Shield and Sword: The United States Navy and the Persian Gulf War [Paperback]

Edward J. Marolda (Author), Robert John Jr. Schneller (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1931641285 | ISBN-13: 978-1931641289 | Publication Date: July 1, 2001

Though not so well known as the land and air campaigns, the campaign at sea in the 1991 Gulf War was vital in subduing Saddam Hussein's invasion forces and driving them out of Kuwait. U.S. Navy surface ships and submarines launched hundreds of cruise missile attacks against Iraqi targets throughout the war, and carriers sent air strikes deep into enemy territory. The battleships Missouri and Wisconsin bombarded hostile targets while U.S. sailors joined U.S. Army and Royal Navy helicopter crews in additional actions. SEAL missions, global sealift actions, mine countermeasures, and operations in support of the economic embargo were still more contributing factors to the complex joint warfare effort.

Details of these naval operations are thoroughly documented and analyzed in this authoritative study, conducted by the Naval Historical Center and published in limited numbers in 1999. It is based on previously classified action and lessons-learned reports, interviews with participants, and studies conducted by the Center for Naval Analyses and the Department of Defense. The book includes candid evaluations of leadership effectiveness, interservice relations, and methods of command and control. It also analyses the effectiveness of various weapons and sensors, including the Tomahawk land-attack missile, the EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft, the Aegis battle management system, and unmanned aerial vehicles. Winner of the Navy League's Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize and favorably reviewed by military scholars and foreign affairs journals, this credible historical account captures the drama as well as the detail of a modern victory at sea.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The treatment is candid, the authors' analysis persuasive, and their style readable." --Choice, July 2001 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Edward J. Marolda is senior historian of the Naval Historical Center in Washington, D.C., where he has written or edited numerous works, including volume 2 of the center's official history of the Vietnam War and an illustrated history of the U.S. Navy and the war in Southeast Asia. Robert J. Schneller Jr. is a historian with the Contemporary History Branch of the Naval Historical Center and the author of A Quest for Glory: A Biography of Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 540 pages
• Publisher: Government Reprints Press (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931641285
• ISBN-13: 978-1931641289
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,075,208 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A thorough history of the Naval dimension of Desert Storm, August 17, 2000

By 

Kevin Lane (Norfolk, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shield and Sword: The United States Navy and the Persian Gulf War (Paperback)

This is an overall thorough, but very dry account of the US Navy's involvement in the Persian Gulf War. The authors, as part of the Naval Historical Center, obviously had incredible access to firsthand sources, and it shows. It does offer some good insights and presents a "warts and all" perspective at times.

The book opens with a brief and useful historical overview of the Navy's presence in the Gulf and the run up to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. While the story of how the US Military arrived at its plan to fight the war is interesting, the account of the logistics of the buildup is somewhat tedious. I realize logistics are the backbone of any military operation; but it just wasn't that interesting except as part of an official history.

The authors deserve credit for addressing the problems the Navy faced: a lack of integration with the other services, infighting among the Generals (Army and USAF) and Admirals, and an ill-conceived mine laying operations that cost two pilots their lives, for example. It avoids being "whiney" about slights during the air campaign from an Air Force dominated air warfare command structure, yet is somewhat bogged down in details about tasking orders and control systems.

This book will probably only be interesting to the more die hard Naval historian and students of Joint Military Operations for lessons learned. For a good account of modern Naval Warfare, I would be more inclined to recommend Admiral Sandy Woodward's "One Hundred Days" about the Falklands War.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most complete history of naval operations in Desert Storm, September 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Shield and Sword: The United States Navy and the Persian Gulf War (Hardcover)

540 pages; 124 photos; 14 maps; 6 tables; footnotes; annotated bibliography; index

Described in these pages are the Navy's carrier and cruise missile strike operations, the bombardment by venerable battleships Missouri and Wisconsin of enemy forces in Kuwait, the fleet's destruction of the Iraqi navy and air defense of the Allied right flank in the Gulf, SEAL operations, embargo of enemy oceangoing commerce, and the globe-spanning sealift effort. The leadership and performance of Admiral Stan Arthur and other Navy officers and enlisted sailors are fully covered. The volume candidly evaluates problems that surfaced during the war in mine countermeasures, interservice relations, and the command and control of littoral operations. Above all, Shield and Sword highlights the experience of Navy men and women serving in aircraft carriers, frigates, and hospital ships in the volatile waters around the Arabian Peninsula; flying aircraft in dangerous skies over Iraq; and enduring the heat and other discomforts of Saudi desert. It is a story of service to the nation by the well-trained, dedicated, and professional sailors of the modern U.S. Navy.

RECENT REVIEWS: "A thorough, no-holds-barred review of the U.S. Navy's role in the Persian Gulf War." General Colin Powell, USA (Ret.), former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"It is remarkably candid in describing the service's failures as well as its successes; the Navy's deficiencies in precision-guided weapons and mine-clearing capabilities receive forthright treatment." Eliot A. Cohen, military historian.

"[The authors] provide a comprehensive look at the long buildup and short but extremely successful conflict in the Gulf and candidly discuss shortcomings and failures as well as triumphs. Their objectivity, attention to detail, and thorough treatment make this not only a readable but IMPORTANT book." Norman Polmar, naval affairs analyst.

"Relating events as seen through the eyes of those involved in the decision-making process, the war literally comes alive and provides vivid characterizations of the personalities of the principal players involved." Rear Admiral Riley D. Mixson, USN (Ret.), Commander Battle Force Yankee in the Gulf War.

"Overall, a superb summary of the largest single naval action since World War II--and a tribute to the performance of the commanders and men and women of the Navy. . . This is a story that deserves to be known." Rear Admiral Thomas F. Marfiak, USN, Commandant National War College.

"Few Gulf War books published thus far have focused on the maritime aspects of the war, and fewer yet have done as good a job of viewing the conflict as the enormous multinational effort that it was." Michael A. Palmer, author and naval historian.

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice treatment - good book, August 16, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Shield and Sword: The United States Navy and the Persian Gulf War (Hardcover)

I actually have a paper copy published prior to this one by GPO (I think). If anyone is worried about price, they may want to investigate purchasing that edition. Great book. It's nice to read about the Naval part of the war instead of just the Army part. Notice in most books, there isn't even a map showing the gulf itself - just the land masses!