Posted on 08/13/2002 9:02:59 PM PDT by grimalkin
Aug 13, 2002 (Defense Daily/PBI Media via COMTEX) -- Special Operations Forces (SOF) and Air Force enlisted tactical air controllers on the ground greatly aided reconnaissance and targeting and provided immediate battle damage and operational assessments of enemy Al-Qaeda fighters during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan, an Air Force official told Defense Daily in an interview yesterday.
"'Eyes on the ground' did the following: First and foremost, it demonstrated resolve and provided unique capabilities on the ground, such as strategic reconnaissance, direct attack, as well as support to the unconventional warfight," said Col. Fred Wieners, director of Task Force Enduring Look. "Second, clearly bombing accuracy and effectiveness was enhanced. We understand that 'ground-aided precision strike' works. Having 'eyes on the ground' also allowed us to satisfy the rules of engagement in terms of positively identifying the targets, which is tough to do if you're an aircraft with your sensors above 15,000 feet."
Such positive identification helped to minimize collateral damage, he said.
Ground forces have used advanced communications gear, laser designators to provide guidance to aircraft launched laser-guided bombs and laser range finders to calculate target coordinates. The ground troops also were able to provide other benefits, including quick Battle Damage Assessment (BDA).
"Think of the instant BDA," Wieners said. "You can tell whether or not it hit, whether it blew up. More importantly, you have an operational assessment of the effects you've achieved, in other words, 'Were those strikes enough to make those guys leave their position?' You don't have that with traditional BDA when you're looking for the craters. If you're attrition-minded, you're counting the numbers of tanks and artillery pieces and using that as the measure of merit. If you're effects-based, you're trying to see if you achieved the effect of breaking this line of forces, effects both physical and psychological. When you see forces running away and not coming back, that's a psychological effect you can only measure by having 'eyes on the ground.' "
The operational assessment also "enhances our efficiency and effectiveness," Wieners said. "You don't have to drop more bombs on that target. You don't have to put that target on the collection deck for the next satellite/UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) or other tactical/recce platforms. It's immediate. You can make your attack decisions right then yes or no."
Air Force leaders have also said that service SOF and enlisted tactical air controllers provided a key advantage during OEF in "terminal control" operations because they understand tanker operations, aircraft rotation times to those tankers, the ground situation and weapons effects.
Such awareness helped the ground controllers "cycle" various strike aircraft to targets, Wieners said.
Established by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper late last year after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Task Force Enduring Look is developing service lessons learned and after action reports for OEF and Operation Noble Eagle, the homeland protection effort that included combat air patrols over U.S. cities (Defense Daily, Apr. 8). Unlike Operation Allied Force against Serbia in 1999, OEF has seen significant participation by ground forces in aiding strike aircraft.
Former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Ryan "believed that not having people on the ground during the Air War over Serbia was a bankrupt strategy," Wieners said. Such ground forces during OEF not only aided targeting, but denied the enemy sanctuary and forced them to mass during the battle for Mazar-i-Sharif last year, a massing which simplified the targeting task, he said.
Defense Daily, Vol. 215, No. 30
By Frank Wolfe
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