The Global War on Terror was the main conflict the United States was involved in between 2001-2014. Most of the news coverage covered the ground war and the pursuit of the ever elusive Osama bin Laden. There was little coverage of the part the United States Air Force played in this war. The extent of coverage would be the occasional, airstrike that took out a high value target. The lack of media coverage made it seem as if the United States Air Force had a minuscule role in the war on terror. However, this could not be further from the truth.
Surprisingly, there are also many members of the Air Force who are poorly educated on their service’s role in the Global War on Terror. This may be a reason why the Air Force is experiencing budget cuts and issues manpower. The lack of assets leaves the United States vulnerable. Part of the problem is that there are not enough authors who understand all the aspects of air power that have gone into the Global War on Terror.
Ben Lambeth’s Air Power Against Terror: America’s Conduct of Operations Enduring Freedom is one of the few books that are written by an author who understands the process of conducting an air war. This book looks solely at Operation Enduring Freedom giving a great insight in to the air operation’s world that defines
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This was an Army lead operation in the Shah-i-Kot valley. The enemy mounted a strong resistance from the high ground making it difficult for the United States Military to advance. This operation resulted in 8 American casualties. Lambeth blasts the Army’s plan for Anaconda explain several problems citing the lack of communication between the Army and Air Force as the main reason. He also states that some believe the Army intentionally left out the air services of other branches of the military so it could take more credit for the operation. Lambeth notes that he believes this is quite an outrageous