So let me see if I have this right. They did a heavy, night time aid drop. These planes were escorted by F/A-18's and we can easily imagine that they had UAVs flying overhead recording the entire thing. Since at least one person in the chain of command has the smarts to do a little worst case scenario planning we can expect some type of electronic warfare plane to be in the area. I'd guess one of the EA-18G's but maybe they used one of the remaining EA-6's....and since we're talking worst case they also had a TRAP mission planned if sugar turned to shit. This was a MUCH bigger mission than is being portrayed to the American people.
But back to the aid drop.
That is a classic pathfinder mission. Someone is on the hilltop that has the training to identify a suitable drop zone, is able to coordinate it in such a way as to ensure that the pilots can be talked onto target etc...all while keeping the refugees from getting crushed by a falling pallet.
After seeing this vid and reading about the number of aircraft involved and doing a little common sense thinking its easy to see.
We're back in the war and boots are on the ground. Consider this too. The Iraqi govt forces have been defeated in every fight. Even the Kurds have lost ground to ISIS. Would you sprinkle Special Forces throughout Iraqi forces or would you want all your boys together so that they could fight and trust the man beside them?
300 SF in Iraq is a lie. I wouldn't be surprised if the entire 10th or 3rd SF Group(s) is in country.
I would not be surprised to see the airdrops were coordinated by Combat Air Controllers from the 23rd or 24th STS. Of course over the years CCT members have been directly integrated in deployed SF teams.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/11024037/Iraq-crisis-It-is-death-valley.-Up-to-70-per-cent-of-them-are-dead.html
ReplyDeleteNo SF there.