thedrifter
02-01-07, 08:51 AM
Air power to deter Iran weighed
By Julian E. Barnes
Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON — The Air Force is preparing for an expanded role in Iraq that could include tactics designed to deter Iranian assistance to Iraqi militants, according to senior Pentagon officials.
The efforts could include more air patrols by Air Force and Navy fighter planes along the Iran-Iraq border to counter the smuggling of bomb supplies from Iran, said a senior Pentagon official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Such missions also could position the Air Force to strike suspected bomb suppliers inside Iraq to deter Iranian agents who U.S. officials maintain are assisting Iraqi militias, said outside military experts.
The heightened role of U.S. air power in the region is the latest sign of rising tensions between President Bush and Iran's leaders. Bush warned two weeks ago that U.S. forces would take a harder line against Iranians in Iraq, vowing to "seek out and destroy" weapons supply networks that endanger U.S. troops.
In addition, Bush this month ordered a second aircraft carrier group, led by the Bremerton-based John C. Stennis, to the Persian Gulf, a measure described as a warning to Iran.
The White House rhetoric on Iran also is fueling concerns about administration intentions. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden, D-Del., has demanded the administration's view of its authority to attack Iran, although Bush and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have said they do not foresee any military action crossing into Iran.
Some Pentagon officials worry that an escalation of military pressure that included strikes on Iranian territory could prompt Iran to go after soft targets easily hit by its forces — such as oil tankers in the Persian Gulf.
"We need to be very careful about getting into one-to-one trades," said the senior Pentagon official. "That can very quickly get out of control."
But other military officers argue there might be no need for such strikes. It is possible that stepped-up air operations inside Iraq could provide a deterrent, they say. The Air Force's role in Iraq is also growing in connection with Bush's planned troop increase, according to a senior service official who also spoke on condition of anonymity.
Moving additional troops to Kuwait and Iraq will require more flights of soldiers and supplies. And the increased number of ground forces will require more missions by fighter jets, bombers and intelligence-gathering planes to help protect the soldiers and Marines, particularly when they disperse from bigger bases to smaller footholds in dense Baghdad neighborhoods.
In Afghanistan, the United States has dramatically stepped up the number of airstrikes it has conducted, from 157 in 2005 to 2,527 in the first 11 months of 2006. By contrast, the number of strikes in Iraq has been falling, from 306 in 2005 to 188 last year.
A counterinsurgency manual developed by Gen. David Petraeus, the new U.S. commander in Iraq, mentions air power in fighting an insurgency only in a short annex. And the commander of day-to-day operations, Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, comes from a background in heavy infantry units, traditionally less dependent on air power. Some military officers have argued that dropping bombs in dense Baghdad neighborhoods would be counterproductive, and Petraeus has warned commanders against operations that might alienate the local population.
Lt. Gen. Howie Chandler, the deputy Air Force chief of staff for operations, plans and requirements, and other Air Force officials argue that smaller bombs and precision guidance can minimize civilian casualties.
"I wouldn't automatically write off air power in an urban environment for fear of collateral damage," Chandler said. "We have the capability with precision targeting and the new weapons to operate in an urban environment."
Air Force officials say they also are preparing to increase flights of unmanned Predator and Global Hawk aircraft to provide constant surveillance of Baghdad neighborhoods when U.S. forces move in. The Air Force has outfitted its fighter planes with intelligence pods capable of beaming an aerial picture of a neighborhood to a ground commander maneuvering his forces, Chandler said.
The growing presence of the Air Force in the region has stirred a debate among military experts over the U.S. approach toward Iran. Thomas G. McInerney, a retired Air Force lieutenant general who advocates military strikes within Iran, said U.S. planes along the border could be better used to keep bomb-making materials out of Iraq.
"We know they are doing this. Why do we accept it?" McInerney said. "For every IED (improvised explosive device) that goes off in Iraq, a bomb should go off in Iran."
Loren Thompson, a military analyst at the Lexington Institute, said many military targets in Iran are susceptible to Air Force weaponry. "Iran is precisely the type of enemy they know how to deal with," Thompson said.
Ellie
By Julian E. Barnes
Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON — The Air Force is preparing for an expanded role in Iraq that could include tactics designed to deter Iranian assistance to Iraqi militants, according to senior Pentagon officials.
The efforts could include more air patrols by Air Force and Navy fighter planes along the Iran-Iraq border to counter the smuggling of bomb supplies from Iran, said a senior Pentagon official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Such missions also could position the Air Force to strike suspected bomb suppliers inside Iraq to deter Iranian agents who U.S. officials maintain are assisting Iraqi militias, said outside military experts.
The heightened role of U.S. air power in the region is the latest sign of rising tensions between President Bush and Iran's leaders. Bush warned two weeks ago that U.S. forces would take a harder line against Iranians in Iraq, vowing to "seek out and destroy" weapons supply networks that endanger U.S. troops.
In addition, Bush this month ordered a second aircraft carrier group, led by the Bremerton-based John C. Stennis, to the Persian Gulf, a measure described as a warning to Iran.
The White House rhetoric on Iran also is fueling concerns about administration intentions. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden, D-Del., has demanded the administration's view of its authority to attack Iran, although Bush and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have said they do not foresee any military action crossing into Iran.
Some Pentagon officials worry that an escalation of military pressure that included strikes on Iranian territory could prompt Iran to go after soft targets easily hit by its forces — such as oil tankers in the Persian Gulf.
"We need to be very careful about getting into one-to-one trades," said the senior Pentagon official. "That can very quickly get out of control."
But other military officers argue there might be no need for such strikes. It is possible that stepped-up air operations inside Iraq could provide a deterrent, they say. The Air Force's role in Iraq is also growing in connection with Bush's planned troop increase, according to a senior service official who also spoke on condition of anonymity.
Moving additional troops to Kuwait and Iraq will require more flights of soldiers and supplies. And the increased number of ground forces will require more missions by fighter jets, bombers and intelligence-gathering planes to help protect the soldiers and Marines, particularly when they disperse from bigger bases to smaller footholds in dense Baghdad neighborhoods.
In Afghanistan, the United States has dramatically stepped up the number of airstrikes it has conducted, from 157 in 2005 to 2,527 in the first 11 months of 2006. By contrast, the number of strikes in Iraq has been falling, from 306 in 2005 to 188 last year.
A counterinsurgency manual developed by Gen. David Petraeus, the new U.S. commander in Iraq, mentions air power in fighting an insurgency only in a short annex. And the commander of day-to-day operations, Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, comes from a background in heavy infantry units, traditionally less dependent on air power. Some military officers have argued that dropping bombs in dense Baghdad neighborhoods would be counterproductive, and Petraeus has warned commanders against operations that might alienate the local population.
Lt. Gen. Howie Chandler, the deputy Air Force chief of staff for operations, plans and requirements, and other Air Force officials argue that smaller bombs and precision guidance can minimize civilian casualties.
"I wouldn't automatically write off air power in an urban environment for fear of collateral damage," Chandler said. "We have the capability with precision targeting and the new weapons to operate in an urban environment."
Air Force officials say they also are preparing to increase flights of unmanned Predator and Global Hawk aircraft to provide constant surveillance of Baghdad neighborhoods when U.S. forces move in. The Air Force has outfitted its fighter planes with intelligence pods capable of beaming an aerial picture of a neighborhood to a ground commander maneuvering his forces, Chandler said.
The growing presence of the Air Force in the region has stirred a debate among military experts over the U.S. approach toward Iran. Thomas G. McInerney, a retired Air Force lieutenant general who advocates military strikes within Iran, said U.S. planes along the border could be better used to keep bomb-making materials out of Iraq.
"We know they are doing this. Why do we accept it?" McInerney said. "For every IED (improvised explosive device) that goes off in Iraq, a bomb should go off in Iran."
Loren Thompson, a military analyst at the Lexington Institute, said many military targets in Iran are susceptible to Air Force weaponry. "Iran is precisely the type of enemy they know how to deal with," Thompson said.
Ellie