Desert Storm's Siren Song: Examining Revolution in Warfare

This study refutes the claims by many air power advocates that Operation Desert Storm stands as a revolution in warfare. According to their logic, the success of the Gulf War air campaign proves air power has become the dominant force in modern warfare. As this study demonstrates, these arguments promoting Desert Storm as a revolution in warfare are based
more upon emotion than logic. After evaluating the Gulf War on a cognitive level, one finds it only appears a revolution when viewed as a single event. However a true revolution requires a sample size larger than one. Unless the Desert Storm victory is validated through time and repetition, talk of revolution is premature. Woras yet, inaccurately labeling the Gulf War a
revolution could lead the U.S. military to develop a force structure which is unable to deal with the full gamut of twenty first century threats.