Weapons of Choice: The Development of Precision Guided Munitions

During the First World War, the United States began developing precision-guided munitions (PGMs) that led to the aerial torpedo by the 1920s. After World War II, U.S. national security policy focused on the atomic bomb, which revealed the unsuitability of American tactics and weapons deployment systems during the Vietnam War. The Arab-Israeli wars, the U.S. raid on Libya, and the first Gulf War increased demand for precision weapons, leading to the Gulf War and Iraqi War as living theaters for assessing their capabilities and strategic limitations.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 07 February 2023
Publisher: The University of Alabama Press

The development of precision-guided munitions (PGMs) in the United States began during the First World War and led to the creation of aerial torpedoes by the 1920s. During World War II, both sides focused on developing airborne munitions that could be steered toward a target. However, after the war, U.S. national security policy shifted its focus to the atomic bomb, which did not require precise targeting.

The cost of this emphasis on atomic weapons was evident during the Vietnam War, where American tactics and weapons deployment systems were found to be generally unsuitable. Lessons learned from this conflict, coupled with rapid technological advancements in aerodynamics, lasers, and solid-state electronics, brought air power closer to the surgical strike now considered crucial to modern warfare.

New technology created attractive choices and options for American policymakers and field commanders, leading to an increasing demand for precision weapons. The prospect of pinpoint delivery of weapons right to the enemy's door by speeding aircraft seemed to presage a future of warfare in which ground troops were unnecessary. The potential of such weapons and their strategic limitations made the Gulf War and Iraqi War living theaters for assessing what such weapons can and cannot do, with important implications for planning for future warfare.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780817353537
Edition number: New ed