John Warden and the Renaissance of American Air Power

by John Andreas Olsen

Overview

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Included on the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force's reading list for 2008 and the Royal Air Force's Centre for Air Power Studies 2008 Reading List

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Dr. John Andreas Olsen has written an insightful, compelling biography of retired U.S. Air Force colonel John A. Warden III, the brilliant but controversial air warfare theorist and architect of Operation Desert Storm's air campaign. Warden's radical ideas about air power's purposes and applications, promulgated at the expense of his own career, sparked the ongoing revolution in military affairs. Legendary in defense circles, Warden is also the author of The Air Campaign: Planning for Combat (republished by Brassey's, Inc. in 1989). Presenting both the positives and negatives of Warden's personality and impact in this objective portrait, Olsen offers a trenchant analysis of his revolutionary ideas and great accomplishments.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781597970846
Publisher:	Potomac Books
Publication date:	06/01/2007
Pages:	374
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

COL. JOHN ANDREAS OLSEN is currently assigned to the Norwegian Ministry of Defence and is a visiting professor of operational art and tactics at the Swedish National Defence College. His previous publications with Potomac Books include John Warden and the Renaissance of American Air Power, A History of Air Warfare, Global Air Power, and Air Commanders.

Editorial Reviews

"This is a publication that pulls no punches and offers no apologies; instead it paints a remarkably honest portrait of one of the few original Air Power theorists in the latter half of the 20th century."—Spirit of the Air

Spirit of the Air

“This is an extremely readable as well as revelatory book. Olsen avoids sensationalizing the fact that the coalition forces were bereft of a comprehensive plan for conducting the air war, and he presents both sides of the Warden argument with skill and sensitivity. John Warden and the Renaissance of American Air Power is a model not only for those writing about air power philosophy but for biographers in general.”—Aviation History

Aviation History

“Superbly written.”—Parameters

Parameters

“This is a great book because it mixes human relations and career guidance with an overview of modern air power thinking . . . Olsen is to be commended on a fine piece of work.”—RUSI Journal

RUSI Journal

“Masterful . . . John Andreas Olsen has done an important service in bringing the story of this great airman to light.”—Phillip S. Meilinger, author of The Paths of Heaven: The Evolution of Airpower Theory

Phillip S. Meilinger

“This well-researched biography of Colonel John A. Warden III is an excellent summary of the ideas that made him the leading air power theorist in the U.S. Air Force in the second half of the twentieth century."—Journal of Military History

Journal of Military History

Superbly written.”

“This is an extremely readable as well as revelatory book. Olsen avoids sensationalizing the fact that the coalition forces were bereft of a comprehensive plan for conducting the air war, and he presents both sides of the Warden argument with skill and sensitivity. John Warden and the Renaissance of American Air Power is a model not only for those writing about air power philosophy but for biographers in general.”

“This well-researched biography of Colonel John A. Warden III is an excellent summary of the ideas that made him the leading air power theorist in the U.S. Air Force in the second half of the twentieth century."

"This is a publication that pulls no punches and offers no apologies; instead it paints a remarkably honest portrait of one of the few original Air Power theorists in the latter half of the 20th century."

“…this is a great book because it mixes human relations and career guidance with an overview of modern air power thinking…Olsen is to be commended on a fine piece of work.”

“Masterful . . . John Andreas Olsen has done an important service in bringing the story of this great airman to light.”

“John Andreas Olsen’s John Warden and the Renaissance of American Air Power is destined to become a classic must-read reference. Warden, the most influential and controversial figure in American air power thought since Billy Mitchell himself, is examined with meticulous care and in extraordinary detail. Based on exhaustive research, including interviews with a galaxy of American and foreign air power thinkers and commanders, this book is certain to trigger wide-ranging debate and discussion about the legacy of this extraordinary officer’s work.”

“This is one of those rare books that resolves arguments once and for all! Few people have done more for the United States than John Warden, and fewer still have been more controversial. Author John Olsen presents the true story of Warden’s achievements and perceived shortfalls in an authoritative and even-handed manner. Only an author of Olsen’s stature could reach to the very heart of Warden’s ideas and explain them so cogently. Highly recommended!”

“At last, a first rate biography of the most creative airman of our times. John Warden is not just a creative airman, he is one of America’s premier strategic thinkers. Whenever I choose to do anything creative, I always call John Warden. Warden is the real deal—a great strategic planner. If you thought John Boyd was creative—John Warden topped him in many ways.”

"Col John Olsen is one of the dominant voices in airpower history and operations in the world today. His books should be required reading for everyone in uniform."—Phillip S. Meilinger, PhD, Colonel, USAF, Retired, Strategic Studies Quarterly

From the Publisher