vietnam. It carried the only railroad in the North Vietnamese panhandle and was a key link in the supply route supporting the war in the south. When the Rolling Thunder air campaign began in 1965, the bridge was selected for early attack.

On April 3, 1965, Lt. Col. Robinson Risner led a strike force of almost 80 aircraft from bases in Vietnam and Thailand against the Dragon’s Jaw. The actual attack was conducted by 31 F-105s from Korat Air Base in Thailand, half of them carrying Bullpup missiles and half with 750-pound general-purpose bombs.

Planners had expected the attack to drop the bridge. However, neither the missiles nor the bombs caused any appreciable damage. One pilot said the Bullpups, which had lightweight 250-pound warheads, simply “bounced off” the target.

The next day, Risner led a restrike by 46 F-105s. This time, they left the Bullpups at home and hit the bridge with some 300 bombs, but the results were no better than before. Two further strikes in May closed the bridge briefly for repairs. Large mines, dropped upriver by transport aircraft, floated into the bridge abutments but they had little effect.

By 1972, the Air Force and the Navy had sent 871 sorties against the Dragon’s Jaw, losing 11 aircraft but failing to knock out the bridge.

The Emergence of Smart Bombs | Air & Space Forces Magazine

Precision-guided munitions in Vietnam wrote the book on ground attack.

www.airforcemag.com

Geographical factors

Source: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Topographic-map-of-Vietnam_fig1_233808418

Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11483-coastal-living-a-growing-global-threat/

Vietnamese geography prevents mechanized thrusts in numerous sectors of the country. USA had NO choice but to use helicopters to insert troops in such sectors to confront Vietcong forces and/or to conduct bombing runs in numerous sectors to soften Vietcong infrastructure. American troops could win battles but gains on the ground remained limited.

Locked in a stalemate

Major battles of the war and their respective outcomes are identified as follows:

Battle of la Drang	1965	Indecisive
Battle of Khe Sanh	1968	Indecisive
Vietcong's Tet offensive	1968	Victory (US-led forces repel attack of Vietcong)
Operation Apache Snow including the battle of Hamburger hill	1969	Victory (US-led forces secure thung lũng A Sầu region but are withdrawn due to political reasons).

Although American military forces could win battles, Vietcong remained intact and launched Easter Offensive in another show of force to weaken South Vietnam in 1972.

Negotiations

Nixon administration was under domestic pressure to bring an end to war in Vietnam and ordered drawdown of American troops to signal its intent to do the needful but Vietcong saw an opportunity in this development to launch its Easter Offensive to weaken South Vietnam in 1972. This put Nixon administration in a predicament and it authorized use of overwhelming force to stop Vietcong in its tracks and bring it to the negotiation table instead: Operation Linebacker II was launched to achieve desired outcome in this case.

- YouTube

www.youtube.com

Improvements in American military technology such as emergence of smart bombs made it possible for the USAF to achieve results that were NOT possible before. For example, USAF used smart bombs on the Vietnamese bridge Dragon's Jaw for a change:

The F-4s hit the bridge with 26 laser-guided bombs, several of them heavy 3,000-pounders, and did what all of the previous attacks had not been able to do. According to an Air Force review of the action, “The western span of the bridge had been knocked completely off its 40 foot thick concrete abutment and the bridge superstructure was so critically disfigured and twisted that rail traffic would come to a standstill for at least several months.”

The Emergence of Smart Bombs | Air & Space Forces Magazine

Precision-guided munitions in Vietnam wrote the book on ground attack.

www.airforcemag.com

The North Vietnamese Bridge That Took Seven Years to Destroy

The road and railway bridge at Thanh Hoa south of Hanoi spanned the Ma River and was a vital link in the movement of communist troops and supplies. For the better part of a decade, U.S. Navy, Marine and Air Force aviators braved the flak-filled skies over North Vietnam on missions to destroy the...

www.historynet.com

- and Dragon's Jaw collapsed.

Operation Linebacker II showed that it was possible to defeat Vietcong but Nixon administration was not interested to stay on course.

My analysis shows that American military was learning from its battlefield experiences and began to produce results in every battle that was fought in Vietnam since 1968. More importantly, a new generation of technologies emerged and could be employed to devastating effect in Operation Linebacker II in 1972 - this operation showed that technological supremacy could help turn the tide of war in Vietnam but domestic pressure on Nixon administration to give up on Vietnam was immense and it followed through.

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Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam

By Charles E. Neu and H. R. McMaster, Published on 04/13/18

digital-commons.usnwc.edu

References

School of Advanced Military Studies Monographs

This monograph examines how the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization employed air power to obtain national objectives in Operation Linebacker II, Operation Deliberate Force, and Operation Allied Force. Operation Linebacker II took place from 18-29 December 1972. It was the...

cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org

The Limits of Airpower or the Limits of Strategy: The Air Wars in Vietnam and Their Legaci

For most of the world’s population, America’s air wars in Vietnam are now ancient history. The first U.S. bombing raids against North Vietnam, conducted in response to attacks by North Vietnamese

ndupress.ndu.edu

Nixon's peace with honor - The Vietnam War and Its Impact

Comments

1. Although American military forces were able to win battles in Vietnam, American leaders did not capitalize on such gains (see "My analysis of the Vietnam War" part above).

2. Vietnam War provided valuable lessons for restructuring and re-equipping American military to fight a competent adversary much more effectively at some point in the future. Vietnam War was particularly instructive for re-equipping American military forces and revisiting American battle doctrine in subsequent years.

AirLand Battle Doctrine - MERIP

The US Army has recently adopted an aggressive new warfighting doctrine called AirLand Battle. Its precepts now constitute the Army’s basic “how to fight” principles for a decade of “intense, deadly, and costly” battles. The Middle East is one of three major theaters—along with Europe and...

merip.org

https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep13949

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14702436.2022.2132232

8.4. Afghanistan

Operation	Operation Cyclone
Allies	Pakistan
Duration	1979 - 1989
Outcome	Allied (proxy) victory with Geneva Accords of 1988

US made the war unwinnable for the Soviet Union in Afghanistan by providing massive assistance to the Mujahideen with collaboration of Pakistan.

References

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2307/2657738

Afghan War and the Stinger Saga: Lt. Col. (R) Mahmood Ahmed Ghazi Y. Bt.: 9789699225154: Amazon.com: Books

Afghan War and the Stinger Saga [Lt. Col. (R) Mahmood Ahmed Ghazi Y. Bt.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Afghan War and the Stinger Saga

www.amazon.com

Comments

Some of the Mujahideen banded together to establish Al-Qaeda Network in 1988. This development would set the stage for another war in Afghanistan (see section 11 below).

8.5. Panama

Enemy	Noriega regime
Operation	Operation Just Cause
Allies
Duration	1989 - 1990 (42 days)
Outcome	American victory (Noriega regime is dismantled in Panama)

This was the largest and most complex military operation since Vietnam.

Perspective

Operation Just Cause: A Historical Analysis

On September 7, 2007, seventeen years after Manuel Noriega’s violent removal from power in Panama, a legal order for his release was issued in Miami; however, to this day, the former Panamanian strongman remains imprisoned in a Florida jail as both France and Panama battle for him to be...

www.coha.org

---

The truth behind US’ Operation Just Cause in Panama

The more history that can be exhumed, the harder it will be for the US to hide behind noble intentions in the future.

www.aljazeera.com

---

Building a new world order : "Operation Just Cause" and the construction of a post-Cold War American foreign policy | Whitman College

arminda.whitman.edu

---

3 Little-Known Stories from Operation Just Cause

On Dec. 20, 1989, the United States military invaded Panama, code-named Operation Just Cause, in an effort to oust Panamanian narco-dictator Manuel Noriega from power.

www.coffeeordie.com

References

Operation Just Cause and the U.S. Policy Process

This Note examines the policy process that led the United States to intervene in Panama.

www.rand.org

Defense Technical Information Center

apps.dtic.mil

Operation Just Cause: Lessons for Operations Other Than War

The study of past operations is helpful in defining U.S. Army roles and functions in military operations other than war (OOTW) and in assessing the range of missions and requirements the Army is likely to face in the future.

www.rand.org

MI Library Home: Battle SOUTHCOM: Operation Just Cause

intellibrary.libguides.com

9. Iraq

Operation	Operation Desert Storm
Allies	Various
Duration	1991 (45 days)
Outcome	US-led coalition victory with Liberation of Kuwait

Perspective

- YouTube

www.youtube.com

References

Desert Storm at 30: Aerospace Power and the U.S. Military - War on the Rocks

Feb. 28 marked the 30th anniversary of the end of offensive operations in Operation Desert Storm. Desert Storm was a sustained 43-day air campaign

warontherocks.com

Comments

1. US-led coalition defeated Iraq in the war (and liberated Kuwait by extension) through combination of a well-planned military operation involving a deception plan and tactics and technological supremacy with surprises in the mix.

2. This is the FIRST war in which US applied its AirLand Battle Doctrine to devastating effect.

Defense Technical Information Center

apps.dtic.mil

The Evolution of U.S. Army Doctrine: from Active Defense to Airland Battle and Beyond

This study explains the recent evolution of U.S. Army doctrine. During the last two decades, the Army revised its capstone manual--FM 100-5, Operations--three times in 1976, 1982, and 1986. A fourth revision is underway in 1991. This thesis chronicles the change in doctrine by analyzing the...

apps.dtic.mil

10. Yugoslavia

Operation	Operation Allied Force
Allies	Various
Duration	1999 (78 days)
Outcome	US-led coalition victory with Liberation of Kosovo

Perspective

Yugoslavian A2/AD arrangements were among the finest in Europe shaped by lessons drawn from Operation Desert Storm with a network of radar systems that were collectively optimized to detect Low Observable (LO) aircraft and cruise missiles. Earliest examples of IMAD setups in fact.

"Air Force and NATO aircraft faced significantly more effective air defenses than what they had recently encountered in Iraq, and pilots were initially instructed to stay above 15,000 feet to minimize risk."

1999 - Operation Allied Force

NATO's air campaign against the former Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and its forces deployed in Kosovo. During this operation NATO used a wide range of aircraft and naval weapons against the FRY.

www.afhistory.af.mil

But NATO humbled Yugoslavian A2/AD arrangements and lost only two aircraft over Yugoslavia:

"After 65 days of operations, NATO had lost to enemy fire only two aircraft–an F-117 and an F-16–with no casualties."

Washington Watch: Victory in Kosovo | Air & Space Forces Magazine

In late May, NATO shifted gears in Operation Allied Force. The air campaign soon saw the results of th

www.airandspaceforces.com

B-2A bomber proved its mettle in Yugoslavia:

"The combat effectiveness of the B-2 was proved in Operation Allied Force, where it was responsible for destroying 33 percent of all Serbian targets in the first eight weeks, by flying nonstop to Kosovo from its home base in Missouri and back."

B-2 Spirit

The B-2 Spirit is a multi-role bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. A dramatic leap forward in technology, the B-2 brings massive firepower to bear, in a short time,

www.af.mil

"In its first combat test, the B-2 bomber defeated not only the Serbian air defense system but also the critics who for years had insisted it would not work as advertised or would never be risked in real war."

With Stealth in the Balkans | Air & Space Forces Magazine

The performance of the B-2 exceeded the expectations of even its most ardent fan.

www.airandspaceforces.com

Related Discussion

Russian Air Force Is Very Effective In Ukraine

Poor operational performance and tactics - inadequate real world experience or relevant training other than very senior pilots. Non existent cooperation with combined force elements - even coordinating within VKS has been terrible. Lastly, the entire operational plan and execution was poor...

defence.pk

References

Kosovo Air Campaign (March-June 1999)

NATO launched an air campaign, Operation Allied Force, in March 1999 to halt the humanitarian catastrophe that was then unfolding in Kosovo. The decision to intervene followed more than a year of fighting within the province and the failure of international efforts to resolve the conflict by...

www.nato.int

Operation Allied Force

On 24 March 1999, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) launched air campaign Operation Allied Force against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to stop the humanitarian catastrophe that was then unfolding in Kosovo. The campaign was launched after all diplomatic avenues had failed. Operation...

www.history.navy.mil

1999 - Operation Allied Force

NATO's air campaign against the former Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and its forces deployed in Kosovo. During this operation NATO used a wide range of aircraft and naval weapons against the FRY.

www.afhistory.af.mil

Operation Allied Force: Lessons for the Future

RAND researcher Benjamin S. Lambeth offers a thorough appraisal of Operation Allied Force, with a view toward shedding light both on the operation's strengths and on its most salient weaknesses.

www.rand.org

Operation Allied Force | Air & Space Forces Magazine

How airpower won the war for Kosovo.

www.airforcemag.com

Operation Allied Force (Kosovo, 1999) from Misfortunes of War: Press and Public Reactions to Civilian Deaths in Wartime on JSTOR

Operation Allied Force (Kosovo, 1999), Misfortunes of War, pp. 63-124

www.jstor.org

11. WAR ON TERROR
GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM

Opponents	Various
Allies	Various
Duration	2001 - 2021
Outcome	Outcome # 1: Perpetrators of 9/11 eliminated in AfPak (NATO victory) Outcome # 2: Afghan Taliban return to power in Afghanistan (Renaissance Diplomacy) Outcome # 3: Saddam regime is dismantled in Iraq (NATO victory) Outcome # 4: Qaddafi regime is dismantled in Libya (NATO victory) Outcome # 5: Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) is dismantled across Syria and Iraq (NATO victory) Final Outcome: American victory* (US managed to eliminate perpetrators of 9/11 and dismantle one of the most dangerous multinational terrorist groups in the world); monitoring of relevant regions continues.
Controversies	1. War in Iraq is one of the most controversial developments in modern times. Critics contend that this war was unnecessary. 2. Involvement of The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in American mission to defeat ISIL in Syria fueled tensions between US and Turkey. 3. War Profiteering

*Compromise as a solution to conflict.

Al-Qaeda Network (a multinational terrorist group) was deemed responsible for horrendous acts of terrorism on American soil on September 11, 2001. This event propelled US to launch its War On Terror to degrade or defeat Al-Qaeda Network around the world. US also created the Department of Homeland Security to prevent terror attacks on American soil. But US decided to settle scores with perceived enemies in Iraq and Libya on the side.

Timeline of elimination of the most influential members of the Al-Qaeda Network around the world:

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was assassinated in Iraq in 2006
Osama Bin Laden was assassinated in Pakistan in 2011
Abu al-Khayr al-Masri was assassinated in Syria in 2017
Hamza Bin Laden was assassinated in undisclosed location in 2019
Abu Muhammad al-Masri was assassinated in Iran in 2021
Ayman al-Zawahiri was assassinated in Afghanistan in 2022

US used drones to assassinate a large number of terrorists in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen respectively:

Drone Warfare

www.thebureauinvestigates.com

The role of NSA in Drone Warfare:

The NSA's Secret Role in the U.S. Assassination Program

The National Security Agency is using complex analysis of electronic surveillance, rather than human intelligence, as the primary method to locate targets for lethal drone strikes – an unreliable tactic that results in the deaths of innocent or unidentified people.

theintercept.com

Killed in action (KIA):

Associated fronts and/or engagements:-

11.1. Afghanistan

Opponents	Al-Qaeda Network (Primary) Afghan Taliban (Secondary)
Operation	Operation Enduring Freedom
Allies	Various
Gateway to Afghanistan	Pakistan
Duration	2001 - 2021
Outcome	Outcome # 1: Perpetrators of 9/11 eliminated in AfPak Outcome # 2: Afghan Taliban return to power Final Outcome: MIXED with US - Taliban agreement

Toppling Taliban regime

This mission was accomplished in the (October 2001 - June 2002) period.

Toppling the Taliban

This report describes the preparations for Operation Enduring Freedom, Army operations and support activities, coalition issues, and civil-military operations in Afghanistan from October 2001 through June 2002.

www.rand.org

US applied its AirLand Battle doctrine to defeat Al-Qaeda Network in Tora Bora Mountains in 2002 (Operation Anaconda).

Defense Technical Information Center

apps.dtic.mil

Notable efforts to dismantle Al-Qaeda Network

Pakistani contribution to this end in times of Musharraf administration is documented in following book:

Amazon.com

---

Operation Neptune Spear

This operation is discussed at length in following links:

LibGuides: Special Operations Forces: Operation Neptune Spear

This research guide provides information and resources such as journal articles, book titles, websites, and government reports/papers on the subject of Special Operations Forces.

usnwc.libguides.com

How did the Osama bin Laden strike mission maintain stealth in Pakistani airspace if they flew giant Chinook helicopters in addition to t...

Dan Rosenthal's answer: The Chinooks were not known to be particularly modified for low observability in the way that the 160th SOAR “stealth” Black Hawks (I’m just gonna call them Ghosthawks, since that seems to be the most common nickname) were. They were just standard MH-47E’s at least as far ...

qr.ae

Wirtz, J. J. (2022). The Abbottabad raid and the theory of special operations. Journal of Strategic Studies, 45(6-7), 972-992.

DataSpace: Bin Laden Dossier [Abbottabad Commission Report on Killing of Osama bin Laden]

dataspace.princeton.edu

This operation set in motion a chain of tragic events in Pakistan:

https://acleddata.com/2017/02/07/the-fallout-of-operation-neptune-spear/

Additional pointers in following links:

1. CIA 3D model of the Abbottabad compound
2. Dr. Shakeel Afridi
3. Dead bodies found in the compound; these people are identified in the Abbottabad Commission Report
4. Documents recovered from the Abbottabad compound
5. General Ehsan ul Haq's account
6. Pakistan showing the preserved part of the crashed helicopter to a Chinese team
7. Osama Bin Laden's family

Seymour Hersh account is disputed and/or refuted in here, here, here, and here.

---

Hamza bin Laden's Death: Al-Qaida's Weaknesses

Analyze how Hamza bin Laden's death reveals the ongoing struggles within al-Qaida.

www.brookings.edu

---

US continues to monitor activity of Al-Qaeda remnants in Afghanistan and assassinated Ayman al-Zawahiri using over-the-horizon strike approach.

The Killing of al-Zawahiri: Repercussions for the Taliban

Following the drone strike against al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, many variables are up in the air that could significantly alter the stability of a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan as well as the future of the al-Qaeda framework.

www.washingtoninstitute.org

Nation Building Failure

Why Nation-Building Failed in Afghanistan | by Daron Acemoglu - Project Syndicate

Daron Acemoglu explains why the West's top-down approach to establishing state institutions was bound to end in tears.

www.project-syndicate.org

Afghan Taliban were able to regroup in Pakistan and Iran and plot their return. Pakistan was reluctant to act against Afghan Taliban for various reasons.

- YouTube

www.youtube.com

Afghan Taliban demonstrated incredible proficiency in the art of insurgency warfare and continued to assert themselves as a stakeholder in Afghan political affairs. Afghan Taliban and US eventually came to an understanding in US - Taliban agreement.

Perspective

How the Taliban won - It will be passed down for generations, all the lost limbs and the money lost

No I have talked to them, usually they are pro-Pakistan. I am talking about the Pathans. The Pathans from Afghanistan are literally the most anti-Pakistan out of the lot... You don't need to talk to them but just watch what they say, their culture is based around hating Pakistan, Gul Khans...

defence.pk

---

- YouTube

www.youtube.com

---

University of Chicago Press Journals: Cookie absent

References

Air Power Vital to the Conduct of Operation Enduring Freedom

The U.S. conducted Operation Enduring Freedom from land and sea bases far from the war zone in Afghanistan. Al Qaeda's terrorist infrastructure and the Taliban regime were destroyed largely through the use of networked ground-aided air attacks that are now the cutting edge of American combat style.

www.rand.org

Comments

1. Afghan Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan with American nod but US has withdrawn its financial assistance to the country. Afghanistan finds itself in a period of significant economic crisis in the present.

Ten years of Afghan economic growth, reversed in just 12 months: UNDP

A year on from the Taliban takeover in Kabul, Afghanistan is gripped by “cascading crises”, including a crippled economy that humanitarian aid alone cannot address, according to a new report from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) on Wednesday.

news.un.org

One Year Later, Taliban Unable to Reverse Afghanistan’s Economic Decline

Afghanistan’s economy was already deteriorating before the Taliban takeover of the country on August 15, 2021, suffering from severe drought, the COVID-19 pandemic, declining confidence in the previous government, falling international military spending as U.S. and other foreign troops left...

www.usip.org

3. Pakistan continues to face security challenges emanating from Afghanistan in spite of fencing Durand Line.

As Pakistan's Afghanistan policy fails, the Afghan Taliban moves against Islamabad

Islamabad’s long standing objective—to have a dependent government in Kabul—has finally burned to the ground.

www.atlanticcouncil.org

Pakistan’s troubled ties with the Taliban

Pakistan must continue to treat Afghanistan as a policy priority, despite its own internal issues.

www.eastasiaforum.org

Pakistan insists on addressing problems of Afghanistan, nevertheless.

11.2. Iraq

Opponents	Saddam regime
Operation	Operation Iraqi Freedom
Allies	Various
Duration	2003 - 2011
Outcome	US-led coalition victory (Saddam regime is toppled / dismantled and Iraq is transformed into a Federal Parliamentary Republic)

Toppling Saddam regime

"The U.S. victory in Iraq makes the German blitzkrieg look positively incompetent by comparison." - Boot (2003)

Urban warfare was central to combat strategy of Saddam regime due to lack of options for its forces in open landscapes in 2003 as noted in here and here. American tanks could survive in Iraqi urban spaces - this dynamic coupled with excellent precision strike capability and good intel was a winning combination. US-led forces toppled Saddam regime in a matter of days in a stunningly effective application of Blitzkrieg in modern times.

"Coalition forces in the second Gulf War were less than half the size of those deployed in the first one. Yet they achieved a much more ambitious goal-occupying all of Iraq, rather than just kicking the Iraqi army out of Kuwait-in almost half the time, with one-third the casualties, and at one-fourth the cost of the first war. Many will argue, in retrospect, that Saddam Hussein's forces were not all that formidable to begin with, and there is no doubt a great deal of truth in this. But they were capable enough when they fought the Iranian army to a draw in the 1980s and put down Kurdish and Shi'ite insurgencies in the 1990s. And, on paper at least, the Baathist regime's military enjoyed a big numerical advantage over U.S. and British forces. Although the Iraqi army was much degraded from its pre-1991 heyday, it still deployed more than 45o,ooo troops, including para-military units, the Republican Guard, and the Special Republican Guard, whose loyalty had been repeatedly demonstrated. Traditionally, war colleges have taught that to be sure of success, an attacking force must have a 3 to 1 advantage-a ratio that goes up to 6 to 1 in difficult terrain such as urban areas. Far from having a 3 to 1 advantage in Iraq, coalition ground forces (which never numbered more than ioo,ooo) faced a 3 to 1 or 4 to 1 disadvantage.

That the United States and its allies won anyway-and won so quickly-must rank as one of the signal achievements in military history. Previously, the gold standard of operational excellence had been the German blitzkrieg through the Low Countries and France in 1940. The Germans managed to conquer France, the Netherlands, and Belgium in just 44 days, at a cost of "only" 27,000 dead soldiers. The United States and Britain took just 26 days to conquer Iraq (a country 80 percent of the size of France), at a cost of 161 dead, making fabled generals such as Erwin Rommel and Heinz Guderian seem positively incompetent by comparison."

Boot, M. (2003). The new American way of war. Foreign Affairs, 41-58.

US applied its AirLand Battle doctrine to topple Saddam regime in 2003.

Defense Technical Information Center

apps.dtic.mil

Compare the above to the situation when Iraq was up against a regional adversary in the 1980s. Iraqi forces managed to capture Khorramshahr in 1980 but lost this city to Iranian forces in 1982. Iranian forces could not capture a single Iraqi city in war that lasted 8 years on the other hand - not even Basra (1986 - 1987). Much of the war could be fought in open landscapes and ballistic missiles were used to attack different cities. This was the situation between adversaries that were evenly matched on the whole.

De-baathification of Iraq

De-Baathification of Iraq - similar to De-Nazification of Germany

From Prague to Baghdad: Lustration Systems and their Political Effects1 | Government and Opposition | Cambridge Core

From Prague to Baghdad: Lustration Systems and their Political Effects1 - Volume 41 Issue 3

www.cambridge.org

De-Baathification of Iraq presented considerable challenge to US-led forces in fact. Saddam regime was toppled in 2003 but Iraq produced a significant level of insurgency that claimed many lives through the years. US-led forces were moved to former Iraqi military bases but had to fight to recapture some of the Iraqi cities that were lost to various insurgent groups through the years.

Ramadi, Husaybah, Najaf, Samarra, Mosul, and Fallujah in 2004. Fighting was most violent and intense in Fallujah and the city was recaptured in second attempt but much of it was reduced to rubble in the process (Operation Phantom Fury).

Tal Afar in 2005
Ramadi in 2006

Karbala in 2007, and Basra and Sadr City in 2008. These battles were fought with Iran-backed Mehdi Army. This was a large and powerful insurgent group that claimed 600 American lives in the war but was defeated in 2008 and its leader Muqtada al-Sadr fled to Iran to avoid attempts on his life.

Reflections:

Moaddel, M., Tessler, M., & Inglehart, R. (2008). Saddam Hussein and the Sunni insurgency: Findings from values surveys. Political Science Quarterly, 123(4), 623-644.

A Bitter Legacy: Lessons of De-Baathification in Iraq | International Center for Transitional Justice

Based on significant field research and interviews with the Higher National de-Baathification Commission, this report focuses on Iraq’s purge of members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party, which is the most well-known example of large-scale and politically based dismissals in the Middle East and...

www.ictj.org

Fate of Saddam Hussein's two sons

Dead: the sons of Saddam

Uday and Qusay, Saddam Hussein's sons and his most feared lieutenants, were killed yesterday in a gun battle at their hideout in the northern Iraqi town of Mosul.

www.theguardian.com

Leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) killed in 2006

U.S. Strike Hits Insurgent at Safehouse (Published 2006)

Iraq's prime minister and the top U.S. commander in Iraq said Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's body had been positively identified by fingerprints, "facial recognition" and "known scars."

www.nytimes.com

Execution of Saddam Hussein

How Saddam died on the gallows

Camera footage of the final minutes of Saddam Hussein released yesterday shows him being taunted by Shia hangmen and witnesses, a scene that risks increasing sectarian tension in Iraq.

www.theguardian.com

13 years later, Iraq passes de-Baathification law

The Iraqi parliament passed a de-Baathification law to ban any political activity by the Baath Party, but its consequences are still unknown as warnings continue about potential destabilizing effects.

www.al-monitor.com

Reboot of Iraqi political system

Iraq is now a Federal Parliamentary Republic:

https://iq.parliament.iq/en/

Fallujah - a case study of Urban Warfare

- YouTube

www.youtube.com

Battle of Fallujah: Unveiling Phantom Fury | Marine Corps Association

Dive into the historic Battle of Fallujah with expert analysis and firsthand accounts from the Marine Corps Gazette and Leatherneck Magazine archives. Discover the untold stories of Phantom Fury.

mca-marines.org

Operation Phantom Fury: The Assault and Capture of Fallujah, Iraq: Camp, Dick: Amazon.com: Books

Operation Phantom Fury: The Assault and Capture of Fallujah, Iraq [Camp, Dick] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Operation Phantom Fury: The Assault and Capture of Fallujah, Iraq

www.amazon.com

Sadr City - a case study of Urban Warfare

Urban Warfare

The authors identify factors critical to the coalition victory over Jaish al-Mahdi in the 2008 Battle of Sadr City and describe a new model for dealing with insurgent control of urban areas.

www.rand.org

References

Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Future of the U.S. Military

Iraq Memo #17 by Michael E. O'Hanlon for the Saban Center (6/19/03)

www.brookings.edu

Iraq War - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Comments

Iraqi insurgency was a very violent and destructive development on the whole with Syria and Iran providing arms and guidance to different insurgent groups in Iraq, but US-led forces defeated all insurgent groups and stabilized the country in 2008 and Obama administration withdrew US-led forces from Iraq in 2011.

Barack Obama announces total withdrawal of US troops from Iraq

President says 'America's war in Iraq will be over' with decision to pull all troops from Iraq by the end of the year

www.theguardian.com

Last U.S. troops leave Iraq, ending war

The last convoy of U.S. soldiers pulled out of Iraq on Sunday, ending nearly nine years of war that cost almost 4,500 American and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives, and left a country grappling with political uncertainty.

www.reuters.com

Muqtada al-Sadr returned to Iraq in 2011.

Moqtada al-Sadr returns to Iraq after exile

Cleric who has spent three years in Iran goes back less than fortnight after helping usher in new government

www.theguardian.com

US has reshaped political landscape of Iraq but the war has also allowed Iran to make political inroads into Iraq. This situation has opened a new chapter of conflict in the region by extension.

Iran’s Networks of Influence in Iraq | Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis

Iraq continues to pose a threat to Iranian national security, which is why Iran is intent on shaping Iraq’s domestic politics and strategic orientation.

www.iiss.org

11.3. Libya

Opponents	Qaddafi regime
Operation	Operation Odyssey Dawn
Allies	Various
Duration	2011 (7 months)
Outcome	US-led coalition victory (Qaddafi regime is toppled / dismantled)

Fate of Muammar Qaddafi

Gaddafi's last words as he begged for mercy: 'What did I do to you?'

As National Transitional Council fighters fought their way into Sirte, radio intercepts spoke of 'an asset' in the besieged city. But no one knew until the final moments that the deposed dictator was within their grasp

www.theguardian.com

The Air Strike That Led To The Capture (And Subsequent Killing) Of Muammar Gaddafi 10 Years Ago Today

On this day in 2011, an air strike by NATO aircraft contributed to the capture of Col. Gaddafi. Here's how it went. Although NATO’s Operation Unified

theaviationist.com

References

Airpower in the Libyan Civil War

In 2011, a coalition of nations waged a war against Muammar Qaddafi's regime that reversed the tide of Libya's civil war. The intervention's central element was a relatively small air campaign. What lessons did each nation glean from the experience?

www.rand.org

Operation Odyssey Dawn - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Comments

US conducted a shadow war to defeat ISIL elements in Sirte in 2016.

The U.S. Has Conducted 550 Drone Strikes in Libya Since 2011 — More Than in Somalia, Yemen, or Pakistan

Libya has served as a laboratory for new drone warfare tactics.

theintercept.com

11.4. Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL)

Opponents	Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL)
Operation	Operation Inherent Resolve
Allies	Various
Duration	2014 - 2021
Outcome	US-led coalition victory (ISIL is dismantled)

Main thread

Mapping the kinetic aspect of the Operation Inherent Resolve to defeat ISIL (Updated)

BACKGROUND AND ORIGINS OF THE ISIL "At its peak, IS ruled over 88,000 sq km (34,000 sq miles) stretching across the Iraq-Syria border." - BBC* Syria and Iraq contemplated merger to create the United Arab Republic in the 1960s...

defence.pk

Perspective

Poor security situation in Syria and political blunders of Maliki administration in Iraq allowed survivors of Saddam regime and Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) to regroup and establish the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) in 2013 and its call for jihad appealed to thousands from all over the world, and ISIL managed to spread across Syria and Iraq consequently.

NATO . Success in this mission is in part owed to local actors in Iraq and Syria who were willing to fight ISIL and stood firm in this cause.

Iraqi establishment called on the US to help liberate Iraqi lands and cities from ISIL forces in 2014. US troops returned to Iraq in 2014 to restructure localized resistance fronts and US-led forces liberated Mosul and Raqqa in 2017.

The Operation Inherent Resolve is a COIN masterpiece involving calculative application of local partners and Air Power to counter a formidable multinational terrorist network. The operation also underscore the commitment of local partners to the cause.

References

Amazon.com

Operation Inherent Resolve

This report, which outlines four battles within Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) and reviews U.S. ground force contributions to those battles, is intended to address gaps both in analysis and in the common understanding of OIR.

www.rand.org

Comments

1. ISIL defectors explain how ISIL emerged and managed its operations:

https://www.jstor.org/stable/26297733#metadata_info_tab_contents

2. US established the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) bloc to help counter ISIL in Syria but this development led to tensions between US and Turkey due to involvement of PKK in SDF.

Istanbul bombing: Turkiye 'rejects' US condolences hours before G20 summit

who is going to attack Israel without American protection? Dubai with Burj Khalifa? almost all Arab countries are Israeli allies and those that are hostile cant even protect theirown Capitals. Once US leaves, those countries will change stances in a heartbeat, they still hate Israel, they may...

defence.pk

3. Iran-led forces also fought ISIL but independently.

While U.S.-Led Forces Dropped Bombs, Iran Waged Its Own Covert Campaign Against the Islamic State

Iran’s spies cheered U.S. bombings in the war against ISIS while covertly arming the Kurdish Peshmerga and penetrating the Islamic State’s leadership.

theintercept.com

4. US continues to monitor situation in Syria.

------ ------ ------

The US has also defined modern warfare concepts for the rest of the world to emulate (if possible) or study at minimum.

Modern Warfare Theories:

Theory of Limited War

Major Michael Cannon

https://www.jstor.org/stable/45346483

The Theory of Limited War

Until 1991 the theory of limited war was shaped by the experience of two critical conflicts — Korea and Vietnam. Korea was responsible for a concept geared to an east-west confrontation and dependent on the limitation of objectives in order to have any...

link.springer.com

The US adopted this theory to plan and fight multiple limited-scale wars in post World War II times.

Energy-Maneuverability Theory	Colonel John Boyd
The OODA Loop	Colonel John Boyd

Boyd understood that victory in aerial engagements did not go to the faster or higher-flying aircraft but to the pilot whose aircraft had superior sustained turn performance, allowing maneuvers behind the prey. Boyd's Energy-Maneuverability Theory analysed how well an aircraft could change energy states involving speed, acceleration, kinetic and potential energy.

- YouTube

www.youtube.com

Boyd's the OODA Loop is a tool that explains how individuals and organizations can succeed in uncertain and chaotic environments. Boyd perceived four elements of command and control. These functions form the core of Boyd’s research of commanders and armies at war. In a dynamic environment, competitors with superior OODA capability out-think and out-maneuver lesser opponents. The model applies to fighter aircraft, military organizations, and private business.

- YouTube

www.youtube.com

Boyd's the OODA Loop provides the basis for Maneuver Warfare Theory and conceptualization of the (battle-tested) AirLand Battle Doctrine which was successfully applied on two separate occasions such as in 1991 to liberate Kuwait and in 2003 to topple Saddam regime in Iraq.

Modern Battle Doctrines:

Active Defense Doctrine	General DePuy	1976
AirLand Battle Doctrine	General Donn A. Starry	1982
Multi Domain Operations Doctrine	Lt Gen Norman Seip	2017

Towards Multi-Domain Operations Doctrine?

Distinctly Different Doctrine: Why Multi-Domain Operations Isn’t AirLand Battle 2.0

Those who have watched the Army’s concept for Multi-Domain Operations evolve since the fall of 2017 have experienced an odd sense of d

www.ausa.org

Defense Technical Information Center

apps.dtic.mil

Multi-Domain Operations: Bridging the Gaps for Dominance

This article will take a quick look at how warfare has evolved and why we have headed toward the multi-domain operations (MDO) doctrine. Additionally, the article provides a framework as a rudimentary

www.airuniversity.af.edu

Multi-domain operations in the future battlespace

With diplomatic tensions and conflict commanding the world’s attention, it is clear that a new age of military operations beckons.

www.army-technology.com

The Army and Multi-Domain Operations: Moving Beyond AirLand Battle

Dennis Wille explains the evolution of AirLand battle in the Army and where Army doctrine could take us next.

www.newamerica.org

Multi-Domain Operations/Joint All-Domain Operations

Discover Lockheed Martin's advanced JADO and JADC2 solutions for unmatched defense across land, air, sea, space, and cyber, ensuring rapid threat deterrence.

www.lockheedmartin.com

scope · Jan 13, 2018

Don't forget these wars to topple democratically elected governments.

Killing-Hope-C-I-Interventions-II--Updated/dp/1567512526/

and here are some lies to do it

Going to War: Unraveling the Tangled Web of American Pretext Stratagems (1846-1989)
http://coat.ncf.ca/articles/links/how_to_start_a_war.htm

edit: added image for easy reference

LeGenD · Jan 13, 2018

@scope

Thanks for your input. I will examine it.

HannibalBarca · Jan 13, 2018

First and Second Babary War...
The US vs N.Africans (Morrocco/ALgeria/Tunis/Tripolitania...)

Hamartia Antidote · Jan 13, 2018

LeGenD said:
@scope

Thanks for your input. I will examine it.

North Vietnam? France? Greece? Australia?...

Gomig-21 · Jan 14, 2018

LeGenD said:
United States of America (USA) has fought many wars during the course of its existence. This thread provides an overview of these wars and their respective outcomes.

NOTE: I will continue to update this thread with relevant information and data.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:-

http://www.historycentral.com/wars.html

1. REVOLUTIONARY WAR

Opponent: British Empire*

Duration: 1775 - 1783 (8 straight years)

Outcome: American victory (significant territorial gains and the Treaty of Paris)

"The Treaty of Paris of 1783, negotiated between the United States and Great Britain, ended the revolutionary war and recognized American independence. The Continental Congress named a five-member commission to negotiate a treaty–John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, and Henry Laurens. Laurens, however, was captured by a British warship and held in the Tower of London until the end of the war, and Jefferson did not leave the United States in time to take part in the negotiations. Thus, they were conducted by Adams, Franklin, and Jay."

FYI: http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/treaty-of-paris

Map of the original USA after the Treaty of Paris (1783):-

*USA is the only former colony of the mighty British Empire that fought for its independence and accomplished its objective in this manner. American (settlers) were good at fighting on average and decided to formulate a separate nation due to mistreatment from the British.

However, territorial disputes with the British and Spanish were far from settled yet which led to additional wars in the region.

2. WAR OF 1812

Opponent: British Empire*

Duration: 1812 - 1815 (3 straight years)

Outcome: American victory (significant territorial gains)

*USA actually fought a 3-front war with the British, Red Indian tribes and the Spanish to snatch additional territories by force.

Notable facts: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-war-of-1812-102320130/

NOTE: This is the only war in history in which an opponent managed to burn White House (the centre of American politics and power) to the ground.

3. MEXICAN - AMERICAN WAR

Opponent: Mexican Empire

Duration: 1848 - 1846 (2 straight years)

Outcome: American victory (significant territorial gains and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo)

"The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed on February 2, 1848, ended the Mexican-American War in favor of the United States. The war had begun almost two years earlier, in May 1846, over a territorial dispute involving Texas. The treaty added an additional 525,000 square miles to United States territory, including the including the land that makes up all or parts of present-day Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Mexico also gave up all claims to Texas and recognized the Rio Grande as America’s southern boundary."

FYI: http://www.history.com/topics/treaty-of-guadalupe-hidalgo

Mexican Empire before the war:-

Expansion of USA over time:-

4. CIVIL WAR

Belligerents: Union vs. Confederate*

Duration: 1861 - 1865 (4 straight years)

Outcome: Union victory

*Americans turned their guns on each other this time (over the issue of legitimacy of slavery) and a brutal civil war ensued; bloodiest war in the history of USA and also its darkest chapter.

5. SPANISH - AMERICAN WAR

Opponent: Spanish Empire*

Duration: 1898 (3 straight months)

Outcome: American victory (liberation of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines)

*This is the first example of power projection of USA outside its borders. USA was able to cement its reputation as a "world power" by liberating several colonies of the Spanish Empire from its clutches - one of the greatest in the world for centuries.

6. WORLD WAR I

Opponent: Axis bloc (Germany; Austria-Hungary; Ottoman Empire; and satellites)*

Duration: 1914 - 1918 (4 straight years)

Outcome: Allied victory and the Treaty of Versailles

FYI: http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/u-s-entry-into-world-war-i

*American intervention in 1917 ensured victory of Allied bloc (Russia; France; British Empire; and satellites) over Axis powers. Over 2 million American troops were deployed on the front-lines to help turn the tide. However, American intervention was restricted to the battlefield across Europe.

7. WORLD WAR II

Opponent: Axis bloc (Germany; Italy; Japan; and satellites)*

Duration: 1939 - 1945 (6 straight years)

Outcome: Allied victory (occupations and subsequent reconditioning of Axis powers such as Italy, Germany and Japan)

*Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor in 1941 set the stage for American intervention in this war, leading to counter-assault on Japanese positions across the Pacific since 1942 and on the Wehrmacht since 1943. US-led armies ensured the downfall of Axis bloc across the world by 1945. Largely independent struggles of the Soviet Union and the British Empire against the Axis bloc benefited considerably from the American "lend-lease Act."

Details of the American Lend-Lease Act: https://historyplex.com/lend-lease-act-1941-facts-summary-significance

8. COLD WAR

Opponents: Soviet Union and satellites (North Korea; Cuba; Vietnam; Afghanistan and Iraq)

Duration: 1947 - 1991 (44 straight years)

Outcome: American victory (bankruptcy and dissolution of the Soviet Union)*

*Victory in this prolonged conflict came at a cost with two major setbacks during the course of struggles against the forces of Communism such as in North Korea due to intervention of China and in Vietnam due to assistance of both China and the Soviet Union to the Vietcong.

FYI: http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cold-war-history

Associated fronts and/or engagements:-

8.1. North Korea

Duration: 1950 - 1953 (3 straight years)

Outcome: US-led coalition stalemate (liberation of South Korea but failure of subsequent occupation of North Korea due to intervention of China)

8.2. Cuban Missile Crises

Duration: 1962 (13 days)

Outcome: American (diplomatic) victory (Soviet Union agreed to remove its nuclear umbrella from Cuba in-exchange of assurance from the USA to not invade Cuba and denuclearize Turkey)

FYI: http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cuban-missile-crisis

8.3. Vietnam

Duration: 1955 - 1975 (20 straight years)

Outcome: US-led coalition defeat (USA abandoned South Vietnam to its fate which led to its annexation by communist Vietcong in 1975)

8.4. Afghanistan

Duration: 1979 - 1989 (10 straight years)

Outcome: Allied (proxy) victory (USA made the war unwinnable for the Soviet Union in Afghanistan by providing massive assistance to the Mujahideen with collaboration of Pakistan; Geneva Accords of 1988)

8.5. Iraq

Duration: 1999 - 1991 (1 straight year)

Outcome: US-led coalition victory (liberation of Kuwait)

FYI: http://www.history.com/topics/persian-gulf-war

9. WAR ON TERROR

Opponents: rogue regimes and asymmetric militias

Duration: 2001 - ???

Outcome: ongoing*

*Terrorism-related incidents in the New York City on September 11, 2001 brought to forefront a new form of threat to peace and stability of countries across the world - a multinational militia known as Al-Qaeda Network was declared responsible for the attacks and a new chapter of violence opened consequently. During the course of this war, several regimes toppled and militias neutralized so far.

Highlights of this war include:

Blitzkrieg model invasion to oust Saddam Hussein and his regime from power in Iraq in 2013.

Operation Neptune Spear to assassinate Osama Bin Laden (and his allies) in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad in 2011.

Intervention of NATO in Libya to oust Muammar Qaddafi and his regime from power in Libya in support of Libyan Rebels in 2011.

Associated fronts and/or engagements:-

9.1. Afghanistan

Opponents: Taliban (Active); ISIS-K (Active); and Al-Qaeda Network (Nuetralized)

Duration: 2001 - ???

Outcome: ongoing

9.2. Iraq

Opponent: Saddam Hussein and his regime

Duration: 2003 - 2011 (8 straight years)

Outcome: US-led coalition victory (Chapter of Saddam Hussein closed and subsequent Democratic Reforms in Iraq)

9.3. Libya

Opponent: Muammar Qaddafi and his regime

Duration: 2011 (7 straight months)

Outcome: US-led coalition victory (Chapter of Muammar Qaddafi closed)

9.4. Operation Inherent Resolve (Iraq and Syria)

Opponent: Caliphate of ISIS

Duration: 2014 - 2017* (3 straight years)

Outcome: US-led coalition victory (Collapse of ISIS movement in Iraq and Syria in 2017)

FYI: http://www.inherentresolve.mil/

*Operation not concluded at official capacity yet.

Some historical studies put the Civil War death toll closer to 600,000 rather that just under 500K. Either way, it was the bloodiest war the US has fought in its history. An interesting dynamic to that thought.

LeGenD · Nov 29, 2022

Main post is updated and expanded.

LeGenD · Aug 12, 2023

Operation Desert Storm (1991): Facts and Figures

Iraqi military improvements in time

Iraqi military was a much smaller and less equipped force when Saddam Hussein ordered invasion of Iran in 1980. Iranian forces were caught off-guard in this development but regrouped and fought back courageously and were able to roll back Iraqi advances inside Iran in 1982 followed by launching counter-attacks of their own in subsequent years.

But Iraq received military aid from a number of countries:

Global Arms Exports to Iraq, 1960-1990

This Note provides information about the supply of weapons to Iraq since the 1960s, including a rough assessment of the level of technological sophistication inherent in those systems.

www.rand.org

These aid flows made it possible for Iraq to improve its armed forces while holding Iranian forces at bay. Iraqi defense of Basra in the (December 1986 - April 1987) period was a noteworthy achievement in particular. Iraqi Republican Guards proved themselves in Basra and Saddam Hussein decided to expand this force.

By the winter 1987 Karbala campaign, the Guards' reconstitution and expansion program had greatly progressed. During the campaign, the Guards played a significant role in the defense of Basra, for the first time under the auspices of a separate command rather than as a mobile reserve attached to a Regular Army command. With the expansion, the Guards' units were organized under a corps command structure, as were other Regular Army units. Nonetheless, they remained tied to the security apparatus. When they were not actively engaged in tactical operations, the Guards continued to report to the State Special Security Apparatus, rather than to the Ministry of Defense. In effect, the Guards fell under the dual umbrellas of defense and intelligence/security. The corps structure allowed the Guards to be fully integrated into the army, while the link to the security apparatus ensured that ultimately the Guards answered to Hussein. In other words, the Guards' structure allowed them to function on an operational level with the army and on a political plane for Saddam Hussein. The Guards performed exceptionally well during the defense of Basra, leading Hussein to order a second expansion, increasing their numbers from sixteen to 25 brigades. The metamorphosis was complete. The number and location of armored units are considered determining factors in locating the gravitational center of an army. After the expansion, the number of Republican Guards armored brigades surpassed the number of Regular Army armored brigades. Thus, the Republican Guards came to occupy the dominant position in the army. Moreover, the number of "mechanized" Republican Guards divisions actually he number of Regular Army mechanized divisions.

Huggins, W. D. (1994). The Republican Guards and Saddam Hussein's Transformation of the Iraqi Army. The Arab Studies Journal, 2(1), 31-35.

The most significant offensive during that period was the campaign to capture Basra in January 1987. The vigorous and successful Iraqi defense of Basra against Iran's best military efforts was probably instrumental in persuading the Iranian leaders that their original hopes of winning the war were no longer realistic, thereby contributing to a further decline in morale.

Sick, G. (1989). Trial by Error: Reflections on the Iran-Iraq War. Middle East Journal, 43(2), 230-245.

Iraq launched Tawakalna ala Allah Operations in 1988 to defeat Iranian forces and end the war.

The fourth, new army phase of the war began in April 1988, a year after the successful defense of Basra. At that time, Iraq mounted the Tawakalna 'ala Allah campaign to effectively end the war. Iraq recaptured al-Faw, reclaimed all of its territory, and invaded Iranian territory to press Iran to end the war. During the campaign, the Republican Guards, operating under the Republican Guards Command, spearheaded the major battles. Although the attacks were undertaken in coordination with veteran Regular Army units, Hussein credited the Guards alone for victories.

Huggins, W. D. (1994). The Republican Guards and Saddam Hussein's Transformation of the Iraqi Army. The Arab Studies Journal, 2(1), 31-35.

American military improvements in time

US had fought a war in Vietnam and drew valuable lessons from it. These lessons spurred a complete revisit to the American military capability with a shift from conscript recruitment model to volunteer recruitment model and development of a new generation of weapon systems. US created the world's first Digitalized military force with the capacity to conduct network-centric combined arms operations in line with the American AirLand Battle doctrine 1982.

Conservatism, Culture, and the Military: The U.S. Army 1973 to 1991

<p>This dissertation explores the revitalization of the U.S. army during the two decades following the Vietnam War. It questions how the army went from a nearly broken institution in the early 1970s to, arguably, one of the nation’s most respected institutions after the 1991 Persian Gulf War...

dukespace.lib.duke.edu

-----

1. Opening salvo using heliborne special forces and element of surprise
17 - 01 - 1991

assets%2F068e3e7817cb4351b71538fa2436cbc2%2Fddde302b62e54f2c901917a76533aa40

The Pave Low’s mission was low-level, long-range, undetected penetration into hostile areas, and it was a perfect fit for Task Force Normandy. The Pave Low fleet has since been retired. Photo courtesy of US Air Force Special Operations Command.

‘Party in 10’ — How Task Force Normandy Executed the 1st Strikes of Desert Storm

US Army Lt. Tom Drew had his night vision goggles on while in the cockpit of his AH-64 Apache attack helicopter.

coffeeordie.com

Flying low to avoid detection, Apache attack helicopters launched missiles and rockets against Iraqi early warning sites deep in enemy territory. This intrepid night raid by U.S. Army and Air Force aircrews annihilated two separate enemy radar stations, signaling the beginning of Desert Storm. Minutes later, fixed-wing aircraft flying through this corridor headed for targets in Baghdad.

Gulf War: Apache Raid | Defense Media Network

A history of the raid by U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopters and U.S. Air Force MH-53 Pave Lows that signaled the start of Operation Desert Storm.

www.defensemedianetwork.com

2. Iraqi Air Force vs. US-led Coalition Air Force

By 23 August, approximately 500 attack combat aircraft were deployed in the crisis area, of which 450 were from the United States. They included F-111 long-range bombers and aircraft from the USS Independence and USS Eisenhower, with two other aircraft carriers, the USS Saratoga and the USS Kennedy, en route to the Mediterranean and Gulf respectively.

The arrival of combat aircraft in the Gulf in less than 24 hours seriously complicated any plans President Saddam Hussein may have entertained for further southward expansion, and reassured neighbouring Arab states with a demonstration of Western military and political commitment.

Mason, R. A. (1991). The air war in the Gulf. Survival, 33(3), 211-229.

Over six weeks the allied air forces flew 110,000 sorties. A total of 60 allied aircraft were lost to all causes. An estimated 141 IAF aircraft were destroyed and 138 fled to Iran. A total of 285 cruise missiles and 140 Patriots were launched. By comparison, RAF Bomber Command flew 387,416 sorties in the whole of World War II. In Vietnam, B-52s flew 41,000 sorties over several months in the Linebacker offensives, losing 75 aircraft in the process. The allied loss rate in this campaign was 0.03% per sortie. In 1991 one F-l 17A aircraft with two bombs could destroy a hardened target which 20 years previously would have required 95 F-l05s dropping 190 bombs. The Gulf war marked the apotheosis of twentieth-century airpower.

Mason, R. A. (1991). The air war in the Gulf. Survival, 33(3), 211-229.

Iraqi Air Force Losses	US-led Coalition Air Force Losses*
141 destroyed	60 shot down
138 fled to Iran	-

*These losses are attributed to the formidable Iraqi Air Defense system.

Iraq had established an integrated Air Defense system in 1990. This system is credited for downing dozens of aircraft of the US-led coalition in 1991. This was the case in spite of the fact that US-led coalition was using heliborne special forces, cruise missiles, and stealthy aircraft to degrade Iraqi defenses in a remarkable combination of military technologies and tactics that had no peer around the world at the time.

3. Iraqi Army ballistic missile force and attempt to disrupt operation cohesion of the US-led Coalition

Iraq had created a professional ballistic missile force that was used to strike at locations deep inside Saudi Arabia and Israel during the war. Operational and dispersal competence of this force in war-time conditions surprised many observers.

Timeline of Iraqi ballistic missile strikes during the war:

Israel	Saudi Arabia
18 - 01 - 1991
19 - 01 - 1991
23 - 01 - 1991	23 - 01 - 1991
25 - 01 - 1991	25 - 01 - 1991
26 - 01 - 1991	26 - 01 - 1991
02 - 02 - 1991
16 - 02 - 1991
24 - 02 - 1991

Iraqi ballistic missiles were dangerous weapons that could be used to inflict casualties as apparent in a strike on American military barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia on 25 - 01 - 1991. This strike killed 28 and injured 260 American troops.

Iraq launched a total of 43 ballistic missiles at Israel during the war. This was a tactical gambit to disrupt operational cohesion of the US-led coalition, this gambit did not pay off because US was able to convince Israel to stay out from the war in view of the prevalent Arab sentiment.

But Shamir, who talked to U.S. President George Bush several times, held back the trigger-happy ministers and generals. Shomron’s evenhanded position also cooled their eagerness. “Restraint was the right thing at the time, to preserve the coalition of the United States, Syria and Egypt against Saddam Hussein,” then-head of Southern Command Matan Vilnai, who is currently the chairman of the Commanders for Israel’s Security organization, told Haaretz.

Thirty years since the Gulf War: How the U.S. stopped Israel from retaliating against Iraq

***

www.haaretz.com

Gulf War Chronology — Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial

www.ndswm.org

Israel did not retaliate due to American pressure and concern that Iraq will attack Israeli nuclear facility in Dimona. Israel was lacking in technology and defenses to detect and counter Iraqi ballistic missiles in 1991.

4. The Battle of Khafji and its outcome
29 - 01 - 1991 to 01 - 02 - 1991

Iraqi General Salah Aboud Mahmoud is credited for Iraqi invasion and capture of the Saudi city Khafji in a surprising move. This operation was well-planned and executed from Iraqi standpoint but US Marine Corps and British Navy made it impossible for the Iraqi troops to defeat Saudi forces in this sector and hold their ground in Khafji for long.

Head, W. P. (2013). The Battle for Ra's Al-Khafji and the Effects of Air Power January 29-February 1, 1991 Part I. Air Power History, 60(1), 4-15.

An official U.S. source claimed that 300 Iraqis lost their lives, and at least ninty vehicles were destroyed. Another source suggested that sixty Iraqi soldiers were killed and at least 400 taken prisoner. It also believed that eighty armored vehicles were destroyed. No matter which numbers the reader might accept, what is clear is that the battle in and around Al-Khafji was an Allied victory that eviscerated three Iraqi heavy armor divisions.

Head, W. P. (2013). The Battle for Ra's Al-Khafji and the Effects of Air Power, January 29-February 1, 1991 Part II. Air Power History, 60(2), 22-33.

5. American plan of attack on Iraqi armed forces on the ground

American General Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. came up with following attack plan:

"The US making up 73% of the Coalition’s forces, the American Army General Norman Schwarzkopf was authorised as the Commander of Coalition Forces in the Gulf theatre. His plan was to erode Iraqi command and control, and to dislocate the forces immediately in and around Kuwait from their support. Rather than a frontal attack on Kuwait, he would launch an attack into Iraq, swinging round into the flank and rear of the Iraqi defenders whom he would distract by a fixing action from the expected direction. This distraction was to be made more effective through the use of deception in the build-up phases. The US Marine Central Command and exiled Kuwaiti forces were to provide the distraction while the VII (US) Army Corps, containing the first (UK) Armoured Division, would execute the sweep, hooking through Iraq and then turning towards the Persian Gulf to cut off and destroy the Iraqi occupiers of Kuwait. The British Armoured Division would create a route just to the north of the Kuwaiti capital, Kuwait City. The Allied open flank would be screened and protected by the XVIII (US) Airborne Corps and the sixth (FR) Light Division operating to the west in largely empty desert."

Carmichael, E. B., & Anderson, Q. (2021). The First Gulf War: Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm (17 January-28 February 1991). British Dental Journal, 230(7), 435-443.

Battles between Iraqi Army and US-led Coalition Ground Forces are listed below:

Battles	Timeline	Outcome
The Battle of Wadi al-Batin	15 - 02 - 1991 to 20 - 02 - 1991	American feint attack works as intended*
The Battle of Al Busayyah	26 - 02 - 1991	American victory
The Battle of Phase Line Bullet	26 - 02 - 1991	Iraqi victory
The Battle of 73 Easting	26 - 02 - 1991 to 27 - 02 - 1991	US-led coalition victory
The Battle for Jalibah Airfield	27 - 02 - 1991	American victory
The Battle of Kuwait International Airport	27 - 02 - 1991	American victory
The Battle of Medina Ridge	27 - 02 - 1991	American victory
The Battle of Norfolk	27 - 02 - 1991 to 28 - 02 - 1991	US-led coalition victory?
The Battle of Rumalia	02 - 03 - 1991	American victory

*This attack led the way for the XVIII Airborne Corps to sweep around behind the 1st Cav and attack Iraqi forces to the west.

Deception in the Desert: Deceiving Iraq in Operation DESERT STORM

MI Library Home: Battle CENTCOM: Gulf War

intellibrary.libguides.com

6. The “impregnable” Iraqi command bunker at Al Taji Air Base is destroyed
27 - 02 - 1991

Iraqi C2 military bunker complex at Al Taji Air Base was encased in reinforced concrete and buried 100 feet deep. This complex withstood numerous attacks during the war:

After the air bombardment of Iraq began Jan. 17, Air Force reconnaissance photographs showed that a number of Iraqi bunker complexes had withstood direct hits by bombs that could destroy typical concrete bunkers. The Iraqi command posts were either too deep or too well-protected by reinforced concrete.

But US came up with a solution for this problem:

For days, U.S. warplanes had pounded the Iraqi military bunker complex at Al Taji Air Base north of Baghdad without success. Even huge 2,000-pound bombs designed to slice through six-foot-thick bunker walls could not breach the command lair, encased in concrete and buried 100 feet deep.

On the evening of Feb. 27, four days into the ground offensive against Iraq, a U.S. Air Force F-111F fighter-bomber streaked north across the Saudi desert on a course for Al Taji. A long, cylinder-like device fell from the plane and, guided by a laser, hurtled toward the bunkers.

A small puff of smoke suddenly shot from an entrance to Taji Bunker No. 1. About seven seconds later, a huge explosion ripped through the command post, reducing the bunker to a jumble of broken steel and concrete, according to Air Force officials.

The mission marked the spectacular battlefield debut of the GBU-28, a bunker-killing bomb developed and rushed into combat with unprecedented speed by the Air Force, Texas Instruments Inc. and Lockheed Missiles and Space Co. during the Persian Gulf War.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1991/07/06/home-front-technology-furnished-key-bomb-for-persian-gulf-war/246c123d-8833-465b-a848-4bd046060c83/

7. Iraqi Army equipment lost to the US-led Coalition Air Power

The Allied bombing campaign was not designed to kill people, per se. Its primary purpose was to destroy Iraqi equipment, which it did extremely well. Using the most accurate missiles and bombardier systems yet devised, it destroyed more than 1,600 Iraqi tanks, 900 armored personnel carriers, and 1,400 artillery pieces. As Iraqi troops watched their equipment blow up in their faces, they burrowed into makeshift bunkers and shelters. Even there, the coalition could have killed them with fuel-air explosives, but those and other weapons of mass destruction were mainly used against minefields and other uninhabited areas.

Heidenrich, J. G. (1993). The Gulf War: How Many Iraqis Died?. Foreign Policy, (90), 108-125.

Throughout February, various aircraft performed myriad tasks from B–52s stationed at Diego Garcia carpet bombing Iraqi positions in redoubts to fighter-bombers using PGMs shutting off oil leaks and extinguishing oil fires purposely started by the Iraqis. Air Power eradicated whole Iraqi brigades arrayed in combat formations in the open desert and prevented effective Iraqi resupply to forward deployed units engaged in the actual fighting. It also stopped hundreds of thousands of Iraqi troops from achieving the force concentration essential for anything approaching victory in the upcoming land battle.

Head, W. P. (2013). The Battle for Ra's Al-Khafji and the Effects of Air Power, January 29-February 1, 1991 Part II. Air Power History, 60(2), 22-33.

By the time the allied ground forces launched their offensive on 24 February, Iraqi troops had been subject to incessant air attack, with seldom more than two hours between raids, for nearly three weeks. No army in history had suffered such a lengthy bombardment, accompanied by destruction of food, water and other supplies. Iraqi commanders were unable to respond swiftly either by co-ordinating counter-offensives or by bringing artillery fire to bear on coalition forces penetrating the minefields. Their communications were shattered and their access to tactical intelligence non-existent.

The inability of the Iraqi commanders to acquire information about allied deployments and concentrations, because of their lack of aircraft and the allies' absolute command of the air, was a significant factor in Gen. Schwarzkopf s confident adoption of a strategy which involved deception in the east, large-scale redeployment in the centre, and high-speed envelopment and penetration in the west.

Mason, R. A. (1991). The air war in the Gulf. Survival, 33(3), 211-229.

Iraqi Army equipment type	Lost to the US-led Coalition Air Power
Tanks	1600
Armored vehicles	900
Artillery pieces	1400

8. Iraqi Army equipment lost to the US-led Coalition Ground Forces

The 2,162 Iraqi tanks destroyed in the ground war were largely Soviet-made: four-man T-55s, four-man T-62s, and three-man T-72s. Multiplied by 3.7 (the average number of crew-men per tank), the maximum casualties total nearly 8,000. Five-hundred twenty-five Iraqi armored personnel carriers (APCs) were also destroyed in the ground war, of which the Soviet-made BMP and BTR-60 were typical. Those vehicles normally have crews of three men, with room for eight passengers. Multiplied by eleven (crew and passengers), the maximum possible casualties was about 5,800. Without passengers, the maximum among crewmen was less than 1,600. The average Soviet-made artillery piece has a crew of eight. Multiplied by 1,500 (the approximate number of guns destroyed in the ground war), the maximum casualties equal 12,000.

Heidenrich, J. G. (1993). The Gulf War: How Many Iraqis Died?. Foreign Policy, (90), 108-125.

Iraqi Army equipment type	Lost to the US-led Coalition Ground Forces
Tanks	2162
Armored vehicles	555
Artillery pieces	1500

----- Comments -----

Iraqi infrastructure suffered an estimated 250 billion USD damage in just 45 days.

American Air Power was FAR more capable at striking enemy positions in 1991 in comparison to what it could do in earlier years. The US used its incredible Air Power to clear Iraqi minefields and destroy a chunk of Iraqi armed forces in a matter of days. Ukraine does not have this capability, not even close.

Chinese are sharp observers and they disclosed in their records that the Persian Gulf War in 1991 was ten times the intensity of the Korean War and four times the intensity of the Vietnam War. Imagine this.

Hamartia Antidote · Aug 12, 2023

I'd like to add that the US Civil War was not primarily about slavery.

Sadly primarily focusing on slavery is just a Politically Correct smokescreen to justify what happened. I'm sure if you asked some Northern or Southern soldier on day 1 of the War if they were fighting about African slaves they'd laugh at you.

The Civil War started on April 12, 1861. The Emancipation Proclamation was on January 1, 1863...almost 2 years into the war.

No historian goes out of their way to highlight this tiny factoid as it would make people think twice about what really happened that ended up killing over 500,000..and oh we wouldn't want them to do that since we have a convenient "high moral" answer to shush everybody.

History of American Wars and Warfare Concepts - Updated

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