Short of War; Major USAF Contingency Operations

xxix, [1]. 274 pages. Maps. Photographs. Glossary. Bibliography. Index. Cover has slight wear and soiling. Format is approximately 6.875 inches by 9.5 inches. A military operation that is either designated by the Secretary of Defense as a contingency operation or becomes a contingency operation as a matter of law. It is a military operation that: a. is designated by the Secretary of Defense as an operation in which members of the Armed Forces are or may become involved in military actions, operations, or hostilities against an enemy of the United States or against an opposing force; or b. is created by definition of law. Under 10 USC 101 (a)(13)(B), a contingency operation exists if a military operation results in the (1) callup to active duty of members of the uniformed Services under certain enumerated statutes; and (2) the callup to active duty of members of the uniformed Services under other statutes during war or national emergency declared by the President or Congress. Spanning the decades form the beginning of the Cold War to today's strategy of global engagement, the twenty-three operational summaries in this book illustrate each of the objective for military operations other than wart. The USAF conducted each of these contingencies in a combat zone or area of serious civil disturbance. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, a series of geographically localized crises caused by political, religious or ethnic unrest; outright military aggression; and natural disasters has replaced the relative stability that characterized international relations for more than 50 years of the Cold War. For the United States Air Force, this has meant short notice deployments, air lifts, and other operational missions conducted in reaction to local crises. Such missions have come to dominate Air Force Operations.