The Global War on Terrorism

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Air and Space Power Today

• The Global War on Terrorism

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Almost every captain in the Air Force who flies
airplanes has combat experience virtually every
engineer, security forces troop and medic in the
Air Force has deployedThis is a veteran,
hardened combat forceThey have been shot at.
They know what its like. When we go, wherever we
go, were going to be at the peak of our game.
Gen. John P. Jumper CSAF, 2001 - 2005
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Overview

• The Global War on Terror
• Background
• Launching a War on Terrorism
• The Military Campaign
• Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF)
• OEF Emerging Lessons Learned
• Operation IRAQI FREEDOM
• Background
• The Military Campaign
• OIF Emerging Lessons Learned
• USAF GWOT Lessons Learned
• US National Lessons Learned from GWOT
• CFD Review

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The Global War on Terror Background
OEF marked the beginning of a broader US and
international global war on terrorism, but our
enemies actually declared war on us through acts
and words years earlier.
Sheik Rahman
Osama bin Laden
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The Global War on Terror Background
The 1983 suicide bomb attack against US Marines
in Lebanon was our first introduction to this
war220 Marines were killed in the attack. The
first World Trade Center bombing in Feb 1993
killed six and injured over 1,000 people.
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The Global War on Terror Background

• In 1996, Osama bin Laden issued his fatwa a
  Declaration of War Against the Americans
  Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places.

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The Global War on Terror Background

• In 1996, the USAF facility at Khobar Towers was
  attacked with a truck bomb. That attack killed
  19 USAF Airmen.

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The Global War on Terror Background

• US Embassy bombings in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar el
  Salaam, Tanzania, in 1998
• US retaliated withstrikes against Sudanand
  Afghanistan
• USS Cole attackedin Yemen, killing 17 Americans

US Embassy Nairobi
Damaged USS Cole
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The Global War on Terror Background

• September 11, 2001 attack launched on the US
  using airliners as piloted missiles to kill
  Americans
• Two airliners crashed into the World Trade Center
  twin towers (3,000 dead, towers destroyed).
• Third airliner crashed into the Pentagon
• Fourth airliner crashed into a field in western
  PA

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The Global War on Terror Background

• Attacks on September 11, 2001 motivated the
  United States to initiate the Global War on
  Terrorism
• The first battle zone Afghanistan and the
  Taliban

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Launching The War on Terror

• US announces two-pronged approach
• Go after the terrorists
• Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it
  does not end there. It will not end until every
  terrorist group of global reach has been found,
  stopped, and defeated.
• Go after their supporters
• Every nation, in every region, now has a
  decision to make. From this day forward, any
  nation that continues to harbor or support
  terrorism will be regarded by the United States
  as a hostile regime.

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Launching The War on Terror

• Department of Homeland Security is established
• American diplomats forge different coalitions of
  nations willing to engage in the war on terrorism
  in a variety of ways
• Law enforcement agencies, at home and abroad,
  work around the clock to uproot terror networks
  and disrupt potential attacks

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Launching The War on Terror

• Financial regulators and law enforcement combine
  forces to deprive terrorists of sources of
  financial support
• Reserves and the National Guard patrol US skies
  and bolster the security of airports and other
  public places
• US intelligence community redoubles efforts to
  gain needed intelligence and prepare for a series
  of covert actions

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Launching The War on Terror

• Global Perspective
• Broader than just Afghanistan
• The Philippines
• Bosnia
• Africa
• Introduction of Doctrine of Preemption

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OEF Military Operations

• US began military operations in Afghanistan on 7
  Oct 2001
• US air assets achieved air superiority within 3
  days
• Taliban government fell within two months

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OEF Military Operations

• US Objectives for OEF
• Make clear to the Taliban leaders and their
  supporters that harboring terrorists is
  unacceptable and carried a price
• Acquire intelligence to facilitate future
  operations against al Qaeda and the Taliban
  regime that harbored the terrorists
• Develop relationships with groups in Afghanistan
  that oppose the Taliban regime and the foreign
  terrorists that they support

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OEF Military Operations

• US Objectives for OEF (contd)
• Make it increasingly difficult for terrorists to
  use Afghanistan freely as a base of operation
• Alter the military balance over time by denying
  the Taliban the offensive systems that hamper the
  progress of the various opposition forces
• Provide humanitarian relief to Afghans suffering
  truly oppressive living conditions under the
  Taliban regime

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OEF Military Operations

• A new style of warfare
• Special Operations Forces anti-Taliban Afghani
  forces long-range airpower
• ISR assets provided US forces with persistent
  surveillance
• Special Op Forces provided indispensable HUMINT
  while manned and unmanned surveillance aircraft
  patrolled the skies
• Radar systems, electro-optical and infrared
  cameras, and signals intelligence systems guided
  attacks against al Qaeda and Taliban targets

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Air and Space Power and OEF

• Strategic Attack Targets
• Taliban headquarters and leadership
• Al Qaeda training camps
• Electrical power systems
• Counterair Targets
• Airfields
• Air defense nodes
• Communication nodes

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Air and Space Power and OEF

• Information Operations by C-130 Commando Solo
  aircraft
• Transmitted radio broadcasts
• Assured Afghani people that coalition forces
  there to help
• Key effort to ensure support of the populace

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Air and Space Power and OEF
After approximately two weeks of bombing,
application shifted from air supremacy to
supporting surface forces. 
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Air and Space Power and OEF

• Airlift
• C-130s delivered Special Ops forcesto remote
  areas
• C-17 and C-130 airdropsresupplied them
• Special Ops Employment
• USAF Special Ops troops traversedthe backcountry
  on horseback
• Located enemy forces
• Sent recon information to command
  centers by satellite link and to loitering
  aircraft

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Air and Space Power and OEF

• Counterland Bomber aircraft like the B-52 and
  B-1 realized evolved interdiction and close air
  support (CAS) roles
• AC-130 Gunships
• F-15/16 strafing runs
• CAS was deciding factor in several later battles
  including Roberts Ridge

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Air and Space Power and OEF

• Intelligence, Surveillance, and
  ReconnaissanceRemotely piloted vehicles (RPV)
  technology saw increased employment
• Global Hawk, Predator, and Shadow RPV
• Predator drones equipped with Hellfire missiles
  and laser target designators

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Air and Space Power and OEF
Airpower used across the entire spectrum, in
conjunction with ground forces, enabled the
Taliban to be removed from power and forced al
Qaeda to flee.
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OEF Lessons Learned

• Lessons about warfare in the new age
• The potential of highly networked joint
  operations
• The lethality of Special Ops forces on the ground
  when combined with sophisticated overhead
  reconnaissance systems
• Modern communications systems dramatically
  shortened the kill chain time

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OEF Lessons Learned

• Joint and Combined Operations Technology worked
  well
• Combined forces interaction with Afghani
  forces was positive
• Joint Command structure took too long to
  establish
• Once established, Command and Control
  (net-centric warfare) was highly successful

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OEF Lessons Learned

• RPV capability to operate and provide real time
  intel in any weather was a plus
• New ordinance developed specifically for
  Afghanistan worked well
• Strategic Airlift and Air Refueling worked
  exceptionally well but were stretched too thin
• ISR in all aspects worked well, but more
  bandwidth was needed for communications
• HUMINT was very weak

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OEF Lessons Learned

• Strategic airlift, supported by Air Refueling,
  enabled the United States to conduct
  expeditionary operations in the most remote areas
  of the world
• More intratheater airlift was needed
• Aircraft range and endurance capabilities
  improved to ease the strain on limited
  refueling assets and crews
• Advances in ISR and communications technology
  afforded the US military the capability to link
  ground and air forces to ISR information

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OEF Lessons Learned

• The combination of technologies and advancements
  applied in OEF provided unprecedented C4ISR
  capabilities
• Integrated Common Operating Picture enabled
  commanders to view battlefield developments and
  direct operations from 7,000 miles away
• Advancements in communications networks improved
  interoperability between the services by allowing
  information sharing
• Additionally, increased bandwidth required to
  reduce sensor to shooter time

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Video
Operation Anaconda The Battle of Roberts Ridge
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OIF Background

• After major combat operations in Afghanistan
  ended, the US shifted focus to Saddam Husseins
  regime
• UN Resolution 687 codified Cease Fire Agreement
  for the Gulf War
• Iraq was testing and breaking these agreements

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OIF Background

• Paragraph 8 stated that Iraq must
  unconditionally accept the destruction,
  removal, or rendering harmless, under
  international supervision of
• All chemical/biological weapons
• All ballistic missiles with range greater than
  150 km

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OIF Background

• Paragraph 12 addressed nuclear capabilities,
  stating that Iraq must agree not to acquire or
  develop nuclear weapons or nuclear weapon-usable
  material
• Paragraph 32, with regards to terrorism, stated
  that Iraq will not commit or support any act
  of international
  terrorism

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OIF Background

• 12 Sept 2002 President Bush addressed the UN
  General Assembly to highlight observed violations
  and attempt to gather further international
  support for action against Iraq
• 16 Oct 2002 President Bush signed the Iraq War
  Resolution  
• 8 Nov 2002 The UN Security Council passed
  Resolution 1441

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OIF Background

• Dr. Blix (chief UN investigator) reported
  non-cooperation to the UN Security Council
  multiple times
• In February 2003, Secretary Powell addressed the
  UN Security Council

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OIF Background

• 16 Mar 2003 President Bush demanded senior
  leaders leave Iraq within 48 hours
• 19 Mar 2003 President Bush addressed the nation
  stating that military operations had begun in
  Iraq

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OIF Campaign

• OIF Air Campaign Operations NORTHERN WATCH and
  SOUTHERN WATCH
• Not a single Iraqi Combat Sortie during OIF

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OIF Campaign

• ISR Of the 1,801 aircraft used during OIF, 80
  aircraft were dedicated to the ISR mission
• 1,000 ISR sorties collected
• 3,200 hours of streaming video
• 2,400 hours of SIGINT
• 42,000 battlefield images
• ISR managed from the CAOC located at PSAB under
  the command of the CFACC, Lt Gen Moseley

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OIF Campaign

• Strategic Attack On 5 Apr 2003, coalition
  forces attacked General Ali Hassan Majids
  (Chemical Ali) home 
• 7 Apr 2003 Strategic Attack operations
  continued as US planes attacked a building,
  targeting Saddam and sons

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OIF Timeline

• Counterair 21 Mar 2003, Special Ops Forces took
  control of two airfields
• Numerous Counterair and Interdiction missions
  were conducted throughout OIF  

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OIF Timeline

• Counterland
• 24 Mar 2003 B-52 aircraft interdict Republican
  Guard positions South of Baghdad
• CounterlandHistorical Perspective
• Battle of the Bulge
• Battle of Baghdad

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OIF Timeline

• Counterspace
• SCA
• OIF Roles
• Weather
• ISR
• GPS

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OIF Timeline

• Airlift/Refueling 24,196 sorties during initial
  phase of OIF
• 6,193 refueling sorties
• 376.4 million pounds of fuel
• OIF/OEF airlift one of the most extensive in
  history
• Airlift Shortfall Issues
• Short 10 million ton miles per day

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OIF Lessons Learned

• Joint Operations have matured
• Conventional forces/ Special Ops forces
  integrated well
• Precision munitions continued to improve

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OIF Lessons Learned

• Areas for improvement
• Fratricide prevention and combat identification
  systems
• Cumbersome deployment planning and execution
  processes
• Information sharing at all levels
• More bandwidth
• HUMINT capabilities to meet new GWOT challenges

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USAF GWOT Lessons Learned

• USAF strategic planners must develop new concepts
  of deterrence to counter a wide range of
  non-traditional adversaries and asymmetric
  threats
• New technologies are now widely available to
  potential adversaries
• USAF is first line of homeland defense
• USAF should continue to refine its expeditionary
  culture and strategic agility

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USAF GWOT Lessons Learned

• Joint, allied, and coalition operations require
  precise real-time command and control
• USAF must achieve decision cycle dominance to
  strike adversaries before they can mount an
  effective defense
• Demand for precision in warfare will increase
• USAF will require robust, effects-based
  information operations capabilities that can
  deny, manipulate, or significantly degrade
  adversary C4ISR

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US National Lessons Learned from GWOT

• Wars in the twenty-first century will
  increasingly require use of all elements of
  national power
• Ability of forces to communicate and operate
  seamlessly on the battlefield will be critical to
  success in future wars
• Wars best fought by coalitions of the willing,
  but should not be fought by committee.
• Defending the United States requires prevention
  and sometimes preemption

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US National Lessons Learned from GWOT

• The US must rule out nothing in advance
• Victory in the GWOT requires steady pressure on
  the enemy, leaving them no time to rest and
  nowhere to hide
• The new and the high-tech have not totally
  replaced the old and conventional

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US National Lessons Learned from GWOT

• The US must link military operations directly
  with humanitarian assistance, radio broadcasts,
  rewards, and other efforts
• American leaders must be honest with the American
  people

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US National Lessons Learned from GWOT
The United States must not make the mistake of
believing that terrorism is the only threat of
the twenty-first century. Terrorism is a deadly
asymmetric threat but not the only possible one.
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Review of CFD Model

• Distinctive Capabilities Air and space
  expertise, capabilities, and technological
  know-how that produces superior military
  capabilities
• Functions Broad, fundamental, and continuing
  activities of air and space power
• Doctrine Fundamental principles that guide the
  actions of military forces in support of national
  objectives

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Review of CFD Model
Time Period Distinctive Capabilities Functions (missions) Doctrinal Emphasis
GWOT Global Attack Agile Combat Support Precision Engagement Rapid Global Mobility Air/Space Superiority Information Superiority Strategic Attack, Counterair, Counterspace, Counterland, Countersea, Information Ops, Combat Support, Command and Control, Airlift, Air Refueling, Spacelift, Special Ops, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Combat Search and Rescue, Navigation and Positioning, Weather Services CONOPS Homeland Security Space, C4, ISR Global Mobility Global Strike Global Persistent Attack Nuclear Response Agile Combat Support
Air Force 2025 The Future Air Force 2025 (Students will fill in this area.)
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Now and Beyond video
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Summary

• The Global War on Terror
• Background
• Launching a War on Terrorism
• The Military Campaign
• Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF)
• OEF Emerging Lessons Learned
• Operation IRAQI FREEDOM
• Background
• The Military Campaign
• OIF Emerging Lessons Learned
• USAF GWOT Lessons Learned
• US National Lessons Learned from GWOT
• CFD Review

Expeditionary Medal
Service Medal
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Final Thoughts

• Final thoughts for you as future Air Force
  leaders
• The GWOT is still very much a current event and a
  conflict we must win
• How long will it take?
• How vigilant do we need to be?
• Are you ready?