Weapons of Choice: The Development of Precision Guided Munitions (review)

This is a very specific study of one exclusive class of precision-guided munitions (PGM)—conventional bombs which are interactively guided to the target—and their development, employment, evolution, and impact on military and security policy. Paul Gillespie's narrowly focused target is precisely the strength of the book, which is impeccably researched, well-written and structured, and complements the few other books available that address the evolution of precision weaponry.

Studies of precision-guided weapons necessarily start with the history of World War I–vintage unmanned aerial bombs such as the Kettering Bug, officially known as the Liberty Eagle Project. The Bug, though never employed in combat, was the first powered, unmanned aerial weapon purposefully built to remove the pilot from danger above enemy lines. In essence, it was the first cruise missile. Gillespie establishes that it was not actually until the interwar period that weapons "guidance" experiments began. Radio control seemed the most effective means—both by wire and wireless. There were attempts to employ such guided weapons during World War II, but accuracy was minimal. Project APHRODITE, an Army Air Forces program to develop and employ guided bombs and unmanned, radio-guided drone bombers failed when Allied leaders perceived their use as nothing more than an instrument of terror. Nevertheless, Gillespie has performed an important historical service by pointing to the long "prehistory" of efforts to conceptualize and develop precision-guided munitions.

The fourth chapter of Weapons of Choice, concerning the invention of the modern laser-guided PGM, is the most interesting and significant. Gillespie's detailed examination of the involvement of Texas Instruments (TI) in the development of semiactive laser guidance and the paradigm shift used to create a functional weapon marks the spot where true precision guidance was born. TI's innovative design of the "birdie" seeker head was elegant yet simple—and it worked. This 1960s development finally provided a somewhat reliable capability to achieve precision in weapons employment that would alter the way aerial combat would be conducted—tactically, strategically, and politically.

Although the laser-guided PGM was employed with great effect on several difficult targets during the Vietnam War, its true impact would not be felt until the 1991 Gulf War. Gillespie's description of the effectiveness of these weapons clearly shows how increased success in combat had far-reaching policy implications as well, implications he describes in great detail. What he has done, and done with great success, is take one specific military technology and demonstrate how, over time, it has influenced and changed American policy.

My few constructive remarks concern Gillespie's final two chapters. It is true that the development of PGMs, and not just laser guidance, has changed modern warfare. Yet we continue to refer to the impact of such weapons in traditional terms. The impact of PGMs on the battlefield can no longer be described either as "strategic" or "tactical." At any given moment the employment of such weapons creates an anticipated "effect" on the battlefield that may be at once related to a localized gun battle (tactical), unless a high-ranking insurgent leader is killed during the strike, thus also having far-reaching political impact (strategic). The terms that were clearly defined during World War II by the aircraft flown and the mission accomplished are today no longer completely relevant.

There is one policy implication that Gillespie could have addressed in a bit of detail. The evolution of precision weapons into today's weapon of choice has had a tremendous impact on the procurement of military aircraft. Over time, America's security policy—which has influenced the development of and consequently the rise in the use of PGMs—has resulted in the gradual shrinking of the number of aircraft acquired to employ such weapons. The evaporation of the military aviation industry can be directly linked to the ascension of precision weapons.

Tangentially, there is still room to debate whether this revolution in military...