What do you think?
Rate this book
Osprey Air Campaign #45
Operation Allied Force 1999: NATO's Airpower Victory in Kosovo
A focused, illustrated history and analysis of perhaps the most complete air power victory in modern times, NATO's war against Serbian forces over Kosovo.
On the night of March 24, 1999, NATO forces began military action to stop Serbia's campaign of repression during the Kosovo War. Initially planned to be a 72-hour operation, it took 78 days of sustained air warfare for Operation Allied Force to cause Slobodan Milosevic to withdraw his forces. Despite such setbacks as the loss of an F-117 stealth fighter and the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Allied Force ended with perhaps the most complete airpower victory of modern times.
However, there is a dearth of written histories on NATO's air war over Kosovo. In this book Dr Brian D. Laslie, one of the leading scholars of modern air power operations, offers a complete history of the campaign, based on a wide range of primary and secondary sources. Although predominantly a USAF effort, the campaign also featured multinational contributions as well as significant naval aviation. Using spectacular original battlescenes, maps and 3D diagrams, Dr Laslie examines the aircraft, weapons and doctrine used, the Serbian air defenses, how the Allied forces planned and launched their air campaign, and how NATO had to rapidly adapt its initial plans to achieve success.
On the night of March 24, 1999, NATO forces began military action to stop Serbia's campaign of repression during the Kosovo War. Initially planned to be a 72-hour operation, it took 78 days of sustained air warfare for Operation Allied Force to cause Slobodan Milosevic to withdraw his forces. Despite such setbacks as the loss of an F-117 stealth fighter and the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Allied Force ended with perhaps the most complete airpower victory of modern times.
However, there is a dearth of written histories on NATO's air war over Kosovo. In this book Dr Brian D. Laslie, one of the leading scholars of modern air power operations, offers a complete history of the campaign, based on a wide range of primary and secondary sources. Although predominantly a USAF effort, the campaign also featured multinational contributions as well as significant naval aviation. Using spectacular original battlescenes, maps and 3D diagrams, Dr Laslie examines the aircraft, weapons and doctrine used, the Serbian air defenses, how the Allied forces planned and launched their air campaign, and how NATO had to rapidly adapt its initial plans to achieve success.
- GenresHistory
96 pages, Paperback
First published June 18, 2024
3 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Brian D. Laslie
7 books17 followersDr. Brian D. Laslie is Deputy Command Historian, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM).
A historian of air power and space studies, Dr. Laslie received his Bachelor’s degree in history from The Citadel: The Military College of South Carolina in 2001, his Master’s from Auburn University Montgomery in 2006 and his Doctorate in history from Kansas State University in 2013. His dissertation focused on the realistic training and technology revolution that took place in the USAF after Vietnam and the impact of training exercises on Desert Storm and Allied Force. His first book The Air Force Way of War: U.S. Tactics and Training after Vietnam (University Press of Kentucky) was published in June of 2015 and was selected for the 2016 Chief of Staff of the Air Force’s professional reading list and the Royal Air Force’s Chief of the Air Staff’s reading list in 2017. His second book, Architect of Air Power: General Laurence S. Kuter and the Birth the US Air Force was released in September 2017. His most recent publication was the chapter “Born of Insubordination: Culture, Professionalism, and Identity in the Air Arm,” in Redefining the Modern Military: The Intersection of Profession and Ethics in October 2018 with other members of The Strategy Bridge.
Dr. Laslie was Honorably Discharged from the United States Air Force in 2007 as a Captain. He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife and two daughters.
A historian of air power and space studies, Dr. Laslie received his Bachelor’s degree in history from The Citadel: The Military College of South Carolina in 2001, his Master’s from Auburn University Montgomery in 2006 and his Doctorate in history from Kansas State University in 2013. His dissertation focused on the realistic training and technology revolution that took place in the USAF after Vietnam and the impact of training exercises on Desert Storm and Allied Force. His first book The Air Force Way of War: U.S. Tactics and Training after Vietnam (University Press of Kentucky) was published in June of 2015 and was selected for the 2016 Chief of Staff of the Air Force’s professional reading list and the Royal Air Force’s Chief of the Air Staff’s reading list in 2017. His second book, Architect of Air Power: General Laurence S. Kuter and the Birth the US Air Force was released in September 2017. His most recent publication was the chapter “Born of Insubordination: Culture, Professionalism, and Identity in the Air Arm,” in Redefining the Modern Military: The Intersection of Profession and Ethics in October 2018 with other members of The Strategy Bridge.
Dr. Laslie was Honorably Discharged from the United States Air Force in 2007 as a Captain. He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife and two daughters.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 28, 2024
Book was decent, but it felt like the editor was out to lunch. Kept catching small errors that added up overall the detract from the book. For example, they correctly referred to the HARM as the AGM-88 initially, but then half way thru the book started calling it the AGM-55. Or when talking about the shotdown of Hammer 34, the aircraft were flying at 20,009 feet, took a missile hit, lost his engine and began a glide down to 6,000 feet while trying to egress the country…. But then somehow ejected at 45,000 feet…. Pretty sure they meant 4,500 feet…. But its little things like that constantly that build up and kill a book
October 23, 2025
One of NATO’s Finest
One of the finest accomplishments of NATO. They destroyed a
ruthless regime with minimal loss . Laslie gives accurate information for the Air Campaign Series. A must for post Cold War Josie buffs
One of the finest accomplishments of NATO. They destroyed a
ruthless regime with minimal loss . Laslie gives accurate information for the Air Campaign Series. A must for post Cold War Josie buffs
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews