We wouldn’t have been nearly as effective had it not been for the space assets we had.” “It took a long time but I think you can trace the appreciation inside the Pentagon and inside the Joint Force for space that reaches back to Desert Storm. “It became such that nobody ever again wanted to fight without those things,” Hinote said.
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While promise and potential of capabilities such as “beyond line of sight communication” and “precision navigation and timing” were understood before Desert Storm, that conflict marked the first time those capabilities were widely used. It’s not an overstatement, historians and analysts say, to trace the roots of the Space Force to Desert Storm. Clinton Hinote, deputy chief of staff for Strategy, Integration and Requirements. Up until Desert Storm, most people thought of space as an add-on,” said Air Force Lt. “The seeds of an independent Space Force were absolutely sown during Desert Storm.
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Those technologies and tools were central – and essential – to the success of the effort rather than cobbled on as an accessory.Īnd unlike previous conflicts, Desert Storm utilized the “Total Force” concept in which the National Guard and Reserve played crucial and expanded roles. Nowhere is that more true than the military use of space.ĭesert Storm is recognized as the first true “space war,” one that used GPS, precision-guided weapons and satellite communication. It showed the importance of space and stealth, of using a truly multi-domain strategy and using a “Total Force” doctrine. By the time fighting ended 43 days after it began, the force, which included 697,000 service men and women from the United States, overwhelmed Iraqi forces.ĭesert Storm also did something else: it rearranged and updated American warfighting strategies in a way that maximized new technologies and spawned new tactics and doctrines.
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17, 1991 following Iraq’s invasion and annexation of Kuwait, 39 countries including the United States, several Arab states, NATO partners and others had formed a cohesive coalition. It’s true that by the time combat operations began on Jan. “You build these relationships with allies and partners and that pays huge dividends.” The benefits derived from combined operations, exercises and collaborations over the years continue to demonstrate their importance whether the adversary is ISIS or a peer competitor or a humanitarian effort, Brown said. “Allies that’s the one thing that’s been constant since then,” he said. Yet while that legacy is significant, Brown maintains that another major – and often underappreciated – feature of the campaign is the importance of strong alliances and partners.ĭesert Storm, he said, fostered a new set of alliances that have remained mostly steadfast – and mutually beneficial – since the war ended. Brown, Jr., notes the “firsts” achieved during Desert Storm and their continuing legacy. Jay Raymond, “is the first time that we integrated strategic space capabilities into the theater for operational advantage.”ĭesert Storm was also the first war since the adoption in the 1970s of the Total Force policy, which made the services far more dependent than previously on the National Guard and the Reserve.Īir Force Chief of Staff Gen.
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It was also the first time the Air Force relied heavily on stealth and space systems to support capabilities against a modern, integrated air defense.ĭesert Storm, said Chief of Space Operations Gen. The ground campaign began after six weeks of sustained air attacks drove Iraqi forces out of Kuwait in four days.ĭesert Storm was the first time the Patriot missile system was used in combat to intercept and defeat Scud missiles. It also featured an extensive use of precision-guided munitions. The air bombardment was so successful that the ground campaign was over in 100 hours.ĭesert Storm was the first time stealth aircraft were used in a major way. and its allies flew more than 116,000 combat air sorties and dropped 88,500 tons of bombs over a six-week period that preceded the ground campaign. 28, 1991, Desert Storm’s influence on the United States military, and especially the Air Force and Space Force, remain substantial and entrenched.įor any student of history, Desert Storm’s accounting is well known. Today, 30 years after combat ended on Feb. Secretary of the Air Force Public AffairsĮven before it began, before the first tactical decision and the first sortie flown, the 1991 conflict that would become known as Desert Storm acquired a notable profile.