US Marine Corps and RAAF Hornet Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom

US Marine Corps and RAAF Hornet Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom
Author: Tony Holmes
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 233
Release: 2012-11-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 1782006710

Some 84 of the 250 Hornets committed by Central Command to Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) proudly bore MARINE titling on their rear fuselages. A further 14 were marked with the distinctive kangaroo roundel of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The exploits achieved by the units that flew these jets into combat is detailed in this volume, the third of three titles published in the Combat Aircraft series on what has been dubbed by many TACAIR insiders the 'Hornet's War'. Although the bulk of this book deals with the major hostilities phase of OIF I, which ran from 20 March to 20 April 2003, the decade of pre-war OSW missions and ongoing post-war OIF II operations are also covered in significant detail from the Marine Corps perspective. Profusely illustrated with rare frontline photography and more than 30 specially commissioned colour artworks, this book also features the combat experiences of 24 pilots and Weapons Systems Officers.

US Navy Hornet Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom (Part Two)

US Navy Hornet Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom (Part Two)
Author: Tony Holmes
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 96
Release: 2012-11-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 1782007342

This book explores the role of the US Navy Hornet units in the northern Iraqi campaign. These units were the first Navy Reserve unit to be mobilized since the Korean War, and their attacks were launched from carriers off the coast of Turkey. The conflict for these squadrons was very different from the campaign fought in southern Iraq: they worked almost exclusively with clandestine Special Forces teams from the US Army, Marine Corps, Navy SEALs, British and Australian SAS and Kurdish guerrillas. First-hand accounts accompany the indispensable role these units had in the battle to liberate Iraq.

US Navy Hornet Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom (Part One)

US Navy Hornet Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom (Part One)
Author: Tony Holmes
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 96
Release: 2012-11-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 1782007318

An illustrated history of the F/A-18 Hornet which, in its various guises, was the 'universal soldier' of OIF, with around 250 seeing combat. Flown by various squadrons and groups, the Hornet attacked a range of targets including tanks of the various Iraqi Republican Guard units and government buildings housing elements of the Baath party regime. Apart from its ability to drop precision munitions such as laser-guided bombs, the Hornet was also capable of launching anti-radar missiles and acting as an aerial tanker and reconnaissance platform for other strike types. This book explores the Hornet's versatility which has enhanced its reputation as one of the world's leading strike-fighter aircraft.

AV-8B Harrier II Units of Operation Enduring Freedom

AV-8B Harrier II Units of Operation Enduring Freedom
Author: Lon Nordeen
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 96
Release: 2014-07-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 1782003452

In the 1970s the USMC bought the AV-8A Harrier from the UK whose VTOL capabilities allowed it to serve as a tactical aircraft that could deploy with Marine forces on amphibious assault ships and provide air cover and close air support from large deck aircraft carriers. Third in a trilogy on US Marine Corps Harrier IIs in combat, it will be the first volume to cover the whole story of the AV-8B's service employment during peacekeeping operations and then in Afghanistan. With profile artwork for all frontline AV-8B units detailing the unique colours and markings applied by each squadron, this volume presents the widest variety of first-hand accounts of AV-8B air operations and missions by pilots and ground forces involved in Operation Enduring Freedom published to date.

AV-8B Harrier II Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom I-VI

AV-8B Harrier II Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom I-VI
Author: Lon Nordeen
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 96
Release: 2013-10-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 1780963114

An illustrated history of the Harrier II, from the Gulf War to its status as a multi-role platform through the addition of night vision systems, radar, an external targeting pod and new laser-guided weapons. The AV-8B Harrier was, and still is, the only tactical aircraft that can deploy with the US Marine Corps on amphibious assault ships and provide air cover and close air support separate from large deck aircraft carriers. Having seen action during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the Harrier II returned to the theatre from March 2003 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In the initial conflict some 76 AV-8Bs were deployed, providing more than 40 per cent of the 3rd Marine Air Wing's fixed-wing offensive firepower. Around 60 of these aircraft were sea-based aboard four 'Harrier Carriers', while a unit flew jets from Ahmed al Jaber, in Kuwait. Unlike in 1991, when Harrier IIs employed unguided weapons, 79 per cent of the ordnance dropped was precision-guided. This was primarily due to the AV-8B's upgrading to Night Attack or radar-equipped configuration, and the introduction of the Litening II targeting pod. As Lon Nordeen explores how, alongside stunning illustrations, following the occupation of Iraq by Coalition troops, Harrier IIs remained in-theatre supporting anti-insurgent operations through to 2008 as part of OIF II-VI.

US Marine Corps Recon and Special Operations Uniforms & Equipment 2000–15

US Marine Corps Recon and Special Operations Uniforms & Equipment 2000–15
Author: J. Kenneth Eward
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 68
Release: 2016-01-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 1472806794

In the age of modern warfare the changing landscape of the 21st century battlefield has demanded a transformation within the US Marine Corps Special Operations. Adapting to a huge range of combat environments, an enormous array of specialist uniforms, protective armour and battlefield electronic devices have been developed to facilitate missions in the most extreme conditions. A special forces operator may now have available to him a dozen distinct types of body armour and two dozen different weapons; never before in American military history has so much been given to so few. Authored by J. Kenneth Eward, professor at the American Military University, and illustrated throughout with photographs and meticulous colour plates, this volume offers the first detailed, authoritative study of the characteristics, and performance in the field, of the most modern combat gear and weapons provided for USMC specialist operators to date.

The United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps
Author: John C. Fredriksen
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 546
Release: 2011-04-08
Genre: History
ISBN:

This comprehensive survey profiles one of history's greatest fighting forces, on land, sea, and air. The United States Marine Corps: A Chronology, 1775 to the Present touches upon all aspects of the Continental and U.S. Marine Corps since their inception. All major battles in all major wars are covered, along with innumerable smaller clashes and deployments abroad. The evolution of amphibious doctrine, so essential to Marine Corps activity in the 20th and 21st centuries, is likewise covered in detail, along with the rise of Marine Corps aviation. Through a diary of daily occurrences proffered in the context of greater historical events, this chronology captures the entire sweep of U.S. Marine Corps history. It follows the Corps from the American Revolution to the halls of Montezuma and the shores of Tripoli, through World Wars I and II, and up to Operation IRAQI FREEDOM and Operation ENDURING FREEDOM in Afghanistan. Entries delineate battlefield events, but also significant political and administrative changes that have affected the Marines. Notable events in the careers of generals and other individuals are included as well.

Allies That Count

Allies That Count
Author: Olivier Schmitt
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
Total Pages: 262
Release: 2018-03-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1626165483

What qualities make an ally useful in coalition warfare, and when is an ally more trouble than it’s worth? Allies That Count analyzes the utility of junior partners in coalition warfare and reaches surprising conclusions. In this volume, Olivier Schmitt presents detailed case-study analysis of several US allies in the Gulf War, the Kosovo campaign, the Iraq War, and the war in Afghanistan. He also includes a broader comparative analysis of 204 junior partners in various interventions since the end of the Cold War. This analysis bridges a gap in previous studies about coalition warfare, while also contributing to policy debates about a recurring defense dilemma. Previous works about coalition warfare have focused on explaining how coalitions are formed, but little attention has been given to the issue of their effectiveness. Simultaneously, policy debates, have framed the issue of junior partners in multinational military operations in terms of a trade-off between the legitimacy that is allegedly gained from a large number of coalition states vs. the decrease in military effectiveness associated with the inherent difficulties of coalition warfare. Schmitt determines which political and military variables are more likely to create utility, and he challenges the conventional wisdom about the supposed benefit of having as many states as possible in a coalition. Allies That Count will be of interest to students and scholars of security studies and international relations as well as military practitioners and policymakers.

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Operation Iraqi Freedom
Author: Walt L. Perry
Publisher: Rand Corporation
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2015
Genre: History
ISBN:

Summarizes a report on the planning and execution of operations in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM through June 2004. Recommends changes to Army plans, operational concepts, doctrine, and Title 10 functions.

B-1B Lancer Units in Combat

B-1B Lancer Units in Combat
Author: Thomas Withington
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2012-11-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 1782006885

The development of the B-1B Lancer bomber was difficult to say the least. Originally conceived to fulfil a USAF requirement for an Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft, the original B-1A concept aircraft was accused of being a white elephant, capable of performing nothing which could not be achieved at less financial and human expense than an intercontinental ballistic missile. Cancelled by the Carter administration and finally commissioned by President Reagan as the modified B-1B, the Lancer began its duties as a nuclear-armed bomber in the mid-1980s. The end of the Cold War intervened and the jet was removed from its nuclear missions as a result of arms control legislation. However, the 1990s saw the metamorphosis of the Lancer into a potent conventional weapons carrier which has seen action in Iraq, the Balkans and Afghanistan. This richly-illustrated volume shows how the Lancer has proved its critics wrong in demonstrating its use as a highly flexible and hard-working bomber, able to undertake diverse missions ranging from CAS to the targeting of weapons-of-mass-destruction installations.