by Sir Timothy Garden
Combat operations in Afghanistan are on course as the focus moves from the air to the ground war. The destruction of Taliban air defences using cruise missiles and precision guided bombs has given the American and British aircraft freedom to operate throughout the country. The offensive air campaign moved from missile sites, to command and control centres and sealing off airfields. The main Taliban military centres and the training centres for bin Laden's terrorists have been systematically attacked. Royal Air Force Canberra PR9 reconnaissance aircraft have been helping to build up the intelligence picture over the whole of the country. The arrival of the AC130 gunship this week showed how complete the US control of the air had become. This aircraft can slowly orbit over likely target areas, and bring devastating fire to bear on precise points on the ground.
Air attacks can bring pressure to bear on adversaries to make them negotiate. They can change the military balance of power, so that a ground operation becomes much easier. In every case the air campaign has to be structured to promote strategic aims. In the Gulf War, the aim was to remove the Iraqi occupation forces from Kuwait. This was a classic conventional battle for territory, where modern air weapons could make the regaining of lost territory much easier. In Bosnia, the use of very limited air strikes was only one element in a complex political and military situation. The agreement reached at Dayton, Ohio was more as a result of a combination of diplomatic effort and realities on the ground than the effect of air strikes. In Kosovo, the air campaign showed the determination of the members of the NATO alliance, but finding the appropriate sets of targets for a humanitarian war was problematic. Finally diplomacy, helped by air power, triumphed in bringing about a negotiated settlement. All of this suggests air operations in Afghanistan can only be peripheral to the overall campaign against terrorism.
The attack on the al-Qaeda training camps will delay the training of new terrorists, and it might kill those who fail to take shelter. The smartest bomb cannot seek out individuals by name. What is needed is a very fast cycle of operations between intelligence gathering, mission tasking and missile firing. This is made easier by eliminating the Taliban air defence systems to allow reconnaissance and intelligence gatherers to patrol the skies of Afghanistan. A mistake by the terrorist leadership may lead to an attack opportunity. But few airmen expect to be that lucky. Finding individuals is best done by a ground-based search party, delivered and protected by air power.
The operation has now moved into this new phase with the use of ground troops. In marked contrast to the tactics of Kosovo, helicopters are delivering specialist soldiers to key points around the country. In the North, the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance is close to the town of Mazar-I-Sharif. A small number of US soldiers have been flown in to support them. They are now able to provide forward control of US air power to help break through the Taliban defences. They are also able to provide the important communication link for supply of much needed food to the local population. A larger force of up to 200 US Army Rangers carried out the first night operation further south, near Kandahar. Dropping by parachute, the carefully co-ordinated operation required them to be picked up by helicopter. They raided a Taliban garrison and an airfield before being extracted back to safety. The targets included a command and control centre sometimes used by the Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. This sort of mission is likely to become an increasing pattern of activity as intelligence narrows down the possible location of senior members of al-Qaeda terrorist organisation and the Taliban leadership. The Rangers can also use their target designation equipment to guide precision air delivered weapons down to difficult targets, where there might be a danger of collateral damage.
As ground troops become engaged for the first time, the risk of casualties is inevitably increased. The US provides specially trained combat rescue units on stand by during such difficult operations. It was one of these rescue helicopters in Pakistan that crashed killing its two crew members, possibly when rising dust caused the pilot to lose control. Military flying remains hazardous even when the enemy is not shooting at you. We can expect more many more search and destroy operations over the coming days. The pressure for greater priority for humanitarian missions will increase as the winter weather begins to bite. This means that the US will be trying to dislodge the Taliban government as soon as possible.