New Predator Role Fits Diplomatic, Military Bill
- Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:45pm by
Scott Baker
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U.S. Air Force
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama’s decision to use unmanned Predator drones in Libya widened what had become very limited U.S. participation in the air war, but the aircraft credited with taking out terrorist leaders in western Pakistan probably won‘t prove decisive against Moammar Gadhafi’s forces.
Sending just two remotely piloted Predators, each with two Hellfire missiles designed to pierce armor, over Libya 24 hours a day is far from a game-changing addition to an air campaign that features an array of high-flying French, British and other European jets bombing Libyan ground targets and enforcing a no-fly zone.
The small scale of this Predator deployment suggests that drones, while effective, have a downside. The weapon has become a detested symbol of U.S. military might in Pakistan, where their use is tolerated by the U.S.-backed government but widely criticized by Pakistanis. Afghan President Hamid Karzai sometimes has decried the use of U.S. drones, which he blames for civilian deaths.
U.S. Air Force
Their use in Libya is really only a half-step back into the fight. Bigger U.S. bombers and other firepower remain idle.
Stephen Biddle, a military analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the reasons are as much diplomatic as military.
“A big part of what’s going on is our British and French allies want to get out of what looks to be a stalemate that they now own, so they are busy pressuring us to escalate, and we don’t want to escalate,” he said. “One of the things the Predators do is they give you something that allows you to say to the British and the French, ‘We’re doing more,‘ but doesn’t get us a lot more committed.”
Biddle called the addition of two Predators a “marginal” gain for NATO that won‘t give the alliance the upper hand or stop Gadhafi’s attacks on civilians.
“But it helps solve the immediate issue of responding to pressure from allies,” Biddle said.
Britain and France were among the first to push for international military intervention in Libya. The Obama administration later was persuaded to go along.
U.S. Air Force
Using the Predator at all in Libya shows how air power has evolved in recent years.
Piloted aircraft such as the F-15 Strike Eagle and the B-52 bomber that long have been the backbone of the Air Force carry more powerful and larger numbers of bombs and missiles. But the Predator has the advantage of flexible response to hard-to-track targets, including vehicles whose occupants can be identified on a Predator’s camera.
Marine Gen. James Cartwright, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters last week that the Predator can, for example, strike a vehicle parked near an ammunition depot with such precision that there is less risk of the ammunition exploding and creating unintended casualties.
“So it brings some capabilities to the NATO commander that they didn’t have before,” Cartwright said.
After a Pentagon meeting Tuesday with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the Joint Chiefs chairman, British Defense Minister Liam Fox thanked the administration for providing armed Predators. Fox said at a news conference with Gates that drones had increased NATO’s ability to strike with precision in urban areas and with less risk of civilian casualties.
“There is little doubt across the alliance that this key contribution has proven to be immense value protecting civilians in Misrata,” Fox said. Misrata is the rebel-city in the Gadhafi stronghold of western Libya that has come under siege by his forces for two months.
The first Predator strike in Libya was Apr. 23, and as of Friday they had made a total of six attacks, mainly against surface-to-air missile systems, according to the Pentagon.
The Predator drone is equipped with cameras that feed live video to ground commanders and others as it hovers over a target.
When the Predator is configured for attack, two Hellfire anti-tank missiles are strapped to the drone. It is operated remotely by an Air Force a pilot and camera operator working at consoles at an air base in Nevada. The absence of a pilot in the cockpit eliminates the human risk, and the pilot’s access to live video transmissions means he or she can fire missiles at targets that appear suddenly.
At the outset of the air campaign in Libya on March 19, the U.S. took the lead role. It launched dozens of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles from Navy ships and submarines in the Mediterranean. Air Force planes, including B-2 bombers flying round trip from their base in Missouri, participated in airstrikes aimed largely at disabling Libya’s air defenses radars and missiles.
But Obama said from the start that the U.S. would quickly transition to a back-seat role. It was on April 4, two days later than scheduled, when NATO assumed full command of the air campaign and the U.S. stopped flying offensive strike missions.
The U.S. continued in a support role with aerial refueling missions and planes used for surveillance and to intercept Libyan communications. It has continued to fly electronic warfare planes that jam Libyan radars and on several occasions have attacked air defense sites.
When Gates announced last Thursday that Predators, which had been flying unarmed surveillance missions over Libya, were being outfitted with missiles to join in NATO airstrikes against pro-regime forces, he denied this amounted to “mission creep,” the gradual enlarging of the goals of American military involvement.
Gates said the Predators add “a very limited capability.”
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PILLYWIGGINS1
Posted on May 1, 2011 at 3:30pmSacred Honor, you do a really good lib impression. ;}
Report Post »BOMUSTGO
Posted on May 1, 2011 at 3:08pmSoon, we will really be “Fly over country.” The drones will be spying on us!! This is why they want to ban shotguns!! The duck hunters here in Louisiana would love some target practice.
Report Post »BOMUSTGO
Posted on May 1, 2011 at 3:02pmdustyluv wrote:
How many bacon cheesburgers can it drop on a Mosque? That is the payload you need to drop…well along with a sidewinder or two..
—————————————————————————
Report Post »You don’t drop sidewinders..The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat seeking air-to-air missile which is launched off a rail.By the way, I was a USAF munitions systems specialist years ago.
Sinista MACE
Posted on May 1, 2011 at 12:05pmOnly cowards attack from 50000 ft in the air.
Report Post »lynnissmart
Posted on May 1, 2011 at 10:55amI like to call him Obamie Commie….
Report Post »sbleve
Posted on May 1, 2011 at 9:40amTell a lie, keep it simple, tell it often and soon the lie has become acceptable. Half truths, repeated, will always become a full lie.
New Predator Role Fits Diplomatic, Military Bill – Down right frightening for a nation of a republic democracy. This issue as presented is the root to our own internal value system that seems to be colapsing. In the same breath ‘diplomacy-killing’.
Targeting a leader of some-identity is war. If a leader is of some minor political power structure (Libya) than the thought of assassination is altered to mean ‘good riddance’.
Executive Order 11905 of 1976 Pres Ford. In some oblique direction this order has an aromatic- metamorphism in concept of a floating butterfly attitude in ‘War’ prosecution limitations, and the ‘wasp’ singing vengeance of reality.
Perhaps the real rub is the executive order. How is it that a governance within our law is allowed to exist for some 30 + years without ‘due process’ of legislative debate-creating law? Had today‘s example of ’leader assassination’ acceptance been politically acceptable in 2003- Iraq then today’s Mideast world may have become terrible or better. For sure, some several thousand KIA Americans would not exist.
The age old trouble of the octopus and too many tentacle reflex confusion. King George III. Within some goal of mastering the world order one will naturally need to expand the concept of ‘the sun never sets on the flag’. Empire building has consistent consequences.
War fighting has nothing to do with ‘hearts and minds’. It is about killing effectively at minimum cost of KIA-WIA, in as short of a time as is practical. Any number of WW2 Europe American bomber pilots have commented on and troubled the concept of indirect killing. The difference of a grunt at 300 meters vs a pilot at 30,000 feet. Diplomacy is not the purpose of Military. A politician is far more likely to create a war than any general.
A recent repeated half truth. Thomas Jefferson’s secular attitude. Most recently reintroduced by a gathering of secular university ‘experts’ that claim such of Jefferson. The founding of the University of Virginia, in part by efforts through Thomas Jefferson, was not a secular school. It was founded on the principle that no one denomination with prescribed religious worship service be allowed. Where is the half truth that Jefferson was a non believer?
Report Post »sle
Posted on May 1, 2011 at 6:47ami can’t wait until our enemies (just about everyone now) gets hold of this technology and starts using against US…maybe wash dc for starters. would gives the news media something else to cover…..”breaking news.”
Report Post »ED4237
Posted on May 1, 2011 at 1:45amPredators do not win wars. This is going to be a long drawn out war that we have no business being in. This is all about oil for the Euros not even for us and then when we do buy oil it will be just like Egypt getting it from the Brotherhood.
Report Post »hechafteth
Posted on May 1, 2011 at 12:22amThe Predators (now called Reapers) were never intended as force-multiplier role, just intelligence enhancement. Only a *****-in-Chief would ever consider that his “main effort.”
Report Post »calebgs83
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 11:24pmFits the bill for what…the man child to play war?
Report Post »last frontier
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 11:22pmIs this leaning forward, or leading from behind?
Report Post »miles from nowhere
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:46pmThe only good reason to be in Libya would be to take over the country and its oil for our own use, libyans that do not like it can go to Egypt
Report Post »i want the truth
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 10:50pmNo we wouldn’t take their Oil b/c. Odumbo wants us not to use Oil. I think I heard him saying we need to start bicycling, driving smaller vehicles, and buying the GM VOLT. While he takes his JET anywhere and everywhere. Hey did you know that Venezuela pays 7 cents a gallon!!
Report Post »riseandshine
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 11:27pmIt’s about controlling the oil supply…. it’s all about control
Report Post »DellnMontana
Posted on May 1, 2011 at 6:09pmThe GM Volt runs on “COAL” the majority of our electricty is made from coal.
Report Post »David, the Constitutional Libertarian
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:18pmHaven’t you heard about the Ice Fishing trip that Bush and Obama went on?
Bush caught a few fish, but the WON walked on water! LOL
Report Post »Grandmadar
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:28pmFunny. But we all know our illustrious leader doesn’t walk on water!
Report Post »David, the Constitutional Libertarian
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:42pmSolid DiHydrogen Monoxide!
Have you seen the video where UN people were signing the petition to ban it? These are the same people pushing the Global Warming, erm Global Climate Change, erm Global Climate Disruption!
And to think these people believe they know what is better for everyone else. I bet they think the weight of 10k marines could tip over an island!
Report Post »PA PATRIOT
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:45pmDid you mean Obie WON?
Report Post »David, the Constitutional Libertarian
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 11:24pmPA PATRIOT
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:45pm
Did you mean Obie WON?
——————————-
This is a twist on the “One” that people refer him to as, where he said “I WON”. So I call him the WON. ObieWON is not bad though. I also like ObaMao. I suppose I could call him by his alis, aka, nom de plume Barry Soetoro.
Report Post »BOMUSTGO
Posted on May 1, 2011 at 3:12pmThe “WON” stinks on ice! His first and last initial tell it all!!!
Report Post »chiefparker
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:13pmDon’t be fooled, they use them here and NOW!
Report Post »SKOAL-BROTHER {GALLEY OF CATFISH}
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 11:24pmYes. This is called “modern technology.” In 5 years our unmanned fighter planes will rule the skies.
Report Post »Okie from Muskogee
Posted on May 1, 2011 at 2:08am@SkoalBro
Not in five years, for the last five years at least, unarmed aircraft have ruled the skies…We have many unarmed aircraft besides the typical Predator or Reaper…The “Raven” is the size of a hawk and the “hummingbird” is the size of a real life hummingbird…
The frightening part is the new software used by some drones, able to fly by themselves and make decisions without Human input…
Report Post »NOBALONEY
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:01pmNATO’s role has been expanded since its official beginning April 4, 1949. Under the authority from article 51 of the United Nations charter. Which reaffirms the inherent rights of indepentent states, to individual or collective defense. Collective Defense is the heart of the Washington Treaty and is enshrined in article 51.
Report Post »APatriotFirst
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:53pm“A big part of what’s going on is our British and French allies want to get out of what looks to be a stalemate that they now own, so they are busy pressuring us to escalate, and we don’t want to escalate,”
Report Post »———————————————————————————-
I have an idea…….JUST SAY NO!!!!!!!!!!!!
Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:50pmSo now the military functions of the predator drone will be used for diplomatic purposes by the admin in support of the NATO allies? If cruise missiles and repeated strikes have failed for taking out the leader of Libya, then how will these make ‘diplomacy’ any better than Obama’s failures already.
He is grasping at bricks while drowning in his mistakes of foreign policy and taking us with him.
Report Post »John 1776
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:58pmWell, for the most part true, but I think the birds scored one tonight.
Report Post »cheezwhiz
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 8:59pmLets see.
Report Post »Bush was killing innocent people in muslim countries , which made muslims want to kill us everywhere.
Bush was the reason why jihadies were born every minute.
Hussein said Bush was wrong and the situation needed to be corrected..
So now Hussein is killing muslims in muslim countries. But this time the results will be different.
Okie from Muskogee
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:06pmI promise if we wanted Ghadaffi out and removed as they state, we could remove him with a snap…..I know we can for sure….
Two drones, if that really is all as told, isn’t much but it is two more then should be there….There is some mission creep but not substantial..
I would say it’s less humanitarian to drag out a war exposing the “rebels” to fighting on a continued basis verses taking out Ghaddaffi in about 3 hours of work…. Remember, the whole case we got involved was because of the “humanitarian crisis”…..I would go as far to say it is torturous dragging it out….
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:08pm@Cheezwhiz:
You have shown the illogic of the progressives and liberals logic loop. Anything Bush did is bad, and anything Obama does (especially when wrong) is good.
Is there any way I could call to the mothership and say “Scotty beam me up” already?
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:12pmHow would it work on congress?
Report Post »David, the Constitutional Libertarian
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:17pmCome on Cheezewhiz-
“So now Hussein is killing muslims in muslim countries. But this time the results will be different.”
Don’t you see, when the WON does the very same thing as Bush, it is not hypocrisy, it is divine intervention. Like when Bush went ice fishing, the WON walked on water. /snark
Report Post »Grandmadar
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:25pmI think we should bring all of our Soldiers home…..and maybe line them up to protect our borders.
Report Post »cheezwhiz
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:31pm@ Snowleopard
Report Post »Anyone who is in touch with natives of the middle-eastern countries ( NOT intelligence sources , but real everyday people ) will tell you, 10 yrs after the 2 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, when the world and even some muslims in ME had started to resent jihadies and their tactics , here comes Obama and instead of winding up American war machines and leaving , he escalates war in Libya , overturns Mobarek, supports savages in Ivory Coasts in Nigeria, re-igniting the resentment againt America in the same part of the world which had slowly started accepting the stupidity of islamic hate.
Its as if Obama wanted to reinforce the dying jihad against America
Dustyluv
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:48pmHow many bacon cheesburgers can it drop on a Mosque? That is the payload you need to drop…well along with a sidewinder or two..
Report Post »cheezwhiz
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 9:54pmLike when Bush went ice fishing, the WON walked on water.
Report Post »—————————–
Like when Bush opened Gitmo it created terrorism and recruited jihadies all over the world ,
when Obama didn’t / couldn’t / wouldn’t close down Gitmo , it made America safe and respectable
Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 10:46pm@Cheezwhiz:
In the case of Obama wanting to reinforce the jihad against America…remember what Van Jones said about the system…pressure, pressure, pressure. In this case, pressure from the top down on the nation and our armed forces with the POTUS – chief insanity case supporting our enemies; and pressure from within and the bottom up as the nation and the military get fed up with our treatment of our enemies and Obamas disdain for the traditional allies of the nation.
Obama and his cronies are doing the old play of…”make good into bad, make bad into good. Turn all around on his head until all comes down in upon itself.”
That is one reason Obama does not care what he does or how he does it, he seeks the destruction and transformation of the nation; and from his perspective, each pressure point builds up more into the system until the flash point is hit and destruction is assured.
Report Post »SKOAL-BROTHER {GALLEY OF CATFISH}
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 11:18pmSome of us seem to be pussie-wussie whiners when our first job is to “WIPE OUT OUR ENEMIES” – a quote I saw earlier today on another thread. By this thread’s author.
Report Post »mharry860
Posted on April 30, 2011 at 11:39pmHey Snowleopard, the only one with a mother ship that I know of is Farrakhan, probably misspelled. I don’t think you want on that one.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on May 1, 2011 at 12:36am@MHarry:
Good point, not enough sunlight in the universe to disinfect that situation.
Report Post »kryptonite
Posted on May 1, 2011 at 1:07amSnow,
Is “military functions” code for “war?” OK, then let me be perfectly clear:
We are NOT at war with Libya (just some Libyans), We DON’T want Qaddafi killed (just his kids), we ARE friendly to all Muslims (including terrorists), and if ever Hussein faces charges of treason, he will provide incontestable proof that he is NOT a citizen of the United States.
Barely a month into Hussein’s 2012 campaign, and we have to put up with this “drones ain’t really war” cr@p already.
Report Post »My Sacred Honor
Posted on May 1, 2011 at 1:46amOh, I bet all you war-mpngering repubs LOVE this….just another means to kill brown babies in a far off land. that’s OK, you kill off their babies in the tone of your imperialistic goals and see where that gets you with your “God”.
I bet he slaughters you all with impudence when your precious “drones” kill millions of babies!
And you all want to cry about abortion.
Report Post »Such hypocrites!
Okie from Muskogee
Posted on May 1, 2011 at 1:52am@Cheezwhiz and Snow
I do not like bad BO as much as you both but I have to tell you I can’t point blame of ME uprising on him…Libya, yes we are paying the French back for their backings in Afghan and Iraq wars, thus us not “leading” the war there but “involved”….If we wanted Ghadaffi gone, he’d be gone…
Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, and Bahrain were all encouraged and instigated thru Iran…Each one was put in place and a puppet of the US…Iran would love nothing more then for Muslim Brotherhood, AlQaeda, Hamas or any other group to topple the Kings long lasting powers…Once the Saudi Kings fall, Iran will have control of the whole region…Even though MB, AlQaeda, Hamas are Sunni as Saudi sect, they aren’t loyal to the King as he sold out to the US in their eyes….Saudi Kings know this and do not want them in power…
The US administration couldn’t come out and say no to democracy in Egypt, Tunisia etc for if they did they’d be exposed supporting a dictator…They chose “collateral damage” option so to try and control the uprising and “supporting” it…Iran is the master of chess…Iran got the response wanted from US and really had us in a rock and hard spot…
Syria unrest was created by Saudi to retaliate for Iran instigating the first uprisings…Turkey joining with Iran says a lot and has scared the Saudis…When Iran topples the Saudis, it’s over for us…No oil will destroy us without one shot be fired here…
I can and do blame bad BO for not bringing our troops home and letting the Muslims get it on themselves…
Your thoughts? Hope alls good with you both…
Report Post »DellnMontana
Posted on May 1, 2011 at 6:03pmGraham said Gaddafi was not the leader of Libya. How many countries does it take to vote out another country’s leader?? Could a couple of third world nations vote out the Obummer?? How many people would have to protest in front of the White House for Obummer to step down?? Would another country be able to target bomb the White House??? We are definitely heading in the wrong direction. ;=)
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