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The War in Iraq: Tactics
The Continuing Air War in Iraq
by James Dunnigan
February 15, 2005
Discussion Board on this DLS topic
Although nearly all the combat operations in Iraq are on the ground, warplanes
are still up there, and involved in the fighting. But in a major change from the
way air operations are usually conducted, the ground troops are giving the
orders. Every day, ground force commanders tell the CAOC (Combined Air
Operations Center) where air power will be most needed. Specific aircraft types
are not requested, but rather the kind of support the ground troops believe they
will need.
The coalition usually has 500 combat aircraft available for
Iraq and Afghanistan. About 80 percent of these planes are for Iraq, and include
U.S. Air Force F-15s , F-16s, AC-130s and A-10s, U.S. Navy F-14s and F/A-18s,
U.S. Marine CorpsAV-8s and F/A-18s and British GR-4s and GR-7s. There are also
about 50 reconnaissance aircraft available, including Global Hawk and Predator
UAVs, plus U-2s, RC-135 (electronic signal collection) and E-8Cs (J-Stars ground
radar). There are also several dozen tankers and transport aircraft. The ground
troops also have dozens of helicopter gunships available as well.
The
CAOC is located in Doha, Qatar, about 1,100 kilometers south of Baghdad. Most of
the aircraft operate out of aircraft carriers, or Al Dhafra airbase in the
United Arab Emirates, Ali Al Salem in Kuwait and Al Udeid in Quatar. Bases in
Kuwait and Iraq are also used, as needed. Keeping these aircraft, and their
support personnel, out of Iraq, avoids the problem of mortar shells damaging
aircraft on the ground, and injuring maintenance crews.
On most days,
there will be five or six warplanes in the air over Iraq, circling over ground
troops they are supporting. Tankers and recon aircraft will also be in the air,
and often combat aircraft will be used for recon as well. Most bombers have
targeting systems that include day/night vidcams, and these can be used to
collect information, or simply to look out for suspected enemy operations. This
is often the case when an attack on oil pipelines is suspected. Warplanes can
spot vehicles approaching a pipeline, and alert ground forces to
intercept.
Almost all bombing is now done with smart bombs, either GPS
guided JDAMs, or laser guided bombs (which are a bit more accurate than JDAMs,
but require a laser designator and clear weather.) In the last year, accuracy of
smart bombs has been about 90 percent. The other ten percent are the result of
equipment failure, bad luck (a JDAM running into an obstacle before it hits its
target, laser designator fails, Etc.) or sending the wrong coordinates for a
JDAM. Except for major battles like Fallujah, not many bombs are used on any
given day. Many days can go by without dropping a bomb or missile. Most of the
bomb requests come from Special Forces operators, who spend a lot of time
hunting down the enemy. When they find them, a smart bomb is usually called in
to take care of the problem. This enables the Special Forces troops to remain
hidden, and perhaps find another target in the same area. This tactic also
scares the hell out of the Iraqis. They think they are safe at some isolated
building out in the country side, then the place explodes. Fear can be a very
powerful weapon, especially if the mystery bomb arrives at night.
The
CAOC has a military lawyer on duty at all times, to give the air commander
advice on whether some targets may be hit. Another CAOC innovation is the use of
chat rooms for communications between people in the control room. This also
allows a written record of all messages to be kept. But all the chat room action
makes the place pretty quiet, with everyone hunched over their PC, or looking up
at the large flat screen displays that show maps of the region (and the location
of combat aircraft in the air), or video feeds from recon aircraft. CAOC is also
tied in with carriers, and intelligence and other operations back in the United
States, and all over the world.
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The Perfect Soldier: Special Operations, Commandos, and the Future of Us Warfare by James F. Dunnigan
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