In the second Gulf War, the air component's top-priority task was to prevent Iraq from using ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction. "That was our No. 1 mission," said Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Air Force vice chief of staff. Had there been an attack, it would have been a "strategically dislocating event," he said, especially if Saddam Hussein had combined his missiles with chemical or biological warheads. Moseley was the combined forces air component commander during much of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and during Operation Iraqi Freedom. One year after the end of major combat operations in Iraq, Moseley spoke with Air Force Magazine about the conduct of the war, airpower's role in it, and lessons learned. In the first Gulf War, Scud missiles had proved unexpectedly effective as terror weapons. They were launched at civilian areas, and no one knew whether they carried chemical or biological agents. The "great Scud hunt" of that war pinned down coalition airpower resources that otherwise could have been hammering Iraqi fielded forces. In Gulf War II, Moseley hoped airpower would be able to contain that threat quickly.
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机译：在第二次海湾战争中，空中部队的首要任务是防止伊拉克使用弹道导弹和大规模杀伤性武器。空军副参谋长迈克尔·莫斯利（T. Michael Moseley）将军说：“这是我们的首要任务。”他说，如果发生袭击，那将是一次“战略上的混乱事件”，特别是如果萨达姆·侯赛因将其导弹与化学或生物弹头结合在一起的话。在阿富汗的“持久自由行动”和“伊拉克自由行动”的大部分时间里，莫斯利都曾担任过空军联合航空兵司令。在伊拉克的主要战斗行动结束后的一年，莫斯利与《空军杂志》（Air Force Magazine）谈了战争的进行，空中力量在其中的作用以及汲取的教训。在第一次海湾战争中，飞毛腿导弹作为恐怖武器被证明出乎意料地有效。它们是在平民区发射的，没有人知道它们是否携带化学或生物制剂。这场战争的“大飞毛腿猎杀”压制了联盟的空中力量资源，否则这些资源可能会打击伊拉克的野战部队。在第二次海湾战争中，莫斯利希望空中力量能够迅速遏制这一威胁。
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