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Debrief: A Complete History of U.S. Aerial Engagements - 1981 to the Present
Every engagement that has resulted in an official 'kill' by all U.S. forces since the end of the Vietnam conflict is chronicled in this book. Not only is this the only complete work on the subject, but almost every one of the fifty-six accounts are told by the pilots involved. These engagements involve F-14s, F-15Cs, F-15Es, F-16s, F/A-18s, and A-10s. Many of these stories have never been told outside of classified reports, and many of the photos have never been previously published. Debrief is the first book from author and former USAF fighter pilot Craig "Quizmo" Brown. The foreword is by USAF Ace and legend BGen Robin Olds.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2007
About the author
Craig Brown
1 bookLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. ^5
Craig "Quizmo" Brown; former USAF fighter pilot.
Craig "Quizmo" Brown; former USAF fighter pilot.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 14, 2026
One of the best books I've read on modern air combat! And an incomparably unique one at that.
Debrief had been on my radar for years, but the relatively high price and blasé cover art convinced me this was a one of those dry, technical studies or a military thesis paper converted to a commercial product. Recently I saw the book was on sale, so I finally pulled the trigger. Boy were my "judging by the cover" impressions of the book highly inaccurate!
Debrief is a large, heavy, glossy hardcover book. It is filled with color photographs, some of which were personally taken by the aviators involved in the respective engagements. Each air-to-air victory is presented with a common introductory format - a pair of uniform patches flanking basic data about the pilot, unit, date, and aircraft that was/were downed. However, the engagement narratives are (except in a few cases) written by (or from an interview with) the victorious pilot, typically flavored with heavy doses of personality -- and with cogent after-action insights and due humility. Some of the narratives were previously published in general interest books, and are tailored to be accessible to a broader audience, but many are pilot-to-pilot in tone, heavily sprinkled with acronyms and terminology. The author has included an extensive glossary of technical terms which helps make the narratives accessible to all readers.
The book starts with U.S. Navy engagements with the Libyans over the Gulf of Sidra in the 1980's and ends with a May 1999 shoot down of a Serbian MiG-29 during Operation Allied Force, which only leaves out one subsequent U.S. air-to-air victory from 2017, well after the book was published. The format and approach of this book gives the reader personalized "inside the cockpit" perspectives on air combat during the eighties and nineties, and would make a good template for covering modern aerial engagements of other nations.
Even if modern air combat is not normally of interest to you, I highly recommend this book to readers interested in any era of air combat, purely because Debrief stands out as a unique, high quality, and informative production. This is sure to be one of my best reads of the year.
Debrief had been on my radar for years, but the relatively high price and blasé cover art convinced me this was a one of those dry, technical studies or a military thesis paper converted to a commercial product. Recently I saw the book was on sale, so I finally pulled the trigger. Boy were my "judging by the cover" impressions of the book highly inaccurate!
Debrief is a large, heavy, glossy hardcover book. It is filled with color photographs, some of which were personally taken by the aviators involved in the respective engagements. Each air-to-air victory is presented with a common introductory format - a pair of uniform patches flanking basic data about the pilot, unit, date, and aircraft that was/were downed. However, the engagement narratives are (except in a few cases) written by (or from an interview with) the victorious pilot, typically flavored with heavy doses of personality -- and with cogent after-action insights and due humility. Some of the narratives were previously published in general interest books, and are tailored to be accessible to a broader audience, but many are pilot-to-pilot in tone, heavily sprinkled with acronyms and terminology. The author has included an extensive glossary of technical terms which helps make the narratives accessible to all readers.
The book starts with U.S. Navy engagements with the Libyans over the Gulf of Sidra in the 1980's and ends with a May 1999 shoot down of a Serbian MiG-29 during Operation Allied Force, which only leaves out one subsequent U.S. air-to-air victory from 2017, well after the book was published. The format and approach of this book gives the reader personalized "inside the cockpit" perspectives on air combat during the eighties and nineties, and would make a good template for covering modern aerial engagements of other nations.
Even if modern air combat is not normally of interest to you, I highly recommend this book to readers interested in any era of air combat, purely because Debrief stands out as a unique, high quality, and informative production. This is sure to be one of my best reads of the year.
January 4, 2022
Outstanding reference and sourcebook for the budding airpower scholar, as well as being fascinating and enjoyable to read. Air to air combat changed greatly in the years following Vietnam, and this exposition of US aerial victories in the 1980s through early 2000s shows just how much it changed. First hand account of the aircrews are blended in with debriefing information from the controllers as well as other supporting sources. A fantastic, useful reference for the professional scholar, hobbyist, gamer, or fiction writer.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews