[ARC5] OT The BC-659- what were they thinking?

[Robert Eleazer]

Dave:

I recall hearing that in the early days in Afghanistan, when B-52's were 
striking targets entirely based on what the local FACs on the ground as well 
as smaller USAF and USN aircraft told them to do, there were complaints that 
this mode of operation "left nothing for the Wing staffs to do."  They 
should be overjoyed that airpower is so successful that the whole rest of 
the US Miltary are serving as FACs for the USAF,  but instead they are 
focused on their own careers and "what they were trained to do."  And I can 
tell you that after 25 years on active duty in the USAF, including over 4 
years in the Pentagon, that sounds all too believable.

Wayne
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Stinson" <arc5 at ix.netcom.com>
To: "Robert Eleazer" <releazer at earthlink.net>; "Dennis DuValll" 
<w7qho at aol.com>
Cc: <arc5 at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2016 9:53 AM
Subject: Re: [ARC5] OT The BC-659- what were they thinking?


>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Robert Eleazer" <releazer at earthlink.net>
> Subject: Re: [ARC5] OT The BC-659- what were they thinking?
>
>
>>Note that the idea of ground troops talking to the aircraft to do FAC 
>>duties was an alien one for most of the war....
>>it sure took them a long time to do what seems blindingly obvious today.
>
> Alas; maybe not so obvious today.
> The fear of the "ivory tower" boys that "some private
> will start calling in air strikes,"  requiring support requests
> to get chewed up-and-down two or more food-chains before any actions are 
> taken can still happen today.
>
> I"m sure many of you heard about the "accidental strike"
> our air forces conducted on a "Doctors Without Borders"
> hospital.  The investigation concluded that one of the contributing 
> factors was the inability of ground forces
> to speak directly to their air support.  Not the first and
> sadly not the last blood spilled over this ancient and
> ongoing mistake.   Some things just never sink-in.
>
> I feel confident in calling this a "mistake" because the
> grunts continue to find ways around it (SCR-522 in tanks) and it works 
> well when they do.  But far-away commanders in air-conditioned offices... 
> well....
>
> 73 DE Dave AB5S
>
>
>
>
>
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