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190 grow from within

stealth technology from these forces. For example, every two
months Perry chaired a special executive review panel—he
retained decision authority; there was no voting. He instructed
the Air Force program manager to highlight problems with
bureaucratic delays, which Perry would then address personally.
As noted earlier in the chapter, after a few such interventions,
only a limited number of bureaucratic obstructions occurred.
Perry also created a special umbrella program office that
included stealth programs for ships, satellites, helicopters, and
other weapons and vehicles, along with stealth countermea-
sures. This office supported the underlying technology base
and created a mechanism through which different stealth pro-
grams could experiment with various approaches and learn
from one another. The countermeasures programs helped
ensure that the high level of secrecy did not result in lack of
independent review and criticism.
The first stealth aircraft, the F-117A, was delivered in 1981,
five years after Perry became DDR&E, and by 1990, 59 units
had been deployed. In action, the F-117A performed beyond
even the highest expectations: in one of the most lopsided air
battles in history, the F-117A helped the United States achieve
utter air superiority over Iraq in 24 hours during Operation
Desert Storm, achieving a 1,000:1 advantage in combat losses.
The F-117A was a radically innovative weapons system that
was developed and deployed in less than eight years and gave
the United States more than a decade’s advantage over any
adversary, which was exactly what DARPA and the top DoD
leadership had envisioned when Perry proposed his dramatic
and ambitious plan.
As the example of Dr. Perry’s focused and powerful leader-
ship in the development of stealth technology proves, senior
management must take the lead, set the growth agenda, and
work to build a culture of trust within the organization in