John Warden, Originator of Connections, Author, Strategist, Combat Fighter Pilot

As the initial architect of America’s Joint/Combined Campaign Plan in the first Gulf War Col Warden may well have saved tens of thousands of lives.  As Commandant Air Command and  Staff College Maxwell AFB Alabama he identified the need for the Connections conference and increased/improved the use of wargaming in the curriculum, as part of his focus on strategic thinking and campaign planning.  During his career Colonel Warden served in command, staff and flying positions.  He has more than 3,000 flying hours in a variety of aircraft including the F-4, OV-10 and F-15 - flying over 250 combat missions over Vietnam  as a forward air controller. He served as commander of the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing in Germany . He served two tours on the Air Staff, the second as deputy director for war fighting. In this capacity he lead efforts to develop the Joint Campaign Plan for the first Gulf War, initially called Instant Thunder. He also served as special assistant to the Vice President of the United States, where he worked issues of national competitiveness.  After retiring from the Air Force he founded Venturist Incorporated, a training/consulting enterprise that helps businesses improve their long term performance through strategic thinking. Colonel Warden has appeared many time on TV news and history programs is the author of two books, The Air Campaign and Winning in Fast Time.

(Last Updated 20 June 2011.)

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