air force historian earl tilford has written that "linebacker" was "a watershed in aerial warfare...it was the first modern aerial campaign in which precision guided munitions changed the way in which air power was used." it succeeded, where "rolling thunder" had failed, he claimed, for three reasons: president nixon was decisive in his actions and gave the military greater latitude in targeting; american airpower was forcefully and appropriately used; and the immense difference in the technology utilized made "linebacker" the first bombing campaign in a "new era" of aerial warfare.