An Air Force Association Special Report How the world conflict transformed America’s air and space weapon The Air Force Association The Air Force Association (AFA) is an independent, nonprofit civilian organi- zation promoting public understanding of aerospace power and the pivotal role it plays in the security of the nation. AFA publishes Air Force Magazine, sponsors national symposia, and disseminates information through outreach programs of its affiliate, the Aerospace Education Foundation. Learn more about AFA by visiting us on the Web at www.afa.org. The Aerospace Education Foundation The Aerospace Education Foundation (AEF) is dedicated to ensuring Ameri- ca’s aerospace excellence through education, scholarships, grants, awards, and public awareness programs. The Foundation also publishes a series of studies and forums on aerospace and national security. The Eaker Institute is the public policy and research arm of AEF. AEF works through a network of thou- sands of Air Force Association mem- bers and more than 200 chapters to distribute educational material to schools and concerned citizens. An example of this includes "Visions of Exploration," an AEF/USA Today multi- disciplinary science, math, and social studies program. To find out how you can support aerospace excellence visit us on the Web at www.aef.org. © 2005 The Air Force Association Published by Aerospace Education Foundation 1501 Lee Highway Arlington VA 22209-1198 Tel: (703) 247-5839 Produced by the staff of Air Force Magazine Fax: (703) 247-5853 Design by Heather Lewis, Assistant Art Director The War of 9/11 1 How the world conflict transformed America’s air and space weapon By Dr. Rebecca Grant Dr. Rebecca Grant is president of IRIS Independent Research, Inc., in Washing- ton, D.C., and a fellow of the Eaker Insti- tute for Aerospace Concepts, the public policy and research arm of the Air Force Association’s Aerospace Education Foun- dation. She is also a contributing editor to Air Force Magazine, the journal of the Air Force Association. Her professional re- search interests center on joint doctrine and airpower employment in joint campaigns. An Air Force Association Special Report February 2005 2 Table of Contents Prologue: This New War 3 Operation Enduring Freedom 4 Prior Planning 4 Major Combat Begins 5 The Tide Turns 10 Anaconda 12 Operation Noble Eagle 15 Creating a Strategy 15 Box: The Foundation: the Air Force’s Strategic Air Mobility Forces 16-17 Permanent Commitment 18 Operation Iraqi Freedom 21 Southern Focus 21 War Councils 23 Major Combat Operations 26 The Sandstorm 30 The “Phase IV” Fight 34 Theater of Mobility 34 Afghan Mop-Up 35 The Iraqi Nettle 36 The Fallujah Model 40 Tying It Together 42 What Airpower Wrought 42 Beyond Jointness 43 Seeking a Course 44 Maps Southwest Asia 6 The Afghan Theater 8 The Gulf Region 22 Iraq in Detail 24 Tables Total Coalition Aircraft 25 Combat Aircraft 28 Support Aircraft 28 Air Mobility Sorties 29 Strike Sorties 31 Strikes by Category 33 Total Air Sorties 33 Snapshot of Phase IV Air Operations 41 Prologue 3 This New War On Sept. 11, 2001, at 0846, al Qaeda hijack- the skies over the cities, fields, and mountains ers flew American Airlines Flight 11 into the north of America. tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. It is a war with American leadership, and yet The first response in the global war on terrorism it is also a coalition war. The flags of more than fell to two F-15 pilots sitting alert that bright, clear 60 nations can be found at US Central Com- morning. A new defense of America had be- mand (CENTCOM) headquarters at MacDill gun—and with it, a new era of challenge for air AFB, Fla. They are represented by their soldiers, and space power. special operations forces, warships, aircraft, When one thinks of the war on terrorism that and supplies abroad. It is a war to prevent more began after Sept. 11, individual actions come terrorist disasters of the kind seen in Bali and to mind: Operation Enduring Freedom, Opera- Madrid as well as in New York, Pennsylvania, tion Noble Eagle, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and and Washington, D.C. so-called “Phase IV” stability operations in both This new war—The War of 9/11—has had Afghanistan and Iraq. many successes, but also setbacks, and it has Yet the series of campaigns and battles that been a time of soul-searching. It is the war to were launched after Sept. 11 are military actions shape the character of the early 21st century. in support of a single purpose. It is a war fought Airmen are playing a leading role in this war on many fronts, at home and abroad. To those as they did in the wars of the 20th century. New in the armed forces and those millions more who tactics and operational concepts in air and support and care for them, it is a war of vivid, space power pioneered and perfected for this unexpected places. There are the snow-capped war have altered the fighting style of joint mili- mountains of Afghanistan, the dun-colored cit- tary forces. ies of Iraq, the dark blue waters of the North Ara- The war has had four distinct phases—thus bian Sea, the heavily guarded desert bases in far. With the war now in its fourth year, this es- the Gulf, the enclave of Djibouti in the Horn of say attempts to describe, explain, and analyze Africa. The war is waged from Cheyenne the role played by air and space power in each Mountain’s command post in Colorado and in of these phases. Long after the attack, the ruins of the World Trade Center still smolder. The Sept. 11 attacks killed more than 3,000 from the US and other countries. US Navy Photo by J01 Preston Keres 4 Operation Enduring Freedom Within hours of the disasters at the World the idea of relying on airpower and a small con- Trade Center in New York and Pentagon in Wash- tingent of Special Operations Forces (SOF) to ington, war planning was underway in the United go after bin Laden and al Qaeda in Afghani- States. The first target of American arms was stan. “After we didn’t get Osama bin Laden in the terror-prone regime in Afghanistan, which TLAM strikes in Afghanistan, we started this had been providing safe haven and support for game of trying to follow Osama around Afghani- Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda terrorists. stan and trying to figure out how to get a shot Going after bin Laden’s main base was no easy at him,” recalled one top CENTCOM officer.4 The task. Nor was reliance on airpower the immedi- US began developing contingency plans “to get ate choice of Army Gen. Tommy R. Franks, the Osama, or go in there and bust up the Taliban.” CENTCOM chief. Submarines were on station in the North Ara- The commander’s first instinct was to plan for bian Sea to conduct a TLAM strike if bin Laden 5 1.Gen. Tommy Franks, USA a multi-pronged land attack relying on helicop- turned up. However, actionable intelligence (Ret.), American Soldier, p. ter airborne assault, with Pakistan as a staging never came through, and the whole idea re- 250-51. area. “I can’t see conducting operations inside minded some of Desert One, the disastrous 2. Rear Adm. James Robb, Afghanistan without basing, staging, and over- 1980 attempt to rescue 56 Americans held hos- interview, Aug. 30, 2004. flight support from Pakistan,” he told his staff on tage in the US embassy in Tehran. That failed 3. Franks, American Soldier, Sept. 12.1 There was, however, a problem. “We effort resulted in the deaths of five airmen and p. 250-251. had no air bases on that soil or even near that three marines. 4. Vice Adm. David Nichols, interview, Oct. 13, 2004. soil,” said Rear Adm. James Robb, inbound as The SOF and airpower option was more ap- 2 5. President Bill Clinton, My CENTCOM’s chief of strategic plans and policy. pealing in 2001—in part because air and space Life, p. 891. Franks asked Secretary of Defense Donald H. power had progressed, and in part because 6. Cesar G. Soriano, “Pilots Rumsfeld for 10 days to develop a course of Washington would not wait for a massive Continue Mission to Destroy action. “We had al Qaeda and Taliban target sets buildup and a ground campaign. A hard look Taliban Targets,” USA Today, Oct. 15, 2001. in Afghanistan and plans to strike those targets at the real tactical options showed that it was with TLAMs [the Navy’s Tomahawk land-attack the air component that was ready to go. B-2 cruise missiles] and manned bombers,” Franks bomber crews at Whiteman AFB, Mo., went into recalled, “but CENTCOM had not developed a crew rest soon after they got word of the Sept. plan for conventional ground operations in Af- 11 attacks. The Navy’s aircraft carrier USS En- ghanistan” or for access agreements with bor- terprise was close to the scene of action. “I was dering nations.3 watching CNN when I saw the second plane hit the tower,” said Navy Capt. Sandy Winnefeld, Prior Planning commanding officer.6 “Right then I thought, In 1998, CENTCOM planners had toyed with ‘We’re not going home.’” That was true. “It was Four B-52H bombers taxi for take off on strike mission against al Qaeda terrorist training camps and Taliban military installations in Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2001, the beginning of Operation Enduring USAF photo by SrA.