Lesson 22 The Navy at War in the 1990s

Sea Power and Maritime Affairs: 

Sea Power and Maritime Affairs Lesson 22: The Navy at War in the 1990s, 1991-2000

Strategic Implications Post-Cold War: 

Strategic Implications Post-Cold War July 31, 1991, START I. September 27,1991, President Bush announced Soviets no longer pose creditable threat to the U.S. SAC bombers off 24-hour alert. Removed all tactical nukes from Navy surface, sub and aircraft.

Slide3: 

Boris Yeltsin, President of the Russian Republic, George and Barbara Bush, and the Bush dogs on the White House lawn.  Bush supported Yeltsin's efforts to transform Russia into a post-communist regime

The Balkan Conflicts of the 1990s: 

The Balkan Conflicts of the 1990s Bosnia Kosovo

Bosnia: 

Bosnia Post-Soviet Union collapse; four of the six Yugoslavian republics want independence. Serbian President Milosevic uses force to oppose these states. This situation will require the assistance of U.S. and U.N. troops for over a decade.

NATO, UN, US Involvement: 

NATO, UN, US Involvement 1991-1993 Fighting starts in Slovenia, spreading to Croatia. U.N. Security Council directive to use “all measures necessary” to end hunger and atrocities in Bosnia-Herzegovina, sends U.N. protection force. March 30. U.N. called for humanitarian aid, economic embargos, and ban on air traffic. May 22. U.N. recognizes Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia as independent states. Washington called for relief flights that would be multinational and be supported Yugoslavia expelled from U.N. in response to Milosevic’s atrocities. NATO leaders reluctant to act, for fear that they would be dragged into a costly and unwinnable war. NATO military operations largely limited to enforcing the U.N. no fly zone. Becomes largest ongoing military operation over Europe since WWII. OPERATION DENY FLIGHT (NFZ over Bosnia) OPERATION SHARP GUARD (Adriatic blockade)

1994: 

1994 Standoff between NATO aircraft and Bosnian Serb air defenses continued through the year. U.N. mounted a ground force “protection force,” UNPROFOR, intended to deter “ethnic cleansing” by Serbian Army. Generally Serbs called UNPROFOR’s bluff only to receive retaliation via air attack. 1995 August 30- September 21. OPERATION DELIBERATE FORCE. NATO bombing offensive. December 14. Dayton Accords. Negotiated an end to war in Bosnia. Milosevic still in power.

Toward a Network-Centric Battlespace: 

Toward a Network-Centric Battlespace For the first time it was clear that virtually all targets were moveable (i.e. Friendly forces were not on the ground to identify targets for aircraft) Joint Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) established in Aviano, Italy.

Air Doctrine: 

Air Doctrine Bosnian mission seemed to be classic Close Air Support (CAS) HOWEVER, The point of NATO air power was to coerce Serbs without engaging a ground force. How could targets be effectively identified in future wars with similar missions without ground element support? Anticipates RTIC.

RTIC- “Real Time in the Cockpit”: 

RTIC- “Real Time in the Cockpit” CAOC receives targeting intelligence (e.g., via UAV) Target is fused with stored area imagery and sent to strike aircraft via data link. Cockpit display shows imagery as well as CAS nine-line targeting brief. An important step toward network-centric reality, RTIC was a reality by 1996. F-16s were outfitted with data modems for RTIC imagery.

Key U.S. Sensor Assets: 

Key U.S. Sensor Assets UAV (Predators and Gnat-750s) P-3C Orion E-2C Hawkeye, AWACS (E-3) JSTARS (E-8A) EC-130E (ABCCC)

Evolution of network-centric strike concepts: 

Evolution of network-centric strike concepts August-September NATO strikes were similar in concept to Gulf War: pre-planned against fixed targets (vice mobile ones). However, strikes involved a valuable new precision weapon: the GPS-guided Tomahawk missile.

Kosovo: 

Kosovo

1999: 

1999 War breaks in Kosovo, former Yugoslav republic at least under nominal Serbian control. OPERATION DENY FORCE Response to “ethic cleansing” started shortly after Dayton Accords Planned as a 48 hour campaign, it would last 78 days. This time no UNPROFOR (organic ground element)

OPERATION DENY FORCE (cont.): 

OPERATION DENY FORCE (cont.) As in Bosnia, Serbs used mobility to protect air defense system - No ground observers to direct targeting - U.S./NATO policy barring all troops might be blamed for tactical failure of air attacks (a mistake NOT repeated in Afghanistan) The political-strategic strikes seemed not to have been terribly effective. - Was there a way to force the enemy to move in a way to produce lucrative targets?

After 78 days of bombing, Serbian Army collapsed and evacuated; refugees returned to their province.Why?: 

After 78 days of bombing, Serbian Army collapsed and evacuated; refugees returned to their province. Why?

Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA): 

Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) KLA began operating against Serbian units toward the end of the war. To counter the KLA, Serbian units had to mass, CREATING TARGETS.

Interpretation:: 

Interpretation: Precision bombing became effective only when linked to a force on the ground—and that force did not have to be a NATO army. -Here the KLA functions as a coalition force. -Neither NATO nor KLA had much chance of winning without the other.

This suggested a model for future wars (i.e., Afghanistan): 

This suggested a model for future wars (i.e., Afghanistan) Always seek a local coalition partner sufficiently interested in the outcome to fight as needed, in order to get “boots on the ground.” Caveat: coalition partners are not substitutes for your own forces; they are animated by their own interests.

“Other” 1990s Naval Events: 

“Other” 1990s Naval Events September 1991. Tailhook April 1993. SECDEF announces that women will fly combat aircraft missions and serve on combat vessels. July 1993. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” – Clinton policy for homosexuals in the military. February 1998. A Marine Corps EA-6B, based in Aviano, Italy, flies below low level training route altitude and severs gondola cables killing civilians. March 1995. LCDR Wendy Lawrence, daughter of Admiral Lawrence (Vietnam POW), becomes first female naval aviator in space on board STS 60, The Endeavor

Slide21: 

Gondola wreckage from EA-6B CDR Wendy Lawrence, U.S. Navy

“Other” 1990s Naval Events: 

May 1996. Death of Admiral Michael Boorda. Chief of Naval Operations shoots himself in response to journalistic investigations of his entitlement to wear combat “V” for service in waters off Vietnam. October 2000. Attack on the USS Cole. February 2001. Greenville incident. April 2001. EP-3 incident. “Other” 1990s Naval Events

Slide23: 

Admiral Jeremy M. Boorda, U.S. Navy USS Cole damage

Slide24: 

EP-3 crewmembers stand at ease during the ceremony welcoming them to Hawaii following their release from China

PolicyNew Technology: 

Policy New Technology September 1992. “…From the Sea.” The Navy adopts new mission as consequence to the end of the Cold War. September 1993. “Bottom Up Review” 346-ship navy with 11 carrier battle groups. Goal: Ability to fight 2 major regional conflicts and one low intensity conflict at the same time. May 1997. As result of first “Quadrennial Defense Reviews,” force levels to be able to deal with two simultaneous regional conflicts call for 12 carriers groups and 12 amphibious ready groups.

Slide26: 

June 1997. Navy signs preliminary agreement for construction of the DD-21 Zumwalt class. June 2001. (Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld reports that DD21 land-attack destroyer would not be a substantial improvement over existing platforms. May 1999. Osprey, MV-22, first of four production models approved (2 fatal crashes since) September 1999. New attack sub (NSSN) “Virginia” class to be built. March 2000. Mrs. Reagan christens USS Ronald Reagan, CVN 76. NEW NAVAL PLATFORMS

Slide28: 

MV-22 OSPREY

Significance of the 1990s for the Navy of the Future: 

Significance of the 1990s for the Navy of the Future Compare the transitional nature of the naval strategy and policy in the 1990s against the post “9-11” events and the War on Terrorism. Many of the guiding assumptions of the 1990s were made obsolete by 9-11 and the War on Terrorism. What aspects of the naval policy and strategy of the 1990s remain valid for the early 2000s?

Slide32: 

Given the events of the last decade, was the planning of the 1990s short-sighted? Is “From the Sea” relevant in 2001 when we are fighting a war hundreds of miles inland in Afghanistan? Is the CVBG a relic of the cold war in the age of network-centric dispersion?

Slide33: 

Next time: The Navy at War in Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom 2000-2003