The Quest for Relevant Air Power

38 │ POST–COLD WAR CHALLENGES
The campaign turned out to be a major struggle between the
Taliban and the northern alliance forces, with precision air
power—directed by special forces—affecting the outcome decisively.
153 The delivery of firepower reached a new level in Enduring
Freedom. During Desert Storm, there was an average of 10 aircraft
sorties per target. In Enduring Freedom, on the other hand, a
combat aircraft attacked on average two targets per sortie. 154
Further more, the sensor-to-shooter cycle was considerably enhanced.
In slightly more than two years, the Tomahawk targeting
process had been reduced from 101 minutes in Operation Allied
Force to 19 minutes in Enduring Freedom. Despite these new
technological possibilities, 10 opportunities to attack senior Taliban
leadership did not receive clearance in time. 155
Among the Continental European air forces that provided
combat aircraft to later phases of Operation Enduring Freedom
were France and a combined Danish, Dutch, and Norwegian detachment.
Moreover, during the second half of December 2001,
combat aircraft from the French carrier Charles de Gaulle and the
Italian carrier Garibaldi joined the air campaign. 156
Third-Party Intervention in Failed States. With the end of the
Cold War, states started to disintegrate not only in Europe but also
elsewhere, particularly in Africa. As a consequence, Western powers
intervened several times attempting to stabilise the situation.
In these conflicts, air power executed an enabling and supporting
role, such as power projection, intratheatre airlift, reconnaissance,
and CAS.
In 1993 a multinational force attempted to restore order in
Somalia. This operation came to an abrupt halt when US transport
helicopters were shot down by a warlord’s faction on 3 October
1993, resulting in 18 American Soldiers killed. The Clinton
administration subsequently ordered a phased withdrawal. 157
Soon afterwards, genocide unfolded in Rwanda. In response, the
French embarked upon Operation Turquoise, aimed at stabilising
the situation in western Rwanda. 158 This and other French operations
in Africa are explored later. Sharing a similar colonial legacy,
the UK also became involved in conflicts in Africa. In 2000, for
instance, Britain dispatched a battle-group-sized force with corresponding
air and maritime support to civil-war-torn Sierra Leone. 159
Essential for Operation Palliser was rapid deployment, which could