Latest topics
US military pilots complain hands tied in ‘frustrating’ fight against ISIS
Dinar Daily :: DINAR/IRAQ -- NEWS -- GURUS and DISCUSSIONS :: IRAQ and DINAR -- ARTICLE BASED INFORMATION and DISCUSSIONS
Page 1 of 1
US military pilots complain hands tied in ‘frustrating’ fight against ISIS
U.S. military pilots carrying out the air war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria are voicing growing discontent over what they say are heavy-handed rules of engagement hindering them from striking targets
They blame a bureaucracy that does not allow for quick decision-making. One Navy F-18 pilot who has flown missions against ISIS voiced his frustration to Fox News, saying:
Sources close to the air war against ISIS told Fox News that strike missions take, on average, just under an hour, from a pilot requesting permission to strike an ISIS target to a weapon leaving the wing.
A spokesman for the U.S. Air Force’s Central Command pushed back: “We refute the idea that close air support strikes take 'an hour on average'. Depending on the how complex the target environment is, a strike could take place in less than 10 minutes or it could take much longer.
"As our leaders have said, this is a long-term fight, and we will not alienate civilians, the Iraqi government or our coalition partners by striking targets indiscriminately."
A former U.S. Air Force general who led air campaigns over Iraq and Afghanistan also said today's pilots are being "micromanaged," and the process for ordering strikes is slow -- squandering valuable minutes and making it possible for the enemy to escape.
“You're talking about hours in some cases, which by that time the particular tactical target left the area and or the aircraft has run out of fuel. These are excessive procedures that are handing our adversary an advantage,” said retired Lt. Gen. David Deptula, a former director of the Combined Air Operations Center in Afghanistan in 2001.
Deptula also contrasted the current air campaign against ISIS with past air campaigns.
The U.S.-led airstrikes over Iraq during the first Gulf War averaged 1,125 strike sorties per day, according to Deptula. He said the Kosovo campaign averaged 135 strikes per day. In 2003, the famous “shock and awe” campaign over Iraq saw 800 strikes per day.
According to the U.S.-led coalition to defeat ISIS, U.S. military aircraft carry out 80 percent of the strikes against ISIS and average 14 per day.
Deptula blames the White House for the bottleneck.
“The ultimate guidance rests in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,” he said. “We have been applying air power like a rain shower or a drizzle -- for it to be effective, it needs to be applied like a thunderstorm.”
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., recently complained that 75 percent of pilots are returning without dropping any ordnance, due to delays in decision-making up the chain of command.
A senior defense official at the Pentagon pushed back on the comparisons between the air war against ISIS and past air campaigns.
“The Gulf War and Kosovo are not reasonable comparisons. In those instances, we were fighting conventional forces. Today, we are supporting a fight against terrorists who blend into the civilian population,” he said. “Our threshold for civilian casualties and collateral damage is low. We don’t want to own this fight. We have reliable partners on the ground.”
McCain, speaking on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, also called for “forward air controllers,” as well as special forces and “more of those kind of raids that were so successful into Syria.”
Another former U.S. Air Force general agreed. “We need to get somebody to find the targets and [U.S.] airpower will blow them up ... period,” said retired Gen. Charles F. Wald, former deputy commander of United States European Command
In a letter to Secretary of Defense Ash Carter Wednesday, Rep. Duncan Hunter asked the secretary to consider arming the Sunnis tribes in Anbar directly in order to defeat ISIS. Like McCain, Hunter also wants to “immediately embed special operators and ground-air controllers to support ground operations against IS[IS].”
But a defense official pushed back on Hunter’s plan to bypass Baghdad and arm the Sunni tribes directly, telling Fox News, “[the plan] doesn’t take into account the presence of Iran inside Iraq right now… there could be unintended consequences and restore a sectarian war.” SOURCE
Ponee- Admin
- Posts : 38267
Join date : 2011-08-09
Dinar Daily :: DINAR/IRAQ -- NEWS -- GURUS and DISCUSSIONS :: IRAQ and DINAR -- ARTICLE BASED INFORMATION and DISCUSSIONS
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
Yesterday at 6:02 am by Ditartyn
» Dave Schmidt - Zim Notes for Purchase (NOT PHYSICAL NOTES)
Sat Mar 23, 2024 9:25 am by swizzlestick
» ZIGPLACE
Wed Mar 20, 2024 6:29 am by Zig
» CBD Vape Cartridges
Thu Mar 07, 2024 2:10 pm by Arendac
» Classic Tony is back
Tue Mar 05, 2024 2:53 pm by Mission1st
» THE MUSINGS OF A MADMAN
Mon Mar 04, 2024 11:40 am by Arendac
» Minister of Transport: We do not have authority over any airport in Iraq
Mon Mar 04, 2024 11:40 am by Verina
» Did Okie Die?
Mon Mar 04, 2024 11:34 am by Arendac
» Hello all, I’m new
Wed Jan 31, 2024 8:46 pm by Jonny_5
» The Renfrows: Prophets for Profits, Happy Anniversary!
Wed Jan 31, 2024 6:46 pm by Mission1st
» What Happens when Cancer is treated with Cannabis? VIDEO
Wed Jan 31, 2024 8:58 am by MadisonParrish
» An Awesome talk between Tucker and Russell Brand
Wed Jan 31, 2024 12:16 am by kenlej
» Trafficking in children
Mon Jan 29, 2024 7:43 pm by kenlej
» The second American Revolution has begun, God Bless Texas
Mon Jan 29, 2024 6:13 pm by kenlej
» The Global Currency Reset Evolution Event Will Begin With Gold, Zimbabwe ZWR Old Bank Notes
Sun Jan 28, 2024 3:28 pm by Mission1st
» Tucker talking Canada
Wed Jan 24, 2024 6:50 pm by kenlej
» Almost to the end The goodguys are winning
Mon Jan 22, 2024 9:03 pm by kenlej
» Dinar Daily Facebook Page
Mon Jan 22, 2024 3:34 pm by Ponee
» The Fundamentals of Finance and Pimpy Live
Thu Jan 18, 2024 7:17 am by Dinarhater
» Why Won't the Iraqi Dinar Scam Die?
Wed Jan 17, 2024 5:19 pm by RamblerNash