Air operations are on the rise as the Air Force disperses throughout Afghanistan to take the fight to the enemy. Boom Time in Afghanistan

fghanistan’s Paktika prov- as the contrails of tankers occasionally in the thick of insurgent and Taliban ince lies due south of the crossed the mountain-studded landscape territory. Concurrently, the metrics for capital Kabul by just over and low flying fighter aircraft crossed US and coalition airpower reflect an 100 miles, over moun- the plains in between. intense fight. In 2008, Air Forces Central Atainous and rugged terrain, abutting Now closing in on its 10th year, the recorded 20,359 close air support sorties, Pakistan’s border to the east. There are war in Afghanistan is flaring anew. but in 2010, AFCENT flew 33,679 CAS few paved roads, but in early March An infusion of troops and resources is missions. In addition, with the arrival there was plenty of traffic high above, placing American and coalition troops of Gen. David H. Petraeus, US Forces

Two Army Chinook helicopters lift off on a mission from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, behind an F-15E Strike Eagle deployed from Sey- mour Johnson AFB, N.C. Bagram, located north of Kabul, has expand- ed significantly since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001, as a large number of close air support, airlift, and supply sorties originate from, or route through, the airfield every week. 28 AIR FORCE Magazine / June 2011 Boom Time in Afghanistan By Marc V. Schanz, Senior Editor

Afghanistan commander, in July 2010, US and coalition forces entering con- nearly daily clearance and interdiction sorties with weapons releases began tested areas—and staying. At Forward missions targeting militants. a steady climb: from 325 in July to a Operating Base Orgun-E, a remote US Sitting at more than 7,000 feet alti- peak in October of 1,043 releases in a base mere miles from the Pakistan border tude, Orgun-E is only a few miles from single month. and the largely ungoverned Waziristan, daily combat, as are small FOBs and What’s behind the numbers, various Army troops from the 101st Airborne combat outposts spread out across the Army and Air Force officials in theater Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team, area, part of Regional Command East, explain, is an increase in combat due to known as “White Currahee,” conduct stretching from Paktika in the south up

USAF photo by SrA. Felicia Juenke

AIR FORCE Magazine / June 2011 29 of the most inhospitable terrain on the planet, the guarantee of air superiority changes the strategic picture in large and small ways. “You have to remem- ber something about the enemy here,” Houston said. “He respects two things: firepower and the high ground.” USAF photo by SrA. Sheila deVera Airpower, be it air resupply or being able to call fixed wing or rotary wing assets to respond to a troops in contact scenario, is a huge advantage—and the ultimate high ground. Joint terminal at- tack controllers [JTAC] and joint fires observers are critical to carrying out daily operations in this terrain, as they are the link between operations on the ground and air superiority, from intelligence- surveillance-reconnaissance support to

Maj. Tracy Schmidt of the 389th Expe- ditionary Fighter Squadron, and her weapons system officer, Capt. Kim- berly Volk, take off from Bagram on a sortie this past March. A C-17 (left) and C-5 (right) sit on the tarmac behind the fighter. The Air Force has poured

resources into Afghanistan as troop Staff map by Zaur Eylanbekov levels have increased, making ramp space at major hubs like Bagram a pre- cious commodity.

to Bamiyan in the north and Nuristan in the east. A tall sensor tower keeps watch on the nearby hills for incoming rocket and mortar fire, and all lights at night must have red lens caps affixed. Late one night in March, just across the hall from the tactical operations center, Maj. Mark Houston, executive officer of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, summarized White Currahee’s environment using a map of the region. Taliban and insurgent exfil and infiltration lines, especially for fighters and weapons, run all up and down Paktika’s porous border, he explained. He paused every few minutes to indicate locations where his troops have taken fire or experienced tough support, with a B-1B arriving on station putting munitions “danger close” on top fights recently. within 20 minutes. of the enemy. “We’ve stopped them down south, Since 2009, when President Obama Firepower and the High Ground and up north, … but now we are aim- ordered more than 40,000 additional “At [Combat Outpost] Zerok, we were ing to stop up the flow of insurgents troops into Afghanistan (coinciding with taking indirect fire every day last year, and weapons from Pakistan,” Houston the drawdown of combat forces in Iraq), but since December things have cooled said. The spring weather was improving, the US and NATO footprint has mush- off,” he explained. Operations had “put and soon he expected activity to jump roomed in the country—particularly in a whupping” on bad guys in the sector. up in his sector as the fighting season the south in provinces such as Kandahar FOB Tillman, near a border post, ramped up. and Helmand and the east along the often runs into a “professional enemy,” Many of these operations, from the provinces straddling the Durand Line, working in small units, well equipped tops of Paktika’s mountains to defend- the border with Pakistan. Today, the with top-of-the-line gear, and attacking ing the FOBs and COPs that litter the number of troops contributing to NATO’s to determine the strength of forces in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, would be International Security Assistance Force sector. Houston explained, “Two nights nearly impossible without the guarantee hovers around 132,000. ago, Tillman took fire from three differ- of air superiority, soldiers and senior For the US, approximately seven ent locations,” prompting a call for air officers across RC East attest. In some infantry brigades’ worth of personnel 30 AIR FORCE Magazine / June 2011 are spread across RC East and RC North forces—mainly MQ-1 remotely piloted Four of Hicks’ squadrons will divest according to military officials. (RC East aircraft, HH-60 rescue helicopters, and out to Helmand province’s Camp Bas- alone encompasses about 43,000 square other assets—when, in early 2009, tion this summer, he added, in a new miles, a geographic area where the bulk Air Forces Central decided to stand expeditionary group composed of rescue of this combat power is located.) Unlike up a full wing. and aeromedical evacuation units. “As the early years of the war, when NATO you can see, there are cats and dogs of and US forces sought to concentrate A Massive Infusion all varieties, and we are spread out all their efforts on Kabul and a few other The 451st Air Expeditionary Wing over the place,” he said in March. municipalities, the infusion of manpower came online in July 2009, becoming the Kandahar is undergoing a massive is expanding the counterinsurgency cam- second expeditionary combat wing in infusion of airpower, with large numbers paign, with forward bases and combat Afghanistan. Brig. Gen. Paul T. Johnson, of MQ-1, MQ-9, and MC-12 Liberty outposts now sprouting up and enlarging a veteran A-10 pilot and current com- aircraft flowing in to provide ISR sup- in areas where just a few years ago a mander of the 451st, said the movement port. The 361st Expeditionary Recon- token presence existed. coincided with the President’s decision naissance Squadron stood up in spring Paktika’s FOB Sharana is a prime ex- to increase troop levels. “The US began 2010 as the second MC-12 squadron in ample, sitting on top of a plateau with a plussing up the level of presence to sup- Afghanistan, after the 4th ERS at Bagram valley and mountains beyond. The base port increased numbers of ground forces began operations in December 2009. has undergone significant expansion [coming in], so we needed increased air Four C-130Js operate around the clock in the seven months preceding March capability as well,” Johnson said. with Kandahar’s 772nd Expeditionary 2011. Before the main force of Task Thus began a series of moves integrat- Airlift Squadron. It will soon double the Force Currahee moved in, operations ing with the forces now spread out across number of airframes to eight, according expanded, and semipermanent build- Afghanistan. With the new wing came to Hicks. ings sprouted up. The base’s airstrip is an A-10 fighter rotation, what Johnson Other units include an HH-60 Pave currently being extended and will soon called the “triggering event” of the plus- Hawk squadron; a Guardian Angel be able to receive direct C-17 flights, in up of air forces in the south. Until 2009, squadron of pararescue jumpers, survival addition to the small contract airlifters A-10s were based at Bagram, hundreds specialists, and combat rescue officers; and C-130s that routinely fly in and out. of miles from where the US was mak- a battlefield airborne communications The days of Bagram serving as the big ing a concerted push into the Taliban node (BACN) squadron; an air control hub for air in Afghanistan are receding, heartland, in the Helmand River Valley, squadron; and several more. as the process under way at Sharana is the Horn of Panjwai west of Kandahar, When combined with Bagram, the occurring at numerous other locations, and other areas. Bringing a Warthog expansion at Kandahar has changed many becoming semi-autonomous, squadron south to Kandahar meant “you the tenor and profile of combat in the with newer facilities, longer runways, have a heavier kinetic fighter presence Afghan campaign—not only due to the enabling aircraft to arrive and depart in the country than we had before ’09,” capabilities deployed, but also how they without transiting through Bagram (or said Johnson. are being dispersed through the coun- BAF, pronounced “Baff,” as it is known Today, the AEW at Kandahar Airfield try. USAF has tweaked the command in theater parlance). is a bustling operation, with aircraft and control of air assets to ensure they Afghan airspace is now a lot more seemingly taking off and landing every are used optimally in an environment crowded as a result. The Air Force’s moment of the day. Its operations group where no commander ever says he has hand in all of this can be revealed is arguably the busiest and most diverse too much air. by just observing the ramp at either in the Air Force. “We have 11 squadrons The Air Force is “more widely dis- Bagram Airfield north of Kabul, or total, [and we’re] ramping up to 12 at persed around the country,” Johnson Kandahar Airfield, just outside Kan- some point this summer,” said Col. David said. “One of the reasons is, we have dahar city, 300 miles to the south. A W. Hicks, another veteran A-10 pilot and simply reached capacity in a place like few years ago, Kandahar was host to commander of the 451st Expeditionary Bagram and Kandahar, and ... out at a small operations group of USAF Operations Group at Kandahar. Bastion, so we have physically run out Staff photo Schanz by MarcV.

An HH-60 Pave Hawk sits on alert at Kanda- har Airfield, Afghanistan. Low-density, high- demand assets, such as rescue units, are dispersed throughout Afghanistan to better support coalition forces.

AIR FORCE Magazine / June 2011 31 ing overwatch for “key leader engage- ments,” where service members work with local leaders and tribal officials to root out troublemakers. The demand for ISR is driving skyward the number of combat air patrols for unmanned vehicles, and their utility in combat is USAF photo by SrA. Sheila deVera evidenced by near-constant Predator and Reaper presence on the ramps at Kandahar and Bagram. Even with the UAV surge, the twin-engine MC-12 was quickly developed to supplement them. “In some of those cases, we are actu- ally figuring out [new capabilities] in real time,” Johnson noted. The MC-12 was rushed into combat first in Iraq, then in Afghanistan, which required a lot of dialogue with “customers” as well as the planners and operators. They are all but deployed “out of the lab” and A1C Jarren Ewing (back) and SrA. Stephen Jardine of the 455th Expeditionary Se- must be tinkered with while carrying curity Forces Squadron pause during a patrol outside Bagram Airfield. out combat missions, in order to figure out their best employment. He pointed of space. We are pushing people out to More importantly, he added, the to a relatively new platform operating new locations. It’s a reflection of how accuracy and reliability enables US over Afghanistan under command of we have more heavily resourced the and coalition forces to stay in areas his wing: Blue Devil, a sensor package fight,” he added. more isolated and more dispersed than on a King Air 90, combining a signals With the proliferation of combat out- would otherwise be possible. With no intelligence node with a wide-area posts and FOBs in hard-to-reach areas, reliable network of roads, air resupply surveillance camera. Blue Devil aids the need for air to provide ISR, lift, and is of great importance in Afghanistan. enormously in tracking larger areas of CAS is growing. “The logistical burden “Because we can do this, … this al- interest, as opposed to the “soda straw” has increased,” Hicks noted. “Because lows us to ponder going places [that view associated with Predator sensors. [troops] are not sitting in large clumps, we] previously wouldn’t have gone Of course, all of this capability must the need for airdrop has gone way up, … before,” Johnson said. get to the right place when needed, and and you can make an argument you need to better facilitate this, AFCENT and more CAS, ISR, too, because they also New Capabilities in Real Time senior USAF commanders have altered need overwatch to provide security.” He Air units under the umbrella of the the command and control structure for said the mission hasn’t changed much, wings at Kandahar and Bagram have assets since the beginning of the 2009 but the tempo sure has. dispersed throughout the country. Hicks force surge. Today, NATO has the lead Across the ramp from Hicks’ opera- rattled off a list of forward operating for security operations in Afghanistan tions group, the 772nd EAS is pushing locations for his aircraft—often far under the rubric of ISAF. As a result, toward yet another record-breaking flung from Kandahar. In March, a communication between the CAOC, month for airdrops. In January, the detachment of the 451st EOG stood ISAF, and the various regional com- squadron set a monthly airdrop record up at Herat. Another operates out mands has become even more critical. of 51 drops, quite a feat at the time. The of Shindand in the western portion “For several years, it was all about record was again broken with the unit of Afghanistan. Another detachment [Operation Enduring Freedom], and in completing 72 airdrops of more than 1.5 operates out of Jalalabad, performing that case, it was very much a regional million pounds (about 1,100 bundles) primarily ISR duties. command structure funneling requests in March. “We are doing a tremendous Johnson admitted ISR gathering is up through US channels,” Johnson re- amount more now than we were when I easily the “lion’s share of what we called. Today, airpower requests from got here, nine months ago,” Hicks said do,” and the same could be said for ground commanders make their way of the ops tempo of the tactical airlifters. the 455th AEW. “The vast majority up to NATO’s ISAF joint command in The rapid rise in airdrops is due to of the time, I’m using my aircraft as Kabul, the headquarters responsible for several factors, USAF officials explain. a [nontraditional ISR] asset. … Only directing day-to-day operations across There are better delivery parachutes, in certain cases do we employ kinetic Afghanistan and partnership operations coupled with larger-capacity C-130 J firepower.” with Afghan security forces. IJC and the models carrying more cargo, which From combat outposts to brigade CAOC are in contact daily, as IJC must can place larger loads in increasingly commanders all the way back to AF- be the “arbiter” of all these requests for accurate drop zones. “That allows crews CENT’s combined air and space op- air support, Johnson said. to have a great deal of confidence they erations center, there is an “appetite” AFCENT Commander Lt. Gen. Gil- will hit a drop zone, and the customers for intelligence about specific areas to mary Michael Hostage III has made are assured they won’t have to hike over conduct operations, he added. Missions some changes to the air hierarchy since a mountain to get what we deliver,” vary widely, and run the gamut from arriving in Southwest Asia in August Johnson said. “sweeps” to route clearance to provid- 2009. The moves are designed to em- 32 AIR FORCE Magazine / June 2011 power the air component commander for Afghanistan (Maj. Gen. Charles W. Lyon, the senior airman in the coun- try) by giving him limited operational control and full administrative control over AFCENT forces. Staff photo Schanz by MarcV. Though tactical control of theater- wide assets remains with the CAOC, Lyon has authority to organize force, recommend courses of action, and provide authoritative direction to the subordinate air expeditionary wings in country. In late 2010, Hostage redesig- nated the air component coordination element for Afghanistan as the 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force- Afghanistan (9th AETF-A) and moved to add staff and authorities to the post. Effective integration of airpower with ground maneuver required more than close proximity, Hostage wrote in the Armored tactical vehicles pass each other on a road linking the older section of Forward Operating Base Sharana with the newer areas. Sharana, an Army FOB, has winter 2010 edition of Air and Space undergone rapid growth in the last year. Power Journal. “My intent … is to make the ground commander successful. I have seen positive results from this service members operating in country cials are waiting to see what implica- change as the ACCEs [air component are still cognizant they are in an envi- tions this will have on operations. As coordination elements] have been more ronment demanding “a lot of personal Afghan forces step up capabilities and fully integrated in operational planning restraint … by all the participants,” US ground forces withdraw, CAS will and during staff deliberations, allow- Johnson said. “It requires all of us to not be emphasized as much, Hicks said. ing them to provide world-class air be very conscious of the lethality that is “If the dynamic changes, ... that in large support,” Hostage wrote. at our disposal and how, if misapplied, part depends on decisions made as far From the operations perspective, that lethality can work against us.” as what the force lay down will look Hicks agreed communication has im- like.” However, Hicks added, ISR and proved—and it is a fluid, two-way Time Will Tell airlift will not be going away any time process. Between the CAOC and Lyon, USAF officials in Afghanistan couch in the near future, as having the ability the air picture is “tailored” because they their perception of the future carefully, to move about the country and have a have a unique perspective of what the but they all seem to agree that a great persistent air picture will “continue to theater looks like at any given time. deal of pressure is now on Taliban and be critical.” It helps because “8,000 individual re- militant forces. US and coalition forces Just down from the offices of the quests [are not coming] to the wing,” have gone into places they hadn’t gone 451st wing, four Mi-17 helicopters of Hicks said. “Down here, we look at before, and stayed—presenting the the Afghan Air Force sat on the ramp, the fight, we understand what’s going enemy with a choice of either fight- where Afghan military members fly on, and we can offer up support or ask ing or giving up terrain. “In some missions and work alongside advisors questions. ... We’re trying to keep our cases, they went away, but in others from the 442nd Air Expeditionary Ad- arms around [the fight] on a daily basis, they fought—unsuccessfully,” Johnson visor Squadron. The fliers have made and it is certainly a challenge.” Most said. “We anticipate they will come progress, and regularly perform cargo days, in addition to responding to task- back in the spring, ... but nobody is transport, VIP movement, and even ings, Hicks or Johnson are also asked exactly sure what that fighting season medical evacuation missions, but much their opinion on how to operationally is going to look like. They get a vote work remains in areas such as building employ assets to get the best coverage in how they are going to conduct their up a strong NCO corps and lines of or response time in theater. operations.” In fact, only a day prior, authority across squadrons and wings Johnson believes there is more dia- Kandahar Airfield had been subject to in the country. logue in the air-to-ground process today a late-night rocket attack. “We are ... cognizant that they still than ever. “There was a time when a Johnson said operations in Afghani- have a long way to go,” Johnson admit- JTAC would say, ‘Stand by for a nine stan have evolved, but the demands are ted. “Will [the Afghans] need assistance line,’ ” (target coordinates), he’d get no less difficult, especially in situations with mobility, with ISR? Time will tell.” them, and that would be the end of the where mortars are falling, tempers are For now, the pace and intensity of conversation,” Johnson said. Now, when rising, and casualties are accumulating. the USAF mission in Afghanistan is you get a request, “what you would For the JTACs and air advisors, “it’s an connected to the US and coalition observe is a dialogue up and down the astounding amount of responsibility. forces currently operating across the line, ... so that everyone understands And they embrace it.” country. “Whoever is outside the wire, what is taking place.” In the coming years, the Obama we see [that force level] and presence While the Afghan campaign has cer- Administration is forecasting a slow driving our level and presence here,” tainly become more kinetic, airmen and drawdown of forces, and USAF offi- Johnson said. n AIR FORCE Magazine / June 2011 33