The Battle of Khafji: An Assessment of Airpower

General Bernard Trainor has called the Battle of Khafji the defining moment of Desert Storm. General Charles Link has stated we must reexamine how we spend our defense dollars to restructure our future forces due to Khafji. Three former USAF Chiefs of Staff all recognized Khafji as a marker of airpower's ability to leverage sensors and new weapons to gain the advantage over enemy maneuver forces. This study examines Khafji to see if the ability of airpower to exploit the ground maneuvers elements exists and if it does decisively win the battle. To adequately examine the full scope of the battle, a joint team was formed. The study examines the ability of airpower to single-handedly decide the outcome of a battle. It is about finding the Iraqi intent. It is about assessing the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Reconnaissance, and Surveillance during the battle and analyzing how it controlled the battle space. It appraises the Battle Damage Assessment and how it failed to correctly assess the destruction on the battlefield, both physical and functional. And it looks at our emerging Doctrine as seen through the eyes of this single battle. This study will look at these areas and analyzes them in the context of Khafji and whether airpower can decisively win the battle.