August 3,
2008: The U.S. Air Force sees itself
becoming a larger player as Iraqi troops increasingly take over combat chores
from American ground forces. For example, it will be a decade or more before
Iraq can provide the kind of air support U.S. troops now get. Thus the U.S. Air
Force is planning on being in Iraq for a long time. It's not just bombers the
air force will provide, but also reconnaissance. This is another area where the
Iraqis have a lot of catching up to do. The U.S. Air Force now has all of its
fighters and bombers in Iraq carrying targeting or reconnaissance pods. Both of
these contain vidcams, with zoom, that can provide a live feed, day or night,
of whatever is going on below. The targeting pods also contain laser
designators and laser range finders, so that bombers can quickly program and
drop a smart bomb or missile.
The Iraqis
will be given access to the video feeds, and the ability to move some of the
cameras, so that they can run their own ground combat operations. U.S. ground
controllers will always handle access to smart bombs, and where they will be
dropped. But over the next few years, those controllers will more frequently be
working for Iraqi commanders. The air force will equip the controllers with
recording systems so that the orders, from the Iraqis, are on record. This is
to deal with any later investigations into why a target was ordered bombed, and
who gave the order.
All those
video feeds supplied to the Iraqis, by U.S. equipment, will also be available
to American intelligence agencies. This is a discreet way of monitoring Iraqi
progress, as well as knowing who is doing what to whom. The Iraqis are also
developing their own aerial recon capability, but it is primitive compared to
what the Americans already have. The Iraqis are already shopping around for
better stuff, along with lightweight guided missiles. The Iraqis have seen what
the Americans can do with this stuff, and they want it, and they will get it
eventually.
