What Is American Grand Strategy

The rays of brilliant sunshine traversed the vast cloudless crystal clear blue sky and illuminated the ground outside the aircraft hangar.  This was a typically bright day at the Air Force Flight Test Center located at Edwards Air Force Base, California. A great day for flying, as almost every day at the center was.  We were inside taking part in a routine but solemn military formation, the change of command ceremony.  We were “changing the guard” as I handed off command of the 420^th Flight Test Squadron, the B-2 Stealth Bomber flight test squadron. The unit I had commanded over the last year during its most intensive period of flight tests.  The aircraft reached the major milestone of Initial Operational Capability a week prior.  We successfully accomplished the mission.  The Air Force now fielded a lethal combat weapon that could strike anywhere on earth at any time, at the choosing of U.S. National Command Authorities.  It was Monday, 28 April 1997.  I retired from the Air Force two months later, twenty years from the day I graduated from the United States Air Force Academy, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I was blessed with the quiet satisfaction of a job well done.

After the demise of the Soviet Union, on 25 December 1991,¹ Eastern Europe descended into chaos. The breakup of Yugoslavia revealed a millennial rivalry between the ethnic Albanians and Serbs. This surfaced and exploded into a kinetic conflict, the war in the Balkans, in the disputed province of Kosovo.  As part of the NATO force, with the world watching, the U.S. sent a B-2 to destroy a Serbian command and control center.  On 7 May 1999, the bombs struck the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade instead.² It was the first time the B-2 was used in combat operations.  The embassy was in close proximity to a building under Serbian military control.³ As recriminations climbed to a feverish pitch, the U.S. claimed that an old map was used for targeting and that the aircraft was given out of date coordinates, so it was a targeting mistake.⁴ Another story claimed that the embassy was used for a possible rebroadcast station for the Yugoslav army.⁵ Yet a third theory is that the Serbs had given the Chinese recovered parts from the wreckage of an F-117 that had been recently shot down on 27 March 1999.⁶ The US did not want an adversary to gain access to stealth technology secrets.⁷

The reason was never clearly determined and world tensions heightened, especially between the U.S. and China.

Since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023,⁸ the war in Gaza has raged on.  Iran participating in the war, launched a second attack on Israel with missiles on 1 October 2024.⁹   Iran acted in defense of the Houthis in Yemen, and their proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon.  The U.S. sent a B-2 to deliver bunker busting bombs that penetrated deep below the surface and destroyed Houthi hardened bunkers in Yemen.¹⁰ This put Iran on notice that their nuclear facility may not be that secure.

Why were the B-2s sent to Kosovo and Yemen?  They were sent to deliver a message.  A message to convey to each enemy that the U.S. can strike them at our choosing.  What is behind this message, and why were they chosen to deliver it? American Grand Strategy.

I recently campaigned to represent Nevada in the U.S. Senate.  While on the campaign trail I realized that the vast majority of voters and most candidates have no idea what American Grand Strategy is. This greatly concerns me.  The purpose of Grand Strategy is to ensure a country will vibrantly exist in the future.  Essentially, American Grand Strategy secures the future survival of our country.  This means we will leave our children, grandchildren and their offspring a bright future in the United States. This will give them the opportunity to live the American Dream. It is the responsibility of every, and I do mean every, elected official to make sure our country survives in the future by attending to their duties today.  Some, like school board officials, contribute locally by ensuring children receive a quality education, preparing them to enter the workforce productively after graduation and strengthening our future economy.  This helps make our future economy robust.  While at the other end of the spectrum the President leads and directs policy that determines how the country interfaces with other nations. These policies affect our future longevity.  So, it occurred to me that if voters do not know what American Grand Strategy is and how it affects the country, how do they know whom to vote for? 

I’m going to explore and expand on the ideas and theories that are the foundation of American Grand Strategy. I want to help you make more informed decisions when choosing candidates to elect for public office. Are you curious why the U.S. sent B-2s on missions around the world and the future ramifications of these actions? If so, you’re going to enjoy this newsletter. The definition of American Grand Strategy, its purpose, principles, and how it is carried out will be considered. In the end, I hope you will have a better understanding of the responsibilities of those who hold public office. Hopefully this will help you make the best choices when it is your time to vote. A deeper understanding of American Grand Strategy will benefit all of us, especially those who are in office today making these important decisions.

Strap in, we’re about to takeoff…

Tony Grady

1. “The Collapse of the Soviet Union,” Foreign Service Institute, United States Department of State Office of the Historian, April 8, 2018,  https://history.state.gov/milestones/1989-1992/collapse-soviet-union.

2. Kevin Ponniah & Lazara Marinkovic, “The night the US bombed a Chinese embassy,” BBC News, Belgrade, May 6, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48134881.

3. Kevin Ponniah & Lazara Marinkovic, “The night the US bombed a Chinese embassy,” BBC News, Belgrade, May 6, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48134881.

4. Kevin Ponniah & Lazara Marinkovic, “The night the US bombed a Chinese embassy,” BBC News, Belgrade, May 6, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48134881.

5. Kevin Ponniah & Lazara Marinkovic, “The night the US bombed a Chinese embassy,” BBC News, Belgrade, May 6, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48134881.

6. Dario Leone, ”Here’s how the Serbians were able to detect and shoot down an F-117 Stealth jet during Operation allied Force, The Aviotionist, March 12, 2016, https://theaviationist.com/2016/03/12/heres-how-the-serbians-were-able-to-detect-and-shoot-down-an-f-117-stealth-jet-during-operation-allied-force/.

7. Kevin Ponniah & Lazara Marinkovic, “The night the US bombed a Chinese embassy,” BBC News, Belgrade, May 6, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48134881.

8. “What happened in Israel?  A breakdown of how Hamas attack unfolded,” Aljazeera News, October 9, 2023, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/7/what-happened-in-israel-a-breakdown-of-how-the-hamas-attack-unfolded.

9. Lazar Berman and Emanuel Fabian, “Iran fires 181 missiles at Israel; PM:  They made a ‘big mistake’ and ‘will pay for it,’” The Times of Israel, October 1, 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-warns-of-consequences-after-iran-launches-181-missiles-in-major-attack/.

10. Thomas Novelly, “Air Force Uses B-2 Bomber for First Time in Combat Since 2017, Sending Message to Iran,” Military.com, October 17, 2024, https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/10/17/air-force-uses-b-2-bomber-first-time-combat-2017-sending-message-iran.html.

Tony Grady's new book American Values makes a strong case for America being the land of opportunity and the greatest country in the world. Tony attributes his success in life to his parents instilling within him American values. This memoir warns that these values must be defended and suggests how to accomplish this task in today's new world. You can find Tony's book on Amazon, Kindle, and soon Audible. 

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