Air Power in the 21st Century

Air Power in the 21st Century

Overview The Global War on Terror Background
Launching the War on Terror Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF) Objectives of OEF Airpower’s Distinctive Contributions Operation Anaconda Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF) Objectives of OIF Operation NEW DAWN (OND) Military Lessons Learned Evolution of Airpower 2

The Global War on Terror Background
OEF marked the beginning of a broader US and international global war on terrorism, but our enemies actually declared war on us through acts and words years earlier. Sheik Rahman Osama bin Laden 2

The 1983 suicide bomb attack against US Marines in Lebanon was our first introduction to this war—220 Marines were killed in the attack. The first World Trade Center bombing in Feb 1993 killed 6 and injured over 1,000 people. 2

In 1996, Osama bin Laden issued his fatwa: a “Declaration of War Against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places.”

In 1996, the Khobar Towers USAF facility in Saudi Arabia was attacked with a truck bomb. That attack killed 19 Airmen.

US Embassy bombings in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar el Salaam, Tanzania in 1998 US retaliated with strikes against Sudan and Afghanistan USS Cole attacked in Yemen, killing 17 Americans US Embassy Nairobi Damaged USS Cole

11 September 2001 attack launched on the United States using airliners as piloted missiles Two airliners crashed into the World Trade Center twin towers (3,000 dead, towers destroyed). Third airliner crashed into the Pentagon Fourth airliner crashed into a field in western PA 2

Attacks on 11 September motivated the United States to initiate the Global War on Terrorism The first battle zone: Afghanistan and the Taliban 2

Launching the War on Terror
United States announces two-pronged approach Go after the terrorists “Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped, and defeated.” Go after their supporters “Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime.”

Department of Homeland Security is established American diplomats forge different coalitions of nations willing to engage in the war on terrorism in a variety of ways Law enforcement agencies, at home and abroad, work around the clock to uproot terror networks and disrupt potential attacks

Financial regulators and law enforcement combine forces to deprive terrorists of sources of financial support Reserves and the National Guard patrol US skies and bolster the security of airports and other public places US intelligence community redoubles efforts to gain needed intelligence and prepare for a series of covert actions

Global Perspective Broader than just Afghanistan The Philippines Bosnia Africa Introduction of Doctrine of Preemption A fundamental change to US Policy

OEF Military Operations
US Objectives for OEF Make clear to the Taliban leaders and their supporters that harboring terrorists is unacceptable and carried a price Acquire intelligence to facilitate future operations against al Qaeda and the Taliban regime that harbored the terrorists Develop relationships with groups in Afghanistan that oppose the Taliban regime and the foreign terrorists that they support

OEF Military Operations
US Objectives for OEF (cont’d) Make it increasingly difficult for terrorists to use Afghanistan freely as a base of operation Alter the military balance over time by denying the Taliban the offensive systems that hamper the progress of the various opposition forces Provide humanitarian relief to Afghans suffering truly oppressive living conditions under the Taliban regime

OEF Airpower’s Distinctive Contributions
Data Fusion Historic deployment of ISR umbrella E-3s, E-8s, RC-135s, RPAs, U-2s Fighters w/ infrared targeting capabilities Targeting coordinates ed to aircraft Greater connectivity between sensors and shooters Highly beneficial in joint ops

Air-Ground Synergy Close synchronization of air and land power Special forces teams included CIA operatives and Air Force TACP members Air Force controllers integrated with Army Special Forces Result was ground-enabled precision strike instead of classic close air support

Humanitarian Relief and Force Sustainment Air mobility effort was massive—3rd behind Berlin airlift and Desert Shield Humanitarian aid operation was personal creation of President Bush 2 million human daily rations had been delivered by 30 Nov OEF was first American campaign in which airlift provided ALL military supplies for several months

Space Support to Force Employers Provided info for special ops mission planning BRITE—Provided near-real-time satellite info Bandwidth was an issue—Severely limited the number of RPAs that could be in use at a given time Space support now measured with a stopwatch instead of a calendar

CAOC Operations New CAOC was at PSAB, Saudi Arabia Coherent and cooperative group of planners from all the services Had to handle both OSW and OEF mission Outstanding system but limited by lack of personnel and training

Buildup at Manas, Kyrgyzstan US military tent cities established at 13 sites in 9 countries 86th Contingency Response Group was significant player in establishment of Manas By May 2002, Manas had about 2,000 coalition forces in place

New Technology OEF helped validate new concepts and technology CIA firing of Hellfire missiles from Predators Earth penetrator weapons; computer-controlled hard-target smart fuse; thermobaric devices Measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT) Foliage-penetrating radar Hyperspectral imaging Pattern-change tracking technology

Operation Anaconda: The Battle of Roberts Ridge
Video Operation Anaconda: The Battle of Roberts Ridge

OIF Background After major combat operations in Afghanistan ended, the US shifted focus to Saddam Hussein’s regime UN Resolution 687 codified Cease Fire Agreement for the Gulf War Iraq was testing and breaking these agreements 2

OIF Background Paragraph 8 stated that Iraq must “…unconditionally accept the destruction, removal, or rendering harmless, under international supervision of:” All chemical/biological weapons All ballistic missiles with range greater than 150 km

OIF Background Paragraph 12 addressed nuclear capabilities, stating that Iraq must “…agree not to acquire or develop nuclear weapons or nuclear weapon-usable material Paragraph 32, with regards to terrorism, stated that “…[Iraq] will not commit or support any act of international terrorism”

OIF Background 12 September 2002: President Bush addressed the UN General Assembly to highlight observed violations and attempt to gather further international support for action against Iraq 16 October 2002: President Bush signed the Iraq War Resolution 8 November 2002: The UN Security Council passed Resolution 1441

OIF Background Dr. Blix (chief UN investigator) reported non-cooperation to the UN Security Council multiple times In February 2003, Secretary of State Powell addressed the UN Security Council

OIF Background 16 March 2003: President Bush demanded senior leaders leave Iraq within 48 hours 19 March 2003: President Bush addressed the nation stating that military operations had begun in Iraq 2

OIF Air Campaign OIF Air Campaign = Operations NORTHERN WATCH and SOUTHERN WATCH Not a single Iraqi Combat Sortie flown during OIF

OIF Military Objectives
End the regime of Saddam Hussein Identify, isolate, and eliminate Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction Search for, to capture, and to drive out terrorists from that country. Collect such intelligence as the United States and its allies can that is related to terrorists networks.

OIF Military Objectives (cont’d)
Collect such intelligence as we can related to the global network of illicit weapons of mass destruction. End sanctions and to immediately deliver humanitarian support to the displaced and…needy Iraqi citizens. Help the Iraqi people create conditions for a transition to a representative self-government.

Beginning of OIF Preparatory steps began in late 2002 when no-fly patrols began to suppress Iraqi air defenses 19 March, G-day: Intel reports indicated the location of Saddam Hussein and his sons Attacked using cruise missiles & stealth aircraft All forces not in place when operation began US and British ground forces invaded with little air bombardment preparation

Size & Nature of Air Component
United States had more than 1,000 aircraft in theater as war began; 1,663 fixed-wing aircraft used at peak of fighting Combination of sortie generation numbers & sortie quality allowed coalition to generate 41,404 sorties against an Iraqi Air Force that generated NONE

Size & Nature of Air Component: Sortie Totals
AIRCRAFT TYPE USAF USMC USN USA BRITISH AUSTRALIAN Fighters 8,828 3,794 5,568 - 302 Bombers 505 C2 432 75 442 112 ISR 452 305 357 269 273 Spec Ops/Rescue 191 Tankers 6,193 454 2,058 359 Airlift 7,413 263 Other 182 320 520 1 Total 24,196 4,948 8,945 2,841 565

Size & Nature of Air Component
Key missions for the coalition air forces Neutralize the ability of the Iraqi government to command its forces Establish control of the airspace over Iraq Provide air support for special ops forces & Army and Marine forces that would advance toward Baghdad Neutralize Iraq’s forces of surface-to-surface missiles and suspected caches of biological weapons

Airpower’s Distinctive Contributions
Role of the Reserve Component Guard and Reserve forces played extensive role in OIF Made up 9.5% of US troops Total number of reserves called up by late April 2003: Nearly 224,000 Air National Guard deployed aircraft and AF Reserve sent 70

Value of Expeditionary Airpower Expeditionary Combat Support (ECS) critical 46K sorties w/98% maintenance effectiveness rate Issued more than 1M gallons of jet fuel Delivered 21.5M pounds of ammunition Served 111K hot meals/day; positioned 2.7M MREs Positioned 91K chemical warfare suits

Intelligence Strength US space and intel assets to study and target Iraq for more than 12 yrs ISR assets and data 80 aircraft dedicated to ISR mission Collected 3,200 hrs of streaming video, 2,400 hrs of signal intel, and 42,000 battlefield images

Intelligence Weaknesses
All the prewar and war efforts still left major gaps Lack of experts and analysts Difficulty in determining activities within buildings Mistargeting and overtargeting of facilities Poor casualty and BDA assessment processes

Intelligence Weaknesses
Controversial intel problems related to WMD US and British gov’ts had poor understanding of Iraqi WMD threat Analysis problems linked to collection problems Tendency to focus on worst-case scenario Intel focused more on arms control than war fighting Intel community avoids explicit statements—leads users to force intel process to a definite conclusion or make personal estimates

Urban Close Air Support Key player in defeating insurgency Use of preposition air assets in “kill boxes” Attack helicopters and A-10s played key role Lower-yield weapons minimized collateral damage

Evolving Role of the Bomber Value of bombers as precision strike capability Ability to hit up to 70 separate targets in 1 mission Upgraded elec. warfare capability improved survivability B-52s and B-1s delivered 2/3 of bombs dropped AEFs limited by quantity of operational B-1s

Role of E-8C JSTARS Symbol of rapidly evolving role of jointness Air dominance allowed E-8s to track Iraqi ground forces over hundreds of square miles Iraqis couldn’t hide in sand storms Highly valued asset 1st Marine Division: “No other collection asset provided the wide area all weather coverage…that the JSTARS did!”

Effects-Based Bombing Involves selective use of precision airpower to strike targets to produce effects rather than simply maximize physical damage More efficient and effective use of resources Use less weapons and strike less targets Ease concerns for collateral damage and civilian casualties Made possible by improvements in precision weapons Even near misses have psychological impact

Effects-Based Bombing (cont) Limits to effect-based bombing Accuracy based on assumption of perfect targeting, launch, and weapon function—rarely happens Battle damage assessment limitations Air Force & Army differences over strike planning Iraqis efforts to counter our efforts Carried out efforts where satellite coverage was limited Predicted limits of US sources and methods based on intel received from United States during Iran-Iraq War

Operation NEW DAWN Historic milestone: 1 Sep 10
End of formal US military combat ops and beginning of stability ops Emphasis shifted from predominantly military to predominantly civilian Made possible by increased Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) capabilities Primary mission of US forces Advising, assisting, and training ISF Conducting partnered counterterrorism ops Provide support to provincial reconstruction teams and civilian partners

Military Lessons Learned
CAOC-CENTCOM tension Rules of Engagement (ROE) constraints Trend towards centralized execution

CAOC-CENTCOM Tension Caused by CENTCOM’s decision to plan and conduct OEF the same as OSW CENTCOM controlled day-to-day operations Worsened by divide between CENTCOM Army culture & CAOC AF culture Lack of appreciation for what modern airpower could accomplish

Rules-of-Engagement Constraints Rumsfeld retained final approval authority over attacks on all “sensitive” targets Infrastructure Targets associated w/Taliban leadership Attacks on mosques were banned Any target that could cause collateral damage had to be approved by either CENTCOM or Washington Selection of weapons systems, fuse settings & target-attack tactics more destructive than necessary

Trend Toward Centralized Execution Technology enabled direct senior leadership involvement in finest details of force employment Centralized control often lengthened kill chain Unity of Effort & Prompt Execution “Decentralized approaches provide competitive adaptability and tempo advantages” Requires trust

GWOT: A LONG WAR “You will be asked for your patience; for, the conflict will not be short. You will be asked for resolve; for, the conflict will not be easy. You will be asked for your strength, because the course to victory may be long.” - President Bush, 2001 “We are locked in a war against a global extremist network that is fixed on defeating the United States and destroying our way of life. This foe will not go away nor will they give up easily, and the next decade will likely be one of persistent conflict. We are engaged in a long war.” - General George W. Casey, Jr., Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army

US National Lessons Learned from GWOT
Wars in the twenty-first century will increasingly require use of all elements of national power Ability of forces to communicate and operate seamlessly on the battlefield will be critical to success in future wars Wars best fought by coalitions of the willing, but should not be fought by committee. Defending the United States requires prevention and sometimes preemption

The United States must rule out nothing in advance Victory in the GWOT requires steady pressure on the enemy, leaving them no time to rest and nowhere to hide The new and the high-tech have not totally replaced the old and conventional

The US must link military operations directly with humanitarian assistance, radio broadcasts, rewards, and other efforts American leaders must be honest with the American people

The United States must not make the mistake of believing that terrorism is the only threat of the twenty-first century. Terrorism is a deadly asymmetric threat but not the only possible one. Chinese Forces on parade Iranian Uranium Conversion Facility

Now and Beyond video 2

Evolution of Airpower So, what have we learned?
What were significant airpower achievements and changes during this period? What was the impact of these achievements and changes?

Terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 Operation ANACONDA
Key People President George Bush TACPs Donald Rumsfield Key Events Terrorist attacks on September 2001 Operation ANACONDA Operation NEW DAWN Humanitarian effort Key Weapons RPAs, Satellites F-16, A-10 B-52, B-1 C-17 Key Doctrinal Emphasis Doctrine of Preemption Urban Close Air Support Trend toward centralized execution

Summary The Global War on Terror Background
Launching the War on Terror Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF) Objectives of OEF Airpower’s Distinctive Contributions Operation Anaconda Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF) Objectives of OIF Operation NEW DAWN (OND) Military Lessons Learned Evolution of Airpower Expeditionary Medal Service Medal 2

Final Thoughts Final thoughts for you as future Air Force leaders
Even with the death of Osama bin Laden, the GWOT is still very much a current event and a conflict we must win How long will it take? How vigilant do we need to be? Are you ready?

Air Power in the 21st Century

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