Airpower in the War against ISIS

摘要

Ben Lambeth delivers a superbly researched and very readable operational analysis of the war against ISIS, which U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) code-named Operation Inherent Resolve. He clearly describes the pitfalls of the Obama-era strategy that inhibited the initial use of airpower in that war, as well as CENTCOM's misunderstanding of the true nature of ISIS and of the threat it presented. By limiting both approved target sets and rules of engagement (ROE), the US leadership at first allowed ISIS to grow and prosper. Through Ben's research, we learn the inner workings and decisions of the Washington policy makers, Pentagon chiefs and CENTCOM leaders in prosecuting the war. He clearly exposes the misstep of not immediately pursuing enemy centers of gravity in their illicit oil markets and central banks, as well as the Russian air intervention in the Syrian civil war prompted by Obama's failure to honor his declared "red lines" in Syria, described by Ben as more akin to a sledgehammer than a scalpel. He also describes the superb performance of the airmen thrust into this war, as well as their frustrations in fighting with ROE that did not allow them at first to be mission-effective.