Short Of War

First Published In From The Foreword:'since The Fall Of The Berlin Wall, ASeries Of Geographically Localized Crises Caused By Political, Religious, Or Ethnic Unrest, Outright Military Aggression, And Natural Disasters Has Replaced The Relative Stability That Characterized International Relations For More Than Fifty Years Of The Cold WarFor The United States Air Force usaf, This Has Meant Shortnotice Deployments, Airlifts, And Other Operational Missions Conducted In Reaction To Local CrisesSuch Missionsonce Of Secondary Importance To Nuclear Deterrence Or Preparations For Theater Warhave Come To Dominate Air Force OperationsThe Result Has Been Recognition That Global Aerospace Power And Mobility Are Central To Effective American Crisis Intervention In The Postcold War WorldThis Recognition Has Led The U.sAir Force To Restructure Itself As An Expeditionary Aerospace Force, Exploiting Diverse Core Competencies Consisting Of Global Air And Space Superiority, Rapid Global Mobility, Precision Engagement, Global Attack, Information Superiority, And Agile Combat SupportVia Rapidresponse Air Expeditionary Forces, The U.sAir Force Can Furnish Global Power And Presence For Humanitarian Or Combat Purposes'bombs Or Bread Or Both'in Hours To Any Spot On EarthATraditional Precept Of Usaf Doctrine Has Been That The Service Must Always Be Prepared To Assess Its Roles And Missions In Light Of New And Everchanging National Policy And StrategyRecognizing That Doctrine Is Largely ADistillation Of Knowledge Gained From Historical Experience, The Air Force Historical Research Agency Has Compiled This Record Of Usaf Contingency Operations Covering The Last HalfcenturyThis Book Is An Effort To Meet The Needs Of Air Force Commanders And Other Decision Makers For AUseful Reference Work On ContingenciesOne Of An Ongoing Series Of Reference Works, It Is Organized In The Style Of The Recently Published The United States Air Force And Humanitarian Airlift Operations, It Adds To The History Of The Air Force By Providing Statistics And Narrative Descriptions Of The Air Force's Most Significant Contingency Operations Over The Last Fifty Years.'
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