XBradTC

By

XBradTC

·

Air Force Pilots Say They Have No ISIS Targets to Bomb – The Daily Beast

Within the U.S. Air Force, there’s mounting frustration that the air campaign against ISIS in Syria and Iraq is moving far more slowly than expected. Instead of a fast-moving operation with hundreds of sorties flown in a single day—the kind favored by many in the air service—American warplanes are hitting small numbers of targets after…

Within the U.S. Air Force, there’s mounting frustration that the air campaign against ISIS in Syria and Iraq is moving far more slowly than expected. Instead of a fast-moving operation with hundreds of sorties flown in a single day—the kind favored by many in the air service—American warplanes are hitting small numbers of targets after a painstaking and cumbersome process.

The single biggest problem, current and former Air Force officers say, is the so-called kill-chain of properly identifying and making sure the right target is being attacked. At the moment, that process is very complicated and painfully slow.

“The kill-chain is very convoluted,” one combat-experienced Air Force A-10 Warthog pilot told The Daily Beast. “Nobody really has the control in the tactical environment.”

via Air Force Pilots Say They Have No ISIS Targets to Bomb – The Daily Beast.

I’m starting to see speculation that after the mid-term elections, a ground combat mission might be inevitable. Right now, there’s not really anyone on either the political right or left calling for that. There’s a lot of criticism of what is being done, but no major political effort to build support for a ground mission. We’ll see if that changes. And one wonders if ISIS is keying its current push to the Baghdad metroplex to take advantage of the US current focus on domestic politics,

Tags:

  1. David Navarre

    With ISIS troops nearing Baghdad, US ground forces might have the war coming to their doorsteps at the embassy.

    Like

  2. timactual

    That’s okay. As long as their boots don’t touch the ground everything will be fine.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. timactual

    Did those AF types really expect “a fast-moving operation with hundreds of sorties flown in a single day”? What kind of opponent do they think ISIS is?

    Like

  4. NaCly Dog

    Is this another way to say we have no intel?

    Like

  5. Quartermaster

    Certainly no intelligence. It’s also quite hard to have target designation when there is no on the ground designating targets. USAF is simply thinking in Strategic terms, and ISIS has not provided that sort of target. They can’t wrap their little minds around what a tactical Air Force is supposed to do.

    Like

  6. JoshO

    Surely those poor people in Kobani could find a target for an arclight type strike or two.

    Like

  7. Esli

    The time for hundreds of sorties was months ago, before they were all told that we would eventually be coming. When they were out driving around and massed. We managed to blow that opportunity. Who is surprised now that they are difficult to find now? It was hard enough when we had everything we needed in theater. Now? Come on.

    Like

  8. SFC Dunlap (Ret.) 173d RVN

    Jeez!! Unbelievable!!!

    Like

Leave a comment