Posted on 04/21/2008 7:19:57 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Pentagon chief says Air Force should do more
By ROBERT BURNS
16 minutes ago
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday the Air Force is not doing enough to help in the Iraq and Afghanistan war effort, complaining that some military leaders are "stuck in old ways of doing business."
Gates complained in a speech at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., that getting the Air Force to send more surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to Iraq and Afghanistan has been "like pulling teeth."
The Pentagon chief praised the Air Force for its overall contributions but made a point of urging it to do more and to undertake more creative ways of thinking about helping the war effort.
He said he has been trying for months to get the Air Force to send more surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, like the pilotless Predator drone that provides real-time surveillance video, to the battlefield.
"Because people were stuck in old ways of doing business, it's been like pulling teeth," Gates said. "While we've doubled this capability in recent months, it is still not good enough."
To push the issue harder, Gates said he established last week a Pentagon-wide task force "to work this problem in the weeks to come, to find more innovative and bold ways to help those whose lives are on the line."
Pilotless surveillance and attack aircraft are having a coming out party in this war. The military can’t get enough of them.
Right now I think they should be flying a big surveillance pattern between Afghanistan and Iraq that happens to cover most of Iran also.
Gates needs to remember that the air force works for him. Stop asking, start ordering.
We need the Air Force in theatre for their dining facilities.
Isn’t part of the reason that the AF brass (who are mostly pilots) want only qualified pilots who are officers to “fly” these birds..while the army uses enlisted men??
You know what the difference is between the Coast Guard and the Air Force? The Coast Guard becomes part of the military during war.
Thats gonna leave a mark
If Congress were to tell the Air Force that “maybe the Army needs their own recon airplanes ... and ground attack airplanes ... and or course they’ll need their own fighter cover for those”, the Air Force would have an metal overcast over Iraq to stop any more such talk.
Iraq is a dangerous place.
manned US Air Force planes should stay away
I’m not sure lack of pilots is an issue since they can fly those things from anywhere in the world and it’s my understanding some missions are actually flown from the US. I’m thinking it’s a boots on the ground type issue, they need the airframes in country to do the missions. As a retired AF pilot though, I will tell you that it’s a lousy time to be a pilot in the AF. You get your wings and your assignment is to fly a drone from a desk? Glad I’m not in anymore.
I guess you were asleep in 1990/91
A Navy SEAL team swims miles through cold, shark infested water and scream out “We love this crap!”
An Army SF A team plods up a mountain with no sleep for the last three days and sing out “We eat this crap up!!”
An AF pilot comes back to his BOQ after eating a steak at the O-Club, turns the AC down to 65 degrees and then discovers his cable is out. He moans “What kind of crap is this!?!”
If we'd end up at a firebase like Hill 55, we'd go through the messhall like army ants, cleaning out the ketchup, Tobasco sauce, jam & jelly, etc.
One trip to the Air Force messhall at DaNang we found it all locked up. We went around back and found a messman sitting on the loading dock.
“Why aren't you open?” we asked.
“Oh, the water is off” he replied. “But that's great, since we get to eat C-rats!” he said with genuine delight.
It was with great effort that we refrained from beating him to a pulp.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.