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Col John Warden's five rings model became the basis of which air plan?

Instant Thunder, the air plan for Desert Storm.

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  1. Instant Thunder in the Gulf War ✔
  2. Operation Overlord in World War II
  3. The Berlin Airlift

Why: As head of a Pentagon air strategy think tank called Checkmate, Warden built the five rings model and used it for Instant Thunder, the air operations plan for Operation Desert Storm.

Huh, didn't know that: Before the war, Warden wrote a book called The Air Campaign: Planning for Combat.

The dad joke
Why was the air plan named Instant Thunder? Slow Drizzle didn't sound as cool.
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References

Answer: Instant Thunder in the Gulf War. As head of a Pentagon air strategy think tank called Checkmate, Warden built the five rings model and used it for Instant Thunder, the air operations plan for Operation Desert Storm.

  1. Learn to Lead, Volume 4: Strategic Perspectives, reading 14.2 (Civil Air Patrol) www.gocivilairpatrol.com/media/cms/Volume_4_Web_4028F891F0A14.pdf
    He created his "five rings" model and based Instant Thunder, Desert Storm's air operations plan, on it.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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