Air Force Performance in Desert Storm

8/13/2019 Air Force Performance in Desert Storm

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AD-A235 941 f olull f l ENTATION PAGE o '0n.~OP NO.01--e04-0 AV =0d ~ thisie o tOW4;,nWgor 71 4 .- .- - -;Irafo Io IMO-o~w 1~atn9 RepofI 1215 .Miia',c OaNIs Hghwayuke 124. AvtigOri VA 224Uuti6 Ofkd Inomid' and egulmory A . Uanaewt ane Budge,. af o.gol.C 2V60J.1.AGENCY USE ONLY Leave Blank) 2. EPORT DATE 3. FPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED

April 1991 peration Desert Storm Whitevper , ___________4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERSAir Force Performance in Desert Storm

6. UTHOR(S)AF/CVAX

7.PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME S) AND ADDRESS(S) RPFORMGAF/CVAXtoDD2REPOR NUBeRThe Pentagon AWashington, DC 20330-1000 None

9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 0.SPONSORINGIMONITORING AGENCYSAF/PANS REPORT NUMBERPentagon (Room 4A120)Washington, DC 20330-1000 NonePOC: Lt Col Warden/DSN 225-3063

1. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTESNone

12a.DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILrTY STATEMENT tib. DISTRIBUTION CODEFor public release. Public domain.

13.ABSTRACT MaxImum 00 wrdsOverview of US Air Force contributions in Operation Desert Storm,especially airpower contributions.

i. '., ; *A:,..14. SUBJECT TERMS iS. UMBER OF PAGESAir Force. Desert Storm. Desert Shield. Persian Gulf 15War. Airpower. F-117A. F-15E. Fighter aircraft. i . RICE CODEAir combat. Iraq. Kuwait. CENTCOM

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WHITE PAPER

AIR FORCE PERFORMANCEIN DESERT STORM

Accession ForNTIS GRA IDTIC T B I

.~Unannounced 0JustificationDistribution/Availability CodesApril 1991 Dist Specalr

91 5 01 053


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Air Force Performance inOPERATION DESERT STORMEveryone witnessed the success of the coalition Air Forces in

Operation Desert Storm. From the early hours over Baghdad to thefinal minutes in Kuwait City, the United States Air Force proved itis the world's best. This effort did not just happen. It was theresult of a concerted effort over the past twenty years -- twentyyears of hard work and commitment to excellence. Quality people,quality equipment, quality training and quality leadership createdthis force and assured Air Force success during Operation DesertStorm. Environmental impacts -- heat, sand and fine dust -- wereless significant than anticipated. Aircraft, weapons, and groundand aircrews performed and survived even better than predicted.Motivated people proved that flexibility is the key to airpower.Ingenuity, cooperation with industry, and reliable weaponssystems enhanced that flexibility. This report captures the flavorof USAF system and personnel performance in Desert Storm. Ithighlights the performance of a cross section of resources fromcombat aircraft and combat support to the role of Air Forceengineers, logisticians, and space assets. It is not a comprehen-sive report on capabilities, but an initial report of how the 1100hour war in the desert" was won.

Combat SystemsMuch of the prewar debate centered around whether themilitary had the right doctrine, was buying the right equipment,and could operate effectively in a coalition force. Desert Stormshowed that Air Force equipment and doctrine were up to thetask. It also demonstrated the U.S. Air Force could integrate ef-fectively into what was the largest coalition air effort since WorldWar II. In this integrated air campaign, coalition air forcesquickly gained and maintained air superiority. This achievementopened opportunities for coalition forces to employ the versatilityof airpower to meet other military objectives. Airpower destroyedthe Iraqi Integrated Air Defense system and those Iraqi pilotswho chose to fly. After gaining air superiority, coalition forcesproceeded to destroy the strategic Industrial and military targetswhich keep a military running. Electricity, oil, communications,supply depots and transportation nodes are vital to any nation's


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ability to use military power. As these strategic targets weredestroyed, coalition air forces focused their fire power on enemyforces on the battlefield. The destruction of bridges, tanks,artillery, and other military hardware in the Kuwait Theater ofOperations (KTO) demonstrated of how effectively this can be donewith modern airpower.Without air superiority, the full spectrum of airpower couldnot have been applied against the right targets to avoid casualtiesand leverage our high-tech advantages. Employing a single AirTasking Order, CINCCENTCOM selectively employed his best plat-forms, armed with the most effective munition to attack the tar-get. He used every joint and coalition asset to accomplish the warobjectives. Desert Storm revalidated many doctrinal precepts.This war proved U.S. military forces had the quality people,equipment, leadership and training required to fight and win. By

employing assets in a well-conceived plan, Desert Storm was wonand Kuwait was again free.As was demonstrated, airpower offers the ability to quicklyand quietly respond to any crisis. F-15s were sitting alert, readyto fly defensive patrols along the Iraqi-Saudi border, 7000 milesfrom their departure bases within 38 hours of notification todeploy. Within five days strategic airlift moved five fightersquadrons, a contingent of AWACS, and an 82 ABN Brigade to theCENTCOM area of responsibility (AOR). Within 35 days, theCoalition Air Forces had a fighter force that equalled Iraq's fightercapability. The global reach of the Air Force allowed the UnitedStates to mass its military power rapidly and to immediatelyproject combat power in this part of the world. Once combat

power was in place, it could either defend friendly areas or attackan adversary.The Air Force flew over 65,000 sorties during OperationDesert Storm and accounted for 31 of 35 kills against fixed wingaircraft. It s estimated that during the Air Campaign, coalition

forces destroyed over 400 Iraqi aircraft, including 122 that flewto Iran, without a single loss in air-to-air combat. The Air Forceflew 59% of all sorties, with 50% of the assets and incurred only38% of the losses. The mission capable rate for Air Force aircraftwas 92% -- higher than our peacetime rate.

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F-117 Before CNN's initial reports of the air war over Baghdad,the F-117 was a stellar performer. Dropping the first bomb of thewar on an air defense control center, the F-117 provided us theadvantage of surprise. Often the Iraqis would not start shootinguntil the bombs exploded. With the ability to cruise to the target,identify it before surface threats became active, and hit it withprecision, the F-117 was an extraordinary fighter-bomber.Although it represented only 2.5% of the shooters in theater thatfirst day, it hit over 31% of the targets. During the war, it flewalmost 1,300 combat sorties, dropped over 2,000 tons of bombs,flew over 6,900 hours and demonstrated accuracy unmatched inthe history of air warfare. The value of the F-117 was that itcombined stealth technology and precision delivery. With the useof tactical surprise, the F-117 helped assure air superiority overthe Iraqi skies as it destroyed command and control capabilities,the Iraqi Integrated Air Defense System, aircraft shelters, andvaluable strategic targets in Baghdad and Iraq. Baghdad wasmore heavily defended than the most highly defended WarsawPact sites in Eastern Europe during the height of the Cold War.The F-117 was the only aircraft to operate in this environmentover downtown Baghdad. Precision delivery assured the F-117could destroy those targets in a single mission with great lethal-ity. Despite its heavy use, the F-117 had a mission capable rate of85.8% for the war -- 4% higher than in peacetime.F L15 During Desert Shield, F-ls provided the defensive um-brella that permitted the deployment of air, land and sea assetsinto the AOR. After D-Day, they shifted to offensive counterairattacks against Iraqi Air Force and helped gain air supremacywithin the first ten days of the war. Every Iraqi fixed wing air-craft destroyed in air-to-air combat by the Air Force was a "kill"for the Eagle. Their success permitted coalition air forces toexploit the versatility of airpower over the entire battlefield. The120 F-1S C/Ds deployed to the Gulf flew over 5,900 sorties andmaintained a 94% mission capable rate -- 8% higher than inpeacetime.F-15E Forty-eight of these multi-role fighters were deployed tothe Gulf. The F-15E's flexibility was the key to its success. TheF-ISE proved its versatility by hunting SCUD missiles at night,employing laser systems to hit hard targets and attack armoredvehicles, tanks and artillery. It proved unusually effective withthe Joint Surveillance Target and Attack Radar System (JSTAR$)for cueing on SCUD locations and using Low-Altitude Navigation

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and Targeting Infrared for Night System (LANTIRN) to locate anddestroy the missiles and launchers. Its overall mission capablerate was 95.9 -- 8% higher than in peacetime. These aircraftdeployed with LANTIRN navigation pods (permits accurate naviga-tion at night across featureless terrain to the target area withoutthe need for active navigation aids). Subsequently the targetingpods were deployed. During Desert Storm, the F-15E accomplishedOperational Test and Evaluation of the LANTIRN system withspectacular results. Their primary targets were SCUDs, commandand control links, armor, airfields and road interdiction. Whileflying over 2,200 sorties, only two were lost in combat.A -10 The Air Force deployed 144 A-10s into the AOR. Air su-periority allowed innovative employment of A-10s in a variety ofroles. Primarily killing tanks in an interdiction role, the A-10proved its versatility as a daytime SCUD hunter in Western Iraq,suppressing enemy air defenses, attacking early warning radars,and even recorded two helicopter kills with its gun -- the onlygun kills of the war. While the A-10 flew almost 8,100 sorties, itmaintained a mission capable rate of 95.7% -- 5% above itspeacetime rates. Despite numerous hits and extensive damage,the A-10 proved it could do a variety of missions successfully.F-111 Turning in an outstanding performance, the F-Ill againproved itself to be a workhorse not only in the interdiction andstrategic attack roles but across the spectrum of ground attackmissions. With its FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared) and laserdesignation system, the F-IllF attacked key military productionfacilities; chemical, biological, and nuclear sites; airfields, bunk-ers, C3 assets, and portions of the integrated air defense systemwith great success. Attacking bridges, hardened aircraft shelters,and individual tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery, it was astellar performer. In what became known as "tank plinking" theF-Ills were credited with over 1500 verified armor kills. Inover 4,000 sorties, the 84 deployed F-Ills had a mission capablerate of over 85% -- approximately 8% higher than peacetime rates.One Wing Commander reported that his unit flew over 2100 sor-ties with no maintenance non-delivers. These platforms deliveredthe precision munitions on the manifolds which stopped the oilSaddam was dumping into the Gulf. Overall, the F-Ill proved tobe a versatile, precise, survivable platform which made significantcontributions to the success of the air war.

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Electronic Combat With EF-111s Ravens and F-4Gs WildWeasels, the Air Force blinded Iraq s Integrated Air DefenseSystem. The 18 EF-111s in the AOR flew over 900 sorties with amission capable rate of 87.5%; and the 48 F-4Gs flew over 2,500sorties with a 87% mission capable rate. Because the Iraqis fearedthe F-4G and its HARM missile, they made brief, limited andineffective use of their radars. When they did choose to operatethese radars, the effective jamming of the EF-111 negated theirability to track, acquire, and target attacking aircraft. Every daythe Weasels and Ravens supported shooters as they attacked theirtargets in Iraq and the Kuwaiti Theater of Operations (KTO). Onesign of their success was that after day four, all allied aircraftoperated with impunity in the mid to high altitude environmentacross the AOR. By decreasing the threat of SAMs to our strikeaircraft, EF-111s and F-4Gs permitted aircraft to deliver theirweapons from an environment where they can be very lethal.F-16 The F-16 Fighting Falcon proved itself to be a versatileplatform which can attack targets day or night -- in good or badweather. Two hundred and forty-nine F-16s were deployed to theGulf. These aircraft flew almost 13,500 sorties -- the highestsortie total for any system in the war -- and maintained a 95.2%mission capable rate -- 5% above its peacetime rate. F-16sattacked ground elements in the KTO, flew SCUD missions, anddestroyed interdiction targets, such as military production andsupport and chemical production facilities, and airfields. The 72LANTIRN capable (Navigation pods only) F-16s were a real successstory. LANTIRN's mission capable rate was over 98%. Pastemphasis on reliability and maintainability paid dividends here.B-52 The role of the large conventional bomber was revalidatedin the Gulf war. B-52s flew 1,624 missions, dropped over 72,000weapons, and delivered over 25,700 tons of munitions on areatargets in the KTO, and on airfields, industrial targets, troop con-centrations and storage areas in Iraq. Despite being over 30 yearsold, the B-52 had a mission capable rate of over 81% -- 2% higherthan its peacetime rate. B-52s dropped 29% of all US bombs and38% of all Air Force bombs during the war. Through effectivemodification of the B-52, it remains a useful platform. As Iraqiprisoners report, B-52 raids had devastating effects on enemymorale. Estimates show that from 20 to 40% of troop strength haddeserted their units prior to the G-Day. While fighters employedprecision guided munitions to destroy pinpoint targets, the B-52ssuccesses demonstrated the need to preserve the large

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were dropped by the Air Force. F-llls employed GBU-12s to des-troy over 150 armored vehicles a night during the last few weeksof the war. F-117s used GBU-27s to hit hard targets such asaircraft shelters, bunkers, and other strategic targets in Baghdad.F-111s and F-15Es used GBU-24s to destroy chemical, biologicaland nuclear storage areas, bridges, aircraft shelters and otherstrategic targets.Precision munitions highlight the lethality of modern air-power. On several occasions, a two-ship of F-15Es with 16 bombsdestroyed 16 tanks. When one bomb equals one shelter or a tank

-- the message quickly spread that every sanctuary had beeneliminated by airpower. After the commencement of the sheltercampaign, Iraqi pilots voted with their afterburners to get out ofthe war. But, not every target requires a precision weapon. Theability to use the right weapon on the correct target shaped theoutcome of the air war. When it was important to avoid collateraldamage, civilian casualties, or to directly hit a target, PGMs werethe right choice. F-117 attacks over Baghdad demonstrated theability to precisely kill military targets while minimizing civiliancasualties.Maverick The Maverick missile, use by the F-16 and A-10,attacked armored targets. This missile has continually been up-graded to handle new threats and targets. The imaging infraredradar (IIR) Maverick's performance was crucial in the armor war.Since it only took one missile to destroy each Iraqi tank, a$70,000 Maverick equated to a 1.5 million T-72 tank. It is im-portant to note that Iraq had more tanks than Germany and GreatBritain combined. It was the fourth largest army in the world.Maverick, an older system which had been continuJly modified tokeep pace with modern war, played a large part in the destructionof that significant military force.A IM-7/A IM- 9 The AIM-7 proved to be an effective air-to-airweapon. Twenty-two enemy fixed wing aircraft were downed byAIM-7s. Through an aggressive product improvement program,the AIM-7 has become a more lethal weapon with a bigger launchenvelope. The AIM-9 destroyed six enemy fixed-wing aircraft, andworked as advertised.High Soeed Anit-Radiation Missile (HARM) Its hard to assessthe success of the HARM missile due to the Iraqi tactics used tocounter it. The Iraqis understood that if a radar went on, a HARM

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was on its way. This deterrent kept them from using their oper-able radars and control centers. Throughout the war, surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites would turn off their radars after launchingmissiles, leaving SAMs unguided as they flew toward their targets.Lethal SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) permitted us tooperate from the mid to high altitude where aircraft were beyondanti-aircraft artillery (AAA) range.

Deployment, Sustainment and ResupplyEffortsAirlift, tanker support, prepositioning of supplies, and alarge, modern, base infrastructure permittel movement of forces

into the AOR, and provided the ability to operate quickly fromSaudi Arabia. These forces assured we had the "global reach" andsupport to exercise "global power."Strategic Airlift Desert Storm was the largest airlift sinceWorld War II. Airlifters moved combat forces half way aroundthe world. By the cease fire, airlift had moved over 482,000 pas-sengers and 513,000 tons of cargo into the AOR -- the equivalentof moving Oklahoma City, all of its people, all of its vehicles, all ofits food, and -ln of its household goods halfway around the world.

Air Force C-5s and C-141s, moved 72% of the air cargo andabout one-third of the people while commercial augmentationmoved the rest. C-Ss were 90% and C-141s 80% committed toDesert Storm. The remainder of Air Force airlift flew other highpriority DOD missions to the rest of the world. This operation wasthe first time in its 38 year history that the Civil Reserve AirFleet (CRAF) was activated. On 18 August, the first stage of CRAF,18 passenger and 23 cargo aircraft, was activated. When fightingcommenced, the second stage, 77 passenger and 40 additionalcargo aircraft, were activated. These commercial carriersprovided additional airlift capacity needed to meet CENTCOM'srequirements. These commercial aircraft carried the majority ofthe troops to the AOR.Strategic airlift forces have been going at full speed sinceDesert Storm started and will continue until our forces are rede-ployed home. Airlifters with Airlift Control Elements were the

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first to land in the Arabian Peninsula and will be the last to leave.Many of these people are Guardsmen and Reservists who havetwice demonstrated their patriotism during the past 18 months --in Panama and now the Arabian Peninsula.

Air RBefueling The rapid deployment of fighter aircraft to SaudiArabia resulted from Air Force tanker capability. Within 38 hoursof the deployment notice, the fir t F-15 aircraft had landed inSaudi Arabia and were ready to defend the Persian Gulf area. TheStrategic Air Command deployed 256 KC-135s and 46 KC-10s intothe AOR during the war. In Desert Shield, tankers flew 4,967sorties and 19,089 hours, refueled 14,588 receivers, including5,495 Navy and Marine aircraft, and offloaded 68.2 million gallonsof fuel. Tankrs surpassed this effort during the six weeks ofDesert Storm wien they flew 15,434 sorties, logged 59,943 hours,refueled 45,955 aircraft and offloaded 110.2 million gallons offuel. Approximately 20% was used for Navy and Marine receivers.Every aircraft -- fighter, bomber airlift, AWACS, or JSTARS -- andevery service and some allies used Air Force tankers to do theirmission. One F-15 pilot commented about tanker accessibility:There was more gas in the sky over Saudi than in the groundbelow -- a testimony to the tanker force. No other nation hassuch a capability.Prepositioning and Base Infrastructure Saudi Host NationSupport was superb. During the past decade, whole bases werebuilt, stocked and prepared for war. These locations made it easyfor forces to quickly move from a deployment phase to full com-bat operations. The Gulf Cooperation Council provided fuel andmany other materials. In other locations, the Air Force operatedfrom open runways. There, civil engineers literally built cities onthe sand. During the past decade, the Air Force developed tentshospitals, supply areas, ramps and other base essentials had beendeveloped as modular buildings. This investment guaranteedoperation from austere locations anywhere around the globe.Afloat and ashore prepositioning included bare base and fuelsequipment, supplies, vehicles, and munitions which were requiredto sustain and pr,)ject Desert Storm forces. These supplies savedan estimated 1,800 airlift missions to the AOR and providedprepositioning of supplies and base infrastructure for 21 principalairfields.

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Global Positioning System (GPS) Without reliable navigation,no precision weapon could have been employed. Aircraft must getto the target area before they can effectively use their weapons.GPS provided accurate guidance to the target area for air, landand naval forces. Although the whole constellation will not becompleted until FY93, American forces had three-dimensionalcoverage for 18 hours a day, and two-dimensional coverage 24hours a day. GPS provides the Air Force with the ability totraverse all parts of the globe to deliver precision munitions.Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) Through-out history, communication has been a shortfall during war. Theneed to communicate easily and securely is crucial to prosecutingmilitary operations. During Desert Storm, DSCS was the workhorseproviding both inter- and intra-theater communications. Withover 100 ground tactical terminals to support theater operations,the Air Force was able to provide a full range of secure and non-secure voice and data capability to Desert Storm commanders.Even though the communications requirements increased by afactor of thirty, DSCS assured our tactical commanders had theability to communicate wherever and whenever they wanted.Overall, the first space war was an unqualified success.

Just as Space played a significant role in this war, our Intell-igence assets changed the way we prepare for war and fight. Foursystems -- the Mission Support System, AWACS, and JSTARS --provided timely information and support for air, ground and navalforces during Desert Storm.Mission Support System This system provided integrated mis-sion planning support for Air Force pilots. While it took a coupleof days to plan a mission in Vietnam, it was now possible to pre-pare a pilot for a mission in four hours. Charts, maps, threats, andother vital data were integrated through this system into everysquadron involved in Desert Storm. Through its reliability, itbecame a command and control asset for planners in the CENTCOMstaff. Many units found innovative and creative ways to betteruse this asset.Tactical Digital Facsimile (TDF) Critical to crews and command-ers, It provided the capability to send high resolution pictures andother data. It is a secure, reliable and versatile force multiplierwhich can relay near real-time data vital to combat success to thepilot. Much maligned before the war, the investment was well

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worth the money. The TDF was today's telephone to the modernbattlefield commander.AWA From 16 January to the cease fire, AWACS flew fourcontinuous orbits to control over 3,000 sorties a day whilemaintaining a mission capable rate of 98% -- 9% higher than inpeacetime. Despite multiple Air Forces and languages involved inthe coalition, not one instance of friendly air-to-air fratricideresulted -- a tribute to AWACS effectiveness. It was an AWACSvector which positioned the Saudi F-15 to kill his two F-is. Justas it patrolled the Persian Gulf skies from 1980 to 1989, AWACSproved to be an invaluable asset to control the air war. It wasvery effective in target pairing and declaring hostile threats..ISTARS This program had not finished its Developmental Testand Evaluation prior to its deployment to Saudi Arabia in mid.January. JSTARS proved to be a spectacular success. These twotest aircraft flew 54 combat sorties, supported 100% of missiontaskings with a system availability rate of over 80% and had amission capable rate of 84.5%. JSTARS tracked everything thatmoved on the ground. From D-Day to G-Day, JSTARS operatorslogged over 535 hours to locate, identify and target assemblyareas, POL storage sites, SCUD areas and missiles, convoys, trucks,tanks, and even SAM sites and artillery for Allied fighters.Coupled with F-16s, JSTARS enhanced the kill box approach to airinterdiction which proved so effective in destroying Iraqi equip-ment in the KTO. When used with F-15Es, F-16s and F-111s,JSTARS effectively denied the enemy its night sanctuary and keptcontinual pressure on ground troops in the KTO. Every commanderagreed it was a spectacular success.

The large investments in intelligence and space assets toprovide command and control over the battlefield and to provideinformation for all coalition forces were wise expenditures oftaxpayer money. Lives were saved, assets better employed, andthe full weight of joint forces were demonstrated in OperationDesert Storm. These initial efforts to merge new command andcontrol capabilities with near real-time data will define themodern battlefield of the future.

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Combat and Logistical Support EffortsCivil Engineering and Community Services Sunport TheAir Force is a self contained community. Most city services, likeroad repair, building maintenance, meals, housing, and officespace are provided by the Civil Engineers and Community Sup-port Personnel. During Desert Storm, these people erected over5,000 tents, constructed over 300,000 square feet of hard-wallfacilities, laid over 500,000 square meters of concrete andasphalt, and served over 20 million meals. The beddown of over1,200 aircraft and its personnel was a major achievement. Appro-ximately 9% of all personnel deployed to the AOR were in CivilEngineering and Services. In one instance, they built a base fromthe ground up in forty days. As one Wing Commander noted thetallest thing on the base when we got here was the two inch hightaxiway lights." RED HORSE, PRIME BEEF, and Saudi contractorsworked around the clock to build the base areas -- 380 tents, fourfield kitchens, a 50-bed hospital, tactical field laundry, 19latrine/shower units, and a tactical field exchange. They even hadto bring electrical power to the base. Without this support, air-crews at these bare bases could not have performed their mission.Medical Support Just six days after the invasion of Kuwait, thefirst Air Force squadron medical elements and Air TransportableClinics left for Saudi Arabia. In a very short time, the largestprojection of medical personnel in American history was assem-bled in the Gulf. The first of 15 Air Transportable Hospitalsarrived in theater within the week and was ready to receivepatients within 24 hours. These 50 bed hospitals, together with a250 bed contingency hospital, were the primary Air Force medicalsupport in the theater. In Europe, four USAF ContingencyHospitals with 3,250 beds were prepared, staffed and ready forcasualties while 2,178 beds were available in CONUS. Over 6,200active duty medical personnel and 5,500 from the ARC deployedto Europe or the AOR. The Reserve forces also made a significantcontribution in CONUS by augmenting medical treatment facilitieswith over 6,600 personnel. During Desert Shield and DesertStorm, almost 130,000 outpatient visits and 3,500 admissionswere made In the AOR.Modifications and Logistical Audibles During combat, newoperational threats and requirements arise which must be coun.tered. During Desert Storm, the Air Force worked hard to shorten13


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These problem areas will not be the only ones which occuredduring Desert Storm; they are only the initial impressions ofareas where we could have performed better. As we continue tostudy and dissect the lessons learned in the war, others problemswill appear.

SummaryThe Air Force's success in Desert Storm stems from qualitypeople, equipment, training, and leadership. Today's airman isthe best that has ever been recruited. Articulate, bright, andinnovative, these people willingly accept responsibility, andoperate sophisticated equipment with skill and pride. They are

team players.) An incident during the war will highlight this team,-effort . One F-15 Wing Deputy Commander for Operations praised/ the efforts of the only maintenance person available when hiswing's aircraft arrived at a remote base: "The aircraft had to beturned and put on status, so the Chief did the only thing he coulddo under the circumstances -- he enlisted cooks, cops andengineers, and had every aircraft ready to go inside an hour."This example attests to the fighting spirit and flexibility of AirForce people during the war. Numerous other examples abound aswell.

T4 Air Force today has the "global reach"' and the 4 jglobalpowerk to support national security objectives. These comprehen-sive forces can exploit the speed, range, flexibility, lethality andprecision of modern airpower. Desert Storm reflects a commit-ment to recruiting quality people, providing them with the bestequipment and technology available, training them until they gainconfidence in their ability and their equipment, and giving themquality leaders to direct them. This formula was a winner in thiswar. Realistic training at Red Flag and other exercises preparedboth pilots and support personnel for war and they performedmagnificently. When coupled with innovative planning, aggres-sive leadership, and near flawless execution, Desert Storm was anunqualified success. t

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