In Vietnam, America learns the limits of air power as massive bombing fails to bring a determined enemy to its knees. Steeled by that experience, a new generation takes control of the military and invents a new kind of air war. The culmination of the process of building a 21st Century Air Force is reached in the Persian Gulf, where Operation Desert Storm proves without doubt that air power, properly applied, can win wars. The lessons learned in the Gulf are being applied to new technological developments, and will define the role of the Air Force for decades to come.