Context

The Surprises of Integration In 1968, in the face of the very mediocre results obtained by the US Air Force in Vietnam during Operation Rolling Thunder (the bombardment of North Vietnam from 1965 until 1968), Commander Frank Ault, US Navy, was assigned to conduct a study. The result was the 1969 Ault Report, which recommended significant changes in air combat tactics. The report’s findings seemed to dictate, as self-evident, modifications in the equipment itself, as well as changes in the employment of tactical air forces. Specifically, Ault found: • The US F-4 combat aircraft, the main USAF and USN fighter, was heavy, lacked maneuverability compared… Analysis, Context n°35 (September-October 1999) – The Surprises of Integration

The NATO Standard Crisis It is in the complex and arcane world of military procedures that the impact of Operation Allied Force on the world’s defense industry will in time be measured, and, beyond that, in its impact on defense exports in the years to come. What Operation Allied Force has shown is not encouraging; even if one keeps to the statements that have always been made about NATO and which have served as effective arguments for the promotion of the equipment used in this domain, the example of Operation Allied Force could prove disastrous. Aviation Week & Space Technology cites a senior DoD official’s… Analysis, Context n°34 (July-August 1999) – The NATO Standard Crisis