(1)

The decisive factor in the war with Iraq was the air campaign, but ground forces were necessary to eject the Iraqis from Kuwait.

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The mass and precision of the air campaign stunned the Iraqi leadership and military from the war's outset, and stopped most logistic support and ground movement in selected areas.

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Early and complete air supremacy allowed allied forces flexibility in the conduct of the air campaign and denied Iraqi commanders the intelligence they needed from aerial reconnaissance.

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Centralized control of fixed-wing aircraft in the theater contributed to effectiveness of the air campaign.

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The air campaign against ground targets was effective with greatly reduced collateral damage compared to earlier campaigns.

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U.S. Army and Marine forces skillfully executed an ambitious ground campaign while a Marine force afloat pinned down Iraqi forces with the threat of an amphibious landing in Kuwait.

(2)

The effective use of high technology was a key reason for both the high level of performance of air and ground forces, and the minimization of allied casualties.

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A new precision in the delivery of weapons made them more effective than in the past and reduced collateral damage.

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Survivability of aircraft and aircrews was enhanced by stealth, defense suppression, increased use of pilotless weapons and stand-off range weapons. High availability rates for aircraft were promoted by maintainability in new systems. These factors, in turn, increased sortie rates and allowed the air campaign in particular to develop and sustain a devastating momentum.

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Greater target acquisition ranges and more effective fire enabled ground forces to engage enemy forces at distances beyond the range of enemy sensors.

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Night vision devices enabled around-the-clock operations for Army ground forces, but Marines lacked this capability.

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Land navigation through the use of the Global Positioning System enabled commanders to execute the so-called "Left Hook" through open, nearly featureless desert with unprecedented speed and precision.

(3)

The war with Iraq also demonstrated technology-related problems.