©
Begin With the End in Mind:
The Gulf War: Operation Desert Shield
|
©
|
Begin With the End in Mind: The Gulf War: Operation Desert Shield |
|
"Begin with the end in mind."
Second of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen R. Covey, 1989 |
|
"From time to time, when you least expect it, when everyone thinks the world is quiet, someone pulls on Superman's cape." General L. Colin Powell, USA Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff New York Times, August 17, 1990 |
|
"Here is our plan for the Iraqi army. We are going to cut it off, and then we are going to kill it." General L. Colin Powell, USA Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff January 1991 |
|
Lesson Objectives
• Understand and be able to discuss the causes, conduct, and consequences (C³) of the Gulf War. • Develop a methodology for systematically studying the changes in war over time. • Begin to appreciate the impact of technology and logistics on modern war. • Establish recognizable end points for the major threads of modern war (weapons, logistics, communications, strategy, and operational art). |
|
Study Guides
• Why did Iraq invade Kuwait? • What are the six "tests" of the Weinberger Doctrine? • What were the U.S. objectives in the Gulf War? • What critical decisions did Gen. Schwarzhopf face in planning the war? • What two decisions did Gen. Schwarzhopf make during Operation Desert Shield that adversely impacted the buildup and the conduct of the war? • What problems were faced by logisticians before and during the war? |
|
Assignment
Readings: Operation Desert Shield, August 7, 1990-January 16, 1991 Andrew Leyden Summary of the Gulf War Gulf War Debriefing Book Grants Pass, OR: Hellgate Press, 1997 Map: Middle East Map: Kuwait Theater Frontline: The Gulf War (PBS) Operations Desert Shield / Desert Storm Chronology Scott O'Hara Desert Storm.com "Preparation for Desert Storm" (pdf) READ: pp 13-21 Excerpt from Moving the Force: Desert Storm and Beyond (HTML link to pdf download) Scott W. Conrad McNair Paper 32 Washington: Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University December 1994 • NOTE: This series of readings (here and next lesson) provide an excellent summary of the logistics effort and key operational decisions that defined the Desert Storm victory. National Security Directive 54, Responding to Iraqi Aggression in the Gulf George Bush Washington: The White House, January 15, 1991. Top Secret, 3 pp. • Actual document (pdf) National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book Frontline (PBS) "Weinberger's Six Tests" Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger from a speech given November 28, 1984 Air Force Magazine, January 2004 • NOTE: This excerpt from the speech outlines what has come to be called the "Weinberger Doctrine," perhaps the most significant statement on how America should go to war. The doctrine provided the foundation for the U.S. success in the Gulf War. Supplemental Resources: Major Actors in the Gulf War Andrew Leyden Summary of the Gulf War Gulf War Debriefing Book Grants Pass, OR: Hellgate Press, 1997 Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace: Foreign Relations and the Presidency (Ebscohost) Robert A. Divine College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2000 • Read: pp. 33-37, Ideas versus Self-Interest • Read: pp. 55-59, An Incomplete Success • Read: pp. 81-84, Ending the Gulf War Week One (opening of air war) Week Six (ground war, Day 39 on) Andrew Leyden Summary of the Gulf War Gulf War Debriefing Book Grants Pass, OR: Hellgate Press, 1997 Desert Storm Wikipedia Weapons of the Gulf War Apache Helicopter M1 Abrams Tank Curise Missiles Smart Bombs Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs) Oral Histories of Key Leaders Frontline: The Gulf War Public Broadcasting System "How Does the Gulf War Measure Up?" Lieutenant Colonel Christopher R. Paparone, USA Army Logistician, Sep-Oct 98 • Analysis of the logistics effort in the war using the 16 Principles of Logistics. Gulf War Syndrome T W Gideon StrategyPage.com Report to the Congress on the Conduct of the Gulf War (full report, pdf) Washington: US Department of Defense, April 1992 • Scan: pp. 1-17, Intoduction & Table of Contents (pdf) • Read: pp. 18-37, Overview (pdf) |
|
Top
Previous Lesson
Next Lesson
|
|
"The Circle of Modern War" and logo © Thomas D. Pilsch 2007-2013 |