The Lessons and Non-Lessons of the Air and Missile Campaign in Kosovo. . - book review

Parameters, Summer, 2002 by Richard M. Colonel Meinhart

The Lessons and Non-Lessons of the Air and Missile Campaign in Kosovo. By Anthony H. Cordesman. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2001. 416 pages. $70. Reviewed by Colonel Richard M. Meinhart, USAF, Director, Strategic Management Systems, and holder of the General Brehon Burke Somervell Chair of Management, US Army War College.

If one truly wants to gain an understanding and appreciation of the political and military complexities of the 78-day air and missile campaign over Kosovo and Serbia, then wading through this detailed book is definitely worth the effort. Anthony Cordesman has great credibility in the defense intellectual community based upon his prolific and well-received works over the past 20 years. His expertise spans the many facets of modern warfare and incorporates his experience as a senior defense, international, and political leader. This book will add to his stature, for it is a thoughtful, thorough analysis of the lessons and, perhaps more important, the non-lessons associated with the air and missile campaign over Kosovo and Serbia.

The author first whets the reader's appetite with a succinct discussion of why we need to know both the lessons and non-lessons of this war. The historical background of the NATO campaign is then fully addressed before the grand strategy, force planning, military effectiveness, and targeting implications are introduced. The author presents an excellent balance between military and political issues, so the reader gains a holistic perspective of the complex challenges of the campaign before examining the substantive lessons learned and not learned.

As the book progresses, the author provides short analytical insights to clarify and focus the reader's attention and to gain closure on specific issues before moving on. As war is a series of actions and reactions, Cordesman identifies many of the possible "what ifs" associated with the Kosovo conflict. He clearly highlights that the political constraints associated with the conduct of this particular operation should be viewed with a sense of caution about generalizing and applying the lessons learned from Kosovo to other operations or force capability decisions. He uses this cautionary approach to provide an intellectual framework for later discussions. The author states, "Not only was airpower not decisive in Kosovo, trade-offs that weaken land and sea power put a steadily heavier burden on air and missile power, and create added pressures to use it in missions where air and missile power alone may not be able to do the job." Cordesman also raises a serious question, revisited later in the book, "as to wh ether the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have the professional integrity to be entrusted with such damage assessments and lesson reports, or whether they should be turned over to an independent commission with direct oversight by Congress." This question clearly establishes Cordesman's view as an independent perspective for much of the subsequent analysis.

The central portion of the book provides a detailed and roughly chronological review of the effectiveness of the war's air and missile operations on various targets. Cordesman primarily uses reports provided by the Pentagon and NATO, but he also considers, and then critically dismisses, many Serbian reports in an attempt to provide a balanced perspective. He effectively assesses the bombing's impact on strategic targets such as fuel, industry, and infrastructure nodes. Next, he provides critical insight into the more controversial effect (or non-effect) of air and missile operations on tactical land targets and their resultant impact on the Kosovo Liberation Army operations. In a section titled, "The Pentagon Lies to Congress and the American People," Cordesman most seriously challenges the credibility of US reports in a documented, factual manner.

The last major section of the book (about 100 pages) is particularly valuable for military planners. Cordesman organizes the detailed lessons and issues of the air and missile operations from Kosovo along 34 main subjects. These are presented as weapon-system specific (e.g., A-10, AH-64, bombers), capability specific (e.g., refueling, precision strike, cruise missiles), and general categories (e.g., forces, European versus NATO defense initiatives, management). This unique categorization provides an excellent reference source for military planners. The supporting charts, the extensive notes, and the many pages of quoted speeches and reports further solidify the book's excellent utility as a reference.

Cordesman's final chapter on the complex regional issues "beyond air and missile power" offers an excellent summary of the stability challenges that NATO and the regional players will face in the future. It includes a sobering conclusion that the difficult work of peaceful conflict resolution faces us in the years ahead.

The book's detailed description of events--with its extensive reliance on US and NATO leaders' speeches, testimony, and reports--is both a strength and weakness. Usually, Cordesman's details provide enough balanced information for the reader to either agree or disagree with his analysis of a particular event or military issue. For example, his section on NATO's reporting of the effectiveness of the air and missile campaign exemplifies the author's expert integration of charts, quoted material, and analysis. Occasionally, though, the author presents excessive detail, bludgeoning the issue--and the reader--with too much quoted materiel. A prime example: almost 14 pages of his 16-page discussion of the inadvertent Chinese Embassy bombing consisted of Defense, NATO, State, and CIA quotes. That material could have been synthesized and more efficiently presented.