-Caveat Lector-
September 13, 1999
Air Force search-and-rescue operations called 'broken'
By Rowan Scarborough
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The recovery of an F-117 pilot shot down inside Serbia showed
that Air Force search-and-rescue operations are "broken,"
according to an internal document that states it took too long to
locate the downed flier.
The document also states that "air tasking orders" to pilots
may have been compromised during the 79-day Operation Allied
Force. This may explain how Serbia was able to empty some
government buildings hours before they were bombed by NATO
warplanes.
Air Force sources said the service has underfunded combat
search-and-rescue units in recent years as the overall defense
budget was stretched thin to cover overseas deployments.
The source said mission-capable rates have dropped for the
specially equipped HH-60 Blackhawk helicopters. Units need more
sophisticated electronics to home in on signals sent by a downed
pilot, he said.
The document listing the problem, a copy of which was
obtained by The Washington Times, is a compilation of notes taken
by an officer at a two-day Air Force brainstorming session held
Aug. 13 and 14 at the Pentagon.
The session was a kickoff for an Air Force "lessons learned"
study of the air war over Serbia. It will be incorporated into a
larger report submitted this month to Defense Secretary William
S. Cohen.
An Air Force spokesman confirmed the notes came from the
two-day session, but said they did not necessarily reflect the
service's final conclusions.
The March 27 rescue of the F-117 stealth fighter pilot was
one of the war's most dramatic moments. The plane -- one of only
two allied jets shot down during the war -- was hit shortly after
the flier released two laser-guided bombs on an air-defense site
southwest of Belgrade.
As the Pentagon and NATO clamped a news blackout,
search-and-rescue helicopters and fixed-wing fighters conducted a
furious search. An Air Force source said the team had to
disengage, refuel and penetrate Serbian air space a second time.
The SAR (search-and-rescue) team finally located and airlifted
the pilot as Serbian ground troops moved near.
The internal Air Force notes say of the incident, "Combat
Search and Rescue is broken in the [Air Force]. . . . Too slow in
picking up the F-117 pilot. The A-10 guys were heroic. [Air Force
European command] has no rescue forces of its own."
Two Air Force sources, who asked not to be named, tied the
problems to funding.
"Everything is underfunded," said one source. "This
administration has been on a procurement holiday and the
readiness dollars are way down. They have underfunded the
Department of Defense, the forces."
The document also says that orders to pilots "may have been
compromised," but does not say how Belgrade was tipped off.
"[Air Tasking Order] was complex and difficult," the notes
say. "Became more of an administrative task than of commanding
air power. Distribution was a problem. Security also a problem."
An Air Force source said planners believe the information
was leaked to Belgrade once it reached NATO headquarters in
Belgium and was distributed to allies for target approval.
"Because much of the information on a tasking order in one
form or another wound up in Belgium there's a high probability it
was compromised in non-secure conversations at NATO," the source
said. "Everybody was worried sick about that. Some of the
facilities they attacked, everything was moved out of them.
That's not a coincidence."
The Kosovo operation, which the Air Force has dubbed Air War
Over Serbia, amounted to a full theater war and exceeded the
percentage of Air Force assets used in Vietnam or the 1991
Persian Gulf war, according to the document.
The Air Force played a dominant role, deploying more than
700 planes and accounting for most of some 34,000 sorties.
The Air Force brainstormers praised the performance of key
Air Force weapons systems, such as the $2 billion B-2 stealth
bomber. The Joint Direct Attack Munition -- a satellite-guided
bomb impervious to poor weather -- was also lauded. The B-2
Spirit dropped over 600 JDAMs.
=================================================================
Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
*Mike Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
~~~~~~~~ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day.
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