The Air Campaign : Planning for Combat (Future Warfare Series, Vol 3) [Hardcover]

John A. Warden III (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1989 | ISBN-10: 0080367356 | ISBN-13: 978-0080367354

Since its original publication The Air Campaign: Planning for Combat has been translated into more than a half dozen languages and is in use at military colleges throughout the world. This book would later serve as the basis for the planning of much of the Gulf War air campaign. Generals Schwarzkopf and Powell credited Col. Warden with creating the air campaign that defeated Iraq in the Gulf War. This new edition includes a new epilogue where Col. Warden has refined and extended many of the ideas presented in the original book. The most significant of these refinements is the development of the theory of the enemy as system-which flows from the center of gravity concepts developed in the first edition. --This text refers to the paperback edition of this title Winner of the Air Force Association's Gill Robb Wilson award as "one of the most influential books of the decade."

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Air Force staff quickly came up with an air campaign, the brainchild of Colonel John Warden, a brilliant, brash fighter pilot and a leading Air Force intellectual on the use of airpower... Warden's original plan would undergo numerous modifications...but his original concept remained the heart of the Desert Storm air war." -- Colin Powell, My American Journey --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

John A. Warden III is an executive, strategist, planner, author, fighter pilot, and motivational speaker with a worldwide reputation for innovation. His work has had a global impact in military and commercial endeavors. He wrote The Air Campaign: Planning for Combat in 1986 while attending the National War College. He and his wife, Margie, live outside Montgomery, Alabama. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Brassey's Inc (September 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0080367356
• ISBN-13: 978-0080367354
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #851,424 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Update of classic book on warfare, March 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Air Campaign: Revised Ed. (Paperback)

John Warden was the strategist of the air campaign in the 1991 Gulf War. In 1998, he updated his influential book. A must read for anyone interested in the military, its past, present and future.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for the business or military strategist!, January 7, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Montgomery, Alabama) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Air Campaign: Revised Ed. (Paperback)

Col. Warden adds new material to this important work on strategy, especially new material on what happened after the Gulf War. This book is many things. It is a history of airpower. It is a fresh look at the application of airpower. It is a guide for anyone in the military or business world who wants to compete or attack a system. Very readable. With Col Warden's reputation as the architect of the Air Campaign against Iraq, he has demonstrated that he can apply his ideas in real world situations. Outstanding read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant "Must Read" Synthesis of Air Power Thinking, June 24, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Air Campaign: Revised Ed. (Paperback)

Colonel John A. Warden III was one of the most distinguished officers of his generation. A veteran fighter pilot, he was--is--as well a true defense intellectual--not the sort of individual often touted by the so-called "defense reform movement," but a true warrior-scholar in the classic image of, say, a J. F. C. Fuller--or a George Patton. Not one to shy away from controversy, Warden was convinced in the 1980's that the United States Air Force--had strayed away from its first principles. It had become a stove-piped, tribal organization, riven by discord and confusion between its "strategic" and "tactical" communities. Warden, in this brilliant work (written as a thesis at the National Defense University), posited an exciting new vision of the centrality of air power in national defense. This book served as an important departure point for the service's subsequent "Global Reach--Global Power" strategic planning framework issued in 1990. By that time, Warden was running Checkmate, a key office in Air Force planning. Through his own initiative and vision, he and a small team of "weapons officers" planned Instant Thunder, the first major response to Saddam Hussein's aggression in the Gulf. Warden briefed Instant Thunder to the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff (the Chief was away), and then on his suggestion to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Colin Powell. Powell sent him to CENTCOM to brief Norman Schwarzkopf. His reaction was enthusiastic, and Warden was directed to brief Instant Thunder in the Gulf, to the CENTAF air component commander, General Charles Horner. Horner, brilliant in his own right, accepted much of what Warden said. But the personal chemistry between the two men was bad, and Warden returned to the States, leaving behind a small staff of acolytes and experts, most notably Lt. Col. David A. Deptula. It was the partnership of Deptula, Gen. Buster Glosson, Gen. Horner, and (back in Checkmate) John Warden that made the Desert Storm air campaign a success. After the war, Warden became commander of the Air Command and Staff College, making notable (and badly needed) changes to its curriculum. This book is a "must read" by anyone who would consider themselves a military and/or air power professional. There are Americans alive today because of John Warden's work. Warden never made general, largely because of petty jealousies by senior people above him. He was--is--a consumate professional and true patriot: never complaining, never self-advocating, always keeping true to his core beliefs. But his truest legacy is this book and the thinking it has inspired--thinking that has lead to five notable American victories over the last decade. Buy it, read it, keep it, use it!