Air Power Against Terror: America's Conduct of Operation Enduring Freedom

by Benjamin S. Lambeth

Distinguished author Ben Lambeth details the initial U.S. military response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, namely, the destruction of al Qaeda's terrorist infrastructure and the removal of the ruling Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Lambeth emphasizes several distinctive achievements in this war, including the use of precision air-delivered weapons, the first combat use of Predator unmanned aerial vehicles armed with Hellfire missiles, and the integrated employment of high-altitude drones and other air- and space-based sensors. AUTHORBIO: (Ph.D., Political Science, Harvard University) is a senior RAND analyst specializing in air power and international security who has flown in more than 40 different combat aircraft types with eight air forces worldwide over the past two decades. He is the author of The Transformation of American Air Power (Cornell University Press, 2000), winner of the Air Force Association's Gill Robb Wilson award in arts and letters for 2001. He is also the author of numerous other volumes, including Russia's Air Power in Crisis (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1999) and NATO's Air War for Kosovo: A Strategic and Operational Assessment (RAND, 2001).

Genres: Nonfiction

338 pages, Paperback

First published December 12, 2001

Reviews

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used this in my senior Research paper about how military aviation has changed as a result of the war on terror. Came to the conclusion that it hasn't changed per se as much as we just added capability and skill. Our current use of air power is different from any other war we've fought and probably will ever fight- this is a war where we've had total and complete control of the skies, allowing us to operate with impunity over Afghanistan and Iraq. This has allowed us to bring capabilities to bear that we otherwise never would, had we been fighting an enemy with any air defenses at all. This way of aerial warfare cannot be expected to perpetuate in future conflicts.
Therefore, in spite of the budget cuts and protests on capitol hill, we need to, as a nation, ensure that we are always one step ahead of the rest of the world when it comes to military aircraft (ie: continuing on with programs such as the F-22 and F-35). If not, we lose one of the main deciding factors in the outcomes of all wars over the past century- air superiority, or the lack thereof.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an EXCELLENT book on the war in Afghanistan. In most books about the war in Afghanistan, the air portion of the war is often overlooked or downplayed, mainly because there were not many inviting targets in Afghanistan. The book also includes some info on the ground war. Highly recommended for Afghan war buffs. Definitely check it out.


You can also read it for free here

See a similar work here This one focuses on the bomber portion of the war.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is essential for the modern American Military professional. It highlights the good and bad lessons learned from the major combat ops of OEF and discusses the issues that may have to be addressed affecting future US conflicts. While the content was outstanding the writing is somewhat repetitive; in traditional AF style it states what it is going to tell you, tells you, and then tells you what it told you. Overall it is a good book though, that no American military leader should miss.

[Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lambeth provides an overview of the first phase of OEF from an air-power perspective and an examination of rules of engagement and other restraints on the use of the air instrument in Afghanistan. The book prompts the reader to consider whether U.S. political and military leaders, then and since, struck the proper balance between operational opportunities or exigencies on the one hand and political considerations on the other hand.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's about air power and by Dr. Ben Lambeth, who is pretty much the dean of US air power studies, so yeah, it's spot-on. Not as detailed or nuanced though as it could have been. His study on air power in Kosovo is still his best work in my opinion.