Desert Storm and the Lessons of Learning

Abstract

Desert Storm promises to rank with "1914," "Munich," and "Vietnam" as a powerful source of lessons for policymakers. Our involvement began with a clear-cut case of Iraqi aggression, followed by a million-soldier conflict. It ended in a decisive military victory for the US-led Coalition. The war was media-intensive, and, along with the events that followed, it had wide-ranging political consequences, some of which are still taking shape. Burned into our collective consciousness, Desert Storm will, for better or worse, be a benchmark for future US defense policy and military art. It is axiomatic that those who fail to heed the lessons of history are doomed to repeat its follies. However, the sages rarely remind us how difficult this learning process is. A full disclosure would show that decisionmakers, uniformed and civilian, often fail to learn effectively from experience. Their mistakes range from costly to catastrophic. Complex operations like Desert Shield and Desert Storm will require careful evaluation, not only in light of what happened there, but also in light of what we know about learning from war. Five observations, informed by interpretive history and the emerging literature about Desert Storm, will move us toward that end.