« White House David Axelrod e-Mails Illegal | Main | In Country With Our Troops ~ Afghanistan »
August 15, 2009
Obama Wants Air Force To BUZZ Taliban Before Bombing in Afghanistan
The A-10 is literally built around its 30-mm GE GAU-8 Avenger seven barrel cannon, the most powerful gun ever fitted to an aircraft of this class. It was designed for high-survivability with a titanium cover surrounding both the cockpit, ammunition and fuel tank. Placement of the engines decreases the infrared signature lowering it's vulnerablity to heatseeking missiles and ground fire.
Air Force may buzz before bombing in Afghanistan
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C.
The Air Force general in charge of the air war in Afghanistan says a new strategy means warplanes in some cases may be buzzing rather than bombing some insurgents.
Lt. Gen. Gilmary Hostage said Thursday that his job is to support the strategy of winning Afghan support as formulated by the new U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal. As part of that, McChrystal imposed restrictions on air power to limit civilian casualties.
Hostage told reporters at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina his forces can easily drop bombs with pinpoint accuracy.
But the three-star general said that at times, it may be better to fly low over enemy forces and disperse them with noisy warplanes that threaten with firepower but don't immediately unleash it.
The first thing we do is fly over head, and the bad guys know airpower is in place and oftentimes that's enough. That ends the fight, they vamoose," said Hostage, who will direct the air battle over Iraq and Afghanistan.
"The A-10 has a very distinct sound. The cannon on an A-10 is horrifically capable and our adversaries know it. When they hear the sound of an A-10, they scatter."
Hostage says the Air Force can easily drop bombs with pinpoint accuracy. But in some cases, it may be better to fly over enemy forces with noisy warplanes to get them to disperse first, then try more force if that doesn't work.
Hostage said he supports the new U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who is shifting the philosophy toward irregular warfare.
"The challenge with irregular warfare is to empower and enable the people to the point where they don't allow the adversary to hide in amongst them," Hostage said. "It really is a long-term effort."
Hostage said McChrystal has told his forces, "If you are in a situation where there's a civilian at risk, he'd rather have us back away than pressing to engage the enemy and run the risk of damaging or hurting somebody."
.
Wild Thing's comment......
“Lt. Gen. Gilmary Hostage”
Tell me that this is a joke. General Hostage is not interested in killing the enemy?
I will not believe these orders are directly from McChrystal. They come directly from Obama himself.
Next up, Marines will be ordered to fire 'warning' shots before firing on suspected Taliban. Embedded lawyers will ensure compliance. Soldiers shouting “BANG BANG” at terrorists. Plumbing new depths of stupidity every day since 1/20/09. Good Lord, we train these brave young men to win wars; not to die for the worst president ever in a war he doesn’t want to fight to win!
"...fly low over enemy forces and disperse them with noisy warplanes ..."
Why would you want to "disperse" people you presumably would want to kill?
Why is this President so insistent in having America give up it's single greatest tactical advantage - air dominance?
If soldiers get the idea that you care more about the enemy than you do the mission or the lives of the soldiers themselves, you may suddenly have problems staffing this mission.
Why don’t we just send the Thunderbirds and get them to like us through a display of our precision flying.
Hey, maybe the flyby will give the enemy the opportunity to calibrate their shoulder luanched missiles.
Hey Abdul, the Air Force just buzzed us as a warning! Get the SA-7’s out of the hut!
Are they channeling Robert McNamara? Here it comes, Vietnam stage two. Remember LBJ and McNamara in the Oval office picking bombing targets off a map? By the time the order got to the pilots, the bad guys had moved down the trail. That’s what happens when politicians run a war.
If we did this in WW2 we would all be speaking German or Japanese.
Whatever happened to the “Kill them all and let God sort them out” I like that one much better.
DAMN Obama!
......Thank you RAC for sending this to me.
RAC has a website that is awesome. 336th Assault Helicopter Company
13th Combat Aviation Battalion - 1st Aviation Brigade - Soc Trang, Republic of Vietnam
Posted by Wild Thing at August 15, 2009 10:50 AM
Comments
I am leery of Gen McChrystal. He is also the one who issued orders to not fire if civilians may be present. I have read articles by several officers who served under McChrystal. They did not like his command style.
McCrystal is a Special Forces branch officer. We will see how he runs Afghanistan. He should know all about guerilla warfare, but he may be shooting for promotion rather than shooting Taliban.
Posted by: TomR at August 15, 2009 11:45 AM
These guys are dumber than a sack of cat shit. Why Blowbama is thinking he can win in Afghanistan shows how totally delusional he is. The new Afrikas POTUS needs to be in a straight jacket at the Psych Ward @ Rykers Island on a Thoprazine drip. SCREW HIM!
Posted by: cuchieddie(former Army Infantry) at August 15, 2009 11:47 AM
Obama is insane and this General is a stupid freaking sky jockey who has obviously never faced the real enemy face to face as he doesn't understand we don't WANT TO DISPERSE THEM, we want TO KILL THE BASTARDS!
Obama is already far worse than Carter or Clinton.
He's a muslim mole sent here to destroy our nation
Posted by: Billy Ray at August 15, 2009 01:25 PM
If I were a NATO ally, I would be worried about this policy. Hitler tried to run the military too. Didn't work out too good for him. WT, it is reminiscent of LBJ. BHO must have sat in class with an LBJ worshipping prof. LBJ good, Nixon bad. I'm still in favor of the Jimbo plan. Construct a large hog pen and feed them Taliban and Al Queda corpses. Make sure the spectacle is open to the populace.
Posted by: Jim at August 15, 2009 02:06 PM
I agree with all of the above. I feel like I have been transported to the land of OZ or perhaps am in Alice's Wonderland. Up is down and in is out.
Posted by: Bob A at August 15, 2009 02:45 PM
Buzz them what the f--k is wrong with these people. We got troops there, there lives depend on the decisions made by these supposed leaders. they are f-ckin screwy. The taliban is not stupid. They are going to get the idea we don't want to win and that will cost lives.
If this leftist bastard won't fight these people, just pull the troops out there is no point spilling American Blood when the purpose is not to win.
They are wasting American men for nothing. God, I hate that son of a bitch. Lousy commie rat bastard.
Posted by: Mark at August 15, 2009 07:48 PM
Fine, let's load Osamabama, Michele and the two kids in the lead bird and fly them low and slow over the Taliban, spare that dog as he's innocent.
As for that General, McChrystal, I have the same apprehensions as Tom does, it is becoming clearer that he's a puppet and should be in the CONUS instead of the field. Dammit, it's LBJ all over again, that phony Mr. Silver Star himself surrounded himself with the idiots of pacification just like Obama has. LBJ had Robert McNamara, Clark Clifford, Ramsey Clark with Westmoreland to suck us in deeper with chickenshit rules of engagement. From the Civil war to today, war is not a goddam sideshow nor does it play by the The Marquess of Queensberry rules, even that Mau Mau we have in the white house should know this. Mark is right, let's pull all our troops out all around the world, it's time to let the rest of those propped up shitholes defend their own interests, including that 99.5% of gutless, spineless Americans who never have and never will serve to defend ourselves!!!
Posted by: Jack at August 15, 2009 08:08 PM
WOW!! That's great strategy! We'll buzz them so they'll disperse and come back to fight another day. I'm sure our ground forces are thrilled to death that the AF will now be only scaring them off. Gee, maybe next they'll get B-52's to fly low level passes before ascending to altitude to drop their bomb loads. Shoot, let's make the B-2 visible to radar so they'll know they're on the way. General Patton is probably rolling in his grave.
Posted by: BobF at August 15, 2009 08:11 PM
Damn, we have to fire warning shots first too?
Posted by: Anonymous at August 15, 2009 08:19 PM
Tom, I feel the same way. There have been
Generals that disagreed big time with the
CIC and let it be known, we hear nothing
from Gen McChrystal.
Posted by: Wild Thing at August 15, 2009 11:01 PM
cuchieddie(former Army Infantry), I am so
close to emailing Obama and letting him
know what I think of him. He could care
less but it sure would feel good. He is
messing with the lives or our troops and
oh man my blood runs cold very cold when
I think of him.
Posted by: Wild Thing at August 15, 2009 11:04 PM
Billy Ray, Ditto that!
"He's a muslim mole sent here to destroy our nation"
Posted by: Wild Thing at August 15, 2009 11:06 PM
Jim, I love that idea.
"Construct a large hog pen and feed them Taliban and Al Queda corpses."
You want some of this Taliban and Al Queda?
Posted by: Wild Thing at August 15, 2009 11:09 PM
Bob A., yes it is crazy and all upside down.
Posted by: Wild Thing at August 15, 2009 11:11 PM
Mark, every decision the freak-O has made
as CIC has been one that gets more of our
troops killed.
I agree, to every word you said.
Posted by: Wild Thing at August 15, 2009 11:18 PM
Jack, YESsssssssssssssssss
Posted by: Wild Thing at August 15, 2009 11:22 PM
BobF.,I bet he is too.
"General Patton is probably rolling in his grave."
Posted by: Wild Thing at August 15, 2009 11:23 PM
Anonymous, yes this is totally insane.
Posted by: Wild Thing at August 15, 2009 11:24 PM
