As NATO stepped up its attacks, Milosevic increased pressure against the civilian population in Kosovo. Ethnic Albanian refugees poured across borders into neighboring states. In response, the United States initiated Joint Task Force Shining Hope. United States’ Government agencies, nongovernment organizations, and international relief organizations all supported Shining Hope. United States Air Force transports played a pivotal role, delivering 70 percent of the supplies provided during the first 2 weeks of Shining Hope. Nearly 1,000 United States Air Force personnel were assigned directly to Shining Hope.
By the middle of May, continued Allied pressure had taken its toll on Serbian forces. Attack aircraft flew around 250 sorties per day. On 25 May, the Kosovo Liberation Army, comprised of ethnic Albanians from the province, launched a large counteroffensive against Serbian ground forces. Although a tactical failure, the writing was on the wall for Milosevic—with the situation worsening. On 3 June, he agreed to withdraw all ground forces from the province and meet NATO’s demands. With the authorization of the UN on 10 June 1999, NATO forces deployed into Kosovo.
Operation Noble Eagle/Enduring Freedom
Four unprecedented acts of violence in three locations spreading from New York City to western Pennsylvania to Washington DC, on 11 September 2001 left thousands dead, thousands more grieving, and a nation wondering what would happen next. This fanatical hatred carried out by a hidden handful manifested and exploded, causing two of the world’s tallest buildings to crumble, scarring the nation’s military nerve center and forcing the President of the United States flying aboard Air Force One to seek safe haven. As the clock ticked away following the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Air Force community realized the depth and scope of the hatred. This day and in the days that followed came the stories of service members and civilians pulling comrades from burning buildings, fighting fires, providing medical attention, and volunteering to do whatever they could.
The Air Force responded quickly. Fighter aircraft began to fly combat air patrols over the skies of America in support of Operation Noble Eagle the same day as the attack. Six months later, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) continued to have more than 100 ANG, AFR, and active-duty fighters from 26 locations monitoring the skies over the United States. More than 80 percent of the pilots flying Noble Eagle missions belonged to the ANG. Nearly as many AFR, ANG, and active-duty members (more than 11,000), deployed to support Noble Eagle, as for the other thrust of the US response to the attack, Operation Enduring Freedom.
Enduring Freedom looked to take the fight to the nation’s enemies overseas, most notably Afghanistan. In this impoverished country, the US effort was twofold: to provide humanitarian airlift to the oppressed people of Afghanistan and to conduct military action to root out terrorists and their supporters. When the ruling government in Afghanistan, the Taliban, refused President George W. Bush’s demand that the suspected terrorists be turned over and all terrorist training camps closed, the President ordered US forces to the region. Over the next few weeks, approximately 350 US aircraft, including B-1 and B-52 bombers, F-15 and F-16 fighters, special operations aircraft, RQ-1B and RQ-4A unmanned aerial vehicles, and Navy fighters, deployed to bases near Afghanistan, including some in the former Soviet Union. On 7 October 2001, following continued Taliban refusal to hand over the suspected terrorists, US, British, and French aircraft began a sustained campaign against terrorist targets in Afghanistan.
Working closely with US special operations troops and Afghan opposition forces, air power employed precision weapons to break the Taliban’s will and capacity to resist. Organized resistance began to collapse in mid- November, and the Taliban abandoned the last major town under its control, Kandahar, early in December 200. In addition to strike operations, the Air Force flew humanitarian relief, dropping nearly 2.5 million humanitarian rations.
From the skies over the Rio Grande to those over Afghanistan nearly 100 years later, air power has evolved from an ineffective oddity to the dominant form of military might in the world. Its applications and effectiveness have increased with each succeeding conflict; in WWI air power played a minor role, in Kosovo it played the only role. This chapter looked at the development of air power through the Nation’s many conflicts, and just a few of the many contributions of enlisted personnel.
