BATTLE of BRITAIN COMMEMORATIVE DINNER Honoring the 25th Anniversary of the Gulf War Thursday, October 6th, 2016 The Willard Hotel, Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C.
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4 STANDING TOGETHER Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier KCB CBE DFC ADC MA RAF, Chief of the Air Staff 6 8 19 RAF CENTENARY PROGRAM The RAF Museum highlights its plans for celebrating 100 years of the Royal Air Force in 2018 and reflects on the service’s achievements WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION Major General Frederick F. Roggero USAF (Ret); President, RAFMAF 23 OPERATION GRANBY/ OPERATION DESERT STORM: 25 YEARS LATER Lieutenant General David A. Deptula USAF (Ret) THE START OF A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP Recalling the origins of the USAF/RAF Military Personnel Exchange Program 24 14 OUR GUESTS OF HONOR Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy GCB CBE DSO ADC RAF (Ret) and General Charles A. Horner USAF 18 ROALD DAHL AND THE ROYAL AIR FORCE A look back at the celebrated author’s wartime exploits 26 THE ROYAL AIR FORCE MUSEUM AMERICAN FOUNDATION SWORDS OF HONOR The background to tonight’s presentations recognizing the most outstanding RAF and USAF officers on exchange over the past year SWORDS OF HONOR 2016 CITATIONS Wing Commander Andrew Massie RAF and Lieutenant Colonel Jason R. Bartels USAF Cover image: © Imperial War Museums (GLF 707) Produced by Harfield Media Edited by Barry Davies Designed by J-P Stanway RAF MUSEUM AMERICAN FOUNDATION 3
Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier KCB CBE DFC ADC MA RAF, Chief of the Air Staff I n this, the 25th anniversary year of Operation same No 121 Squadron. Such things provide me Desert Storm, I am particularly delighted to with a constant reminder of just how intrinsically attend my first annual dinner of the Royal linked our two nations and Air Forces are and Air Force Museum American Foundation. always have been. As someone who fought alongside the United We flew together in the Second World War, States Air Force (USAF) in that conflict and in in both the European and Pacific theaters, subsequent operations, and who is immensely again in Korea, and 25 years ago when Saddam proud to have been awarded the United States Hussein invaded Kuwait. That same spirit of Bronze Star, I am especially keen to support cooperation was also vital in air operations in the partnership between the world’s two the Balkans throughout the 1990s, and in Iraq, pre-eminent Air Forces. Libya and Afghanistan. It is a partnership that is ever more vital in these troubled and uncertain times, and one that COMMON GOALS is exceptionally well supported by the work of the And tonight, over the skies of Iraq and Syria, Foundation. The Foundation also has a huge part our crews are once again flying alongside each to play in celebrating other. Thanks to the both the forthcoming extensive Exchange Our people have the same 70th anniversary of Program, we have ‘can do’ attitude – the will to the USAF and the personnel embedded “fly, fight and win” upcoming 100th across each other’s anniversary of the Air Forces and in the Royal Air Force (RAF) – seminal moments in most sensitive roles. Much of our equipment, the development and future of air power. doctrine and training is the same and our people History is written and the future is built have the same ‘can do’ attitude – the will to by people, by their actions and by their deeds. “fly, fight and win.” Together, we are also now Throughout our histories, our two Air Forces and developing and bringing into service the F-35 our people have stood together and faced down Lightning, a leap forward in technology that will tyranny. In my office hangs a painting of Spitfires keep both our nations at the cutting edge from No 121 (Eagle) Squadron – part of the RAF of fighting air power for years to come. in the early years of the Second World War, but I therefore offer my sincere thanks to the flown by volunteer pilots from the United States. Royal Air Force Museum American Foundation In 2003, I was deployed in the Gulf, working for its continued and invaluable support and with the F-15Es of the 335th Fighter Squadron, for honoring those who have served, and who which was constituted in 1942 from that very are still serving. RAF MUSEUM AMERICAN FOUNDATION 4
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Major General Frederick F. Roggero USAF (Ret); President, RAFMAF T he Royal Air Force Museum American To commemorate the outstanding example Foundation (RAFMAF) is honored of the numerous veterans throughout the and proud to host the Battle of Britain generations – from the Second World War to Commemorative Dinner and would like the present day – RAFMAF presents ceremonial to thank Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Swords of Honor to the RAF and USAF Exchange Sir Stephen Hillier KCB CBE DFC ADC MA RAF for Officers whose contributions have most reflected his, and the Royal Air Force’s, continued support. the values that our veterans, and the Foundation, We are also delighted to welcome General share: service, excellence, integrity and courage. Paul J. Selva, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs It is these values that we honor in our young men of Staff, and General David L. Goldfein, the 21st and women of today, and encourage in the young Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, to help us honor people of tomorrow. the outstanding service of the top Royal Air Force This year, it is our great privilege to, once and U.S. Air Force Exchange Officers of 2016. again, present two Swords of Honor to Exchange This year it is a great privilege to recognize Officers from both countries in recognition of the 25th anniversary the roles they play in of the First Gulf promoting relations The First Gulf War unequivocally War, encompassing between the RAF demonstrated air power as Operation Desert and the USAF, and a decisive force in the Shield, Desert Storm in keeping with the and Operation Granby. principles and values modern era of warfare The war was waged by we endorse. coalition forces from 34 nations, led by the United The RAF Sword will be presented to Wing States and the United Kingdom, in response to Commander Andrew Massie, who as an Exchange Iraq’s invasion and annexation of Kuwait. Officer was appointed to be the Deputy Division The war unequivocally demonstrated air Chief within the Strategy Division of the power as a decisive force in the modern era of Directorate of Strategy, Concepts and Doctrine at warfare. First, by defending the Kingdom of the Headquarters of the USAF in the Pentagon. Saudi Arabia and the associated build-up of The USAF Sword is awarded to Lieutenant Colonel coalition troops in the region by air for nearly Jason R. Bartels, Tornado GR4 pilot. After a five months, and then, by achieving total air year attending a GR4 conversion course at RAF superiority in the entire region through air Lossiemouth in Scotland – learning tactics, operations during January and February techniques and procedures in Aerial Interdiction, 1991, the coalition air forces set the stage for Evasion and CAS – Lt Col Bartels was posted to a combined air/ground operation that required 31 Squadron, RAF Marham, as Chief of Exercise only 100 hours to push all of the Iraqi forces plans, where he has flown more than 100 combat out of Kuwait. sorties over the past year. RAF MUSEUM AMERICAN FOUNDATION 6
The Boeing Chinook, pictured above in action during the First Gulf War, can now be viewed at the RAF Museum in Hendon The directors of the Foundation convey their heartiest congratulations to this current generation of “Brothers and Sisters in arms,” and wish them every success in their future careers. In pursuing its mission, RAFMAF is also focused on education by supporting a number of key exhibits within the RAF Museum, from the magnificent P-51 Mustang Donald Duck – generously donated by Mr Bob Tullius, a RAFMAF director emeritus – to a more recent acquisition for the National Cold War Exhibition, the Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low. The iconic Miles Mohawk – also owned by RAFMAF, and once owned by Charles Lindbergh and eventually requisitioned by the RAF in the UK while he was on tour – is a prize exhibit in the Milestones of Flight gallery at Hendon. The aircraft was acquired in the U.S. and was painstakingly restored by the conservation craftsmen of the Sir Michael Beetham Conservation Centre. Moreover, the Hendon site has greatly benefited from the addition of the Boeing Chinook exhibit – a custom-made recreation of the RAF Chinook Bravo November, the sterling service of which has included Distinguished Flying Cross awards to its pilots in both the Falklands campaign and in Operation Desert Storm. Thank you for attending tonight, and for your continued support of RAFMAF and the RAF Museum. RAF MUSEUM AMERICAN FOUNDATION 7
Operation Desert Storm: 25 years later Lieutenant General David A. Deptula USAF (Ret) T he hour 0300 Baghdad time on January 17th, 2016 marked the 25th anniversary of the start of Operation Granby/Operation Desert Storm. Granby/Desert Storm was a turning point in the conduct of warfare, as it set the conditions for modern warfare in five major ways: 1. it set expectations for low casualties on both sides of the conflict; 2. it presaged precision in the application of force; 3. it introduced prosecution of a combined/ joint air campaign integrating all coalition/service air operations under the functional command of an airman; 4. it established desired effects as the focus of strategy and in the planning and conduct of operations; and 5. for the first time in history, air power was used as the key force – or centerpiece – in the strategy and execution of a war. saw an inversion in the paradigm of traditional force application. Long-time military expert Dr Ben Lambeth has observed that, today, “...the classic roles of air power and land power have changed places in major combat... Fixedwing air power has, by now, proven itself to be far more effective than ground combat capabilities in creating the necessary conditions for rapid offensive success.” The opening attacks of Granby/Desert Storm signaled a radical departure in the conduct of war. More than 150 discrete targets – in addition to regular Iraqi Army forces and SAM sites – made up the master attack plan for the opening 24 hours. The war began with more targets attacked in one day than the total number of targets hit by all of the Eighth Air Force in 1942 and 1943 combined. That is more separate targets attacked in less time than ever before. Those involved in the Granby/Desert Storm air campaign applied force, not just across the entire country geographically, but also across all the key strategic and operational level centers of gravity. How was that accomplished? And what was different from previous conflicts? Technological advances in conjunction with an effects-based approach to planning and execution allowed us to institute a new concept of operations that has been described as “parallel” war. This is the simultaneous application of force across the totality of the enemy system. Granby/Desert Storm was a 43-day war. Air power operated throughout the conflict from start to finish, and ground forces acted as a blocking force for almost the entire war as air power destroyed enemy forces and achieved desired effects against key systems from above. Only in the final days of the conflict were ground forces committed to combat and used to reoccupy Kuwait. In this respect, Granby/Desert Storm RAF MUSEUM AMERICAN FOUNDATION 8
An RAF Tornado F3 fighter taxis in front of a USAF Galaxy transport aircraft in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia While simultaneous attack has always been effects-based planning allowed the targeting a desired element of offensive warfare, it never of 36 stealth aircraft armed with precisionevolved to the parallel war demonstrated in guided munitions against more separate targets Granby/Desert Storm for three reasons: first, than the complete non-stealth/non-precision the requirement for mass to compensate for a air and missile force launched from the entire lack of precise weapons delivery; second, the high complement of six aircraft carriers and all the number of resources required to suppress enemy other ships in the theater combined. air defenses; and, The stealthy F-117 third, the absence of a force flew fewer than For the first time in history, focus on effects, rather two percent of the air power was used as the than destruction, combat sorties, but centerpiece in the strategy and to achieve control over struck more than an opponent. 40 percent of the execution of a war The first two fixed targets. challenges required technological solutions, and The leverage that stealth demonstrated were simply not mature before the mid 1980s. during the First Gulf War is further illustrated Those two solutions were stealth and precision. by the following example. This involves the first To provide insight into the significance of those non-stealthy attack on one target with three aim two elements, during the first 24 hours of points in the Basrah area – Shaibah Airfield to Granby/Desert Storm, stealth, precision and be exact. The attack package consisted of four RAF MUSEUM AMERICAN FOUNDATION 9
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