The Quest for Relevant Air Power

POST–COLD WAR CHALLENGES │ 29
Kuwaiti theatre of operation. 92 Early in February, aircraft equipped
for precision engagement were shifted to contribute to this attrition
effort and proved to be very effective. 93
Particularly, the smashing of the Iraqi ground offensive against
the Saudi coastal town of Al Khafji by coalition air power in the
early stages of the air campaign revealed a new relationship between
air and land power. 94 Though air power could not hold
ground, it denied it to Iraqi ground forces. 95 Desert Storm turned
out to be a catalyst for the evolution of European air power in the
post–Cold War era irrespective of direct air force involvement in
the campaign (discussed in more detail in the next chapters).
Courtesy US Marine Corps
US Marine Corps artillery during Operation Desert Storm. Marine artillerymen
from the 2d Marine Expeditionary Force fire their M-198 155 mm
howitzer in support of the opening of the ground offensive to free Kuwait
during Operation Desert Storm.
No-Fly Zones over Northern and Southern Iraq. To protect
the Iraqi Kurds from air strikes in the wake of Desert Storm, the
USAF, RAF, and FAF kept a wing-sized force of aircraft in Turkey.
96 The operation was superseded by Operation Northern
Watch in January 1997. The United States, Great Britain, and Turkey
provided approximately 45 combat and support aircraft for
this new operation. 97