In the Operation Iraqi Freedom – OIF (March 19, May 1st 2003) – the U.S. armed forces made a real achievement in warfighting. The right combination of the well known aerospace power and the new « indirect approach » practiced by the land component demonstrates an unequalled degree of flexibility and organization at the joint level of war, even though the Iraqi regime failed to build an effective defence in an exhausted society. Actually, after a 25-year-or-so build-up of military capabilities, it appears to many people that the USA can now operate a « perfect » instrument of coercion specially tailored to « erase » industrial age states. Nevertheless, the ability to plan and conduct major joint campaigns does not mean necessarily that waging war is an easy exercise. OIF is the first « preemptive war » fought by America. After the end of military operations, a great deal of effort is still required to achieve a true political stabilization in Iraq. – Summary AFRI-2004