Real-World News Excerpts
CAMPAIGN PROVES THE LENGTH OF U.S. MILITARY ARM
— INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE, NOVEMBER 19, 2001
— The first phase of the Afghan War so far proves that American military might, including its devastating firepower, can be delivered against targets thousands of miles from the nearest friendly military base. This U.S. military capability is the main lesson being delivered by analysts after last week’s campaign destroyed the Taliban’s hold on power….
FIGHTING BACK WITH SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
— EVAN THOMAS, WASHINGTON POST, NOVEMBER 21, 2001
— America faces a new kind of arms race. We must marshal all our scientific and technological expertise to combat those forces that seek America’s destruction….
TURKMENISTAN
—DEFENSE & FOREIGN AFFAIRS HANDBOOK (ISSA, ALEXANDRIA, VA., 2001)
— … The U.S. Trade and Development Agency on April 23, 1998, agreed to finance a feasibility study of a natural gas pipeline that would run beneath the Caspian Sea, giving Turkmenistan access to the Turkish natural gas market without transiting either Russia or Iran. President Niyazov was guest of honor at the White House in Washington during the signing….
… Defense Minister Khikmatulla Tursunov on September 22, 1998, echoed statements by President Karimov warning of a threat from Afghanistan caused by increased terrorism, religious extremism and worldwide drug trafficking which could spill over into neighboring states….
HIGH-TECH WEAPONS CHANGE THE DYNAMICS AND THE SCOPE OF BATTLE
— INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE, DECEMBER 28, 2001
— The main battlefield lesson learned from the Afghan War is that small U.S. combat teams on the ground and high-performance aircraft with precision-guided weapons can be coordinated under almost any circumstance. The devastating aerial attacks on Taliban and al Qaeda targets give testimony to the effectiveness of high-tech warfare practiced by U.S. forces….
THE POSITION OF TURKMENISTAN IN THE LIGHT OF AN INTERNATIONAL COALITION AGAINST TERRORISM
— MAYSA MAMEDOVA — WWW.GUNDOGAR.COM, 1/26/2002
— … The U.S. Department of State admitted that a high level U.S. delegation led by the Under Secretary of State John Bolton traveled to Central Asia, while the U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell met Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister and communicated via telephone with the Presidents of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. These efforts resulted in the following agreement: all of the concerned states, except Turkmenistan, would provide assistance to the U.S., from the use of their ground bases for humanitarian operations only to the use of their airspace and additional facilities on the ground….
JAMES ROCHE, SECRETARY OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE
— BUSINESSWEEK, FEBRUARY 11, 2002
— USAF Secretary James Roche has shown flashes of inspiration during the war on terrorism. He electronically linked AC-130 gunships with unmanned Predator drones and created an even more devastating weapon. His ultimate goals include creating an Air Force capable of locating and tracking a single moving target, such as a tank, and instantly destroying it with precision bombing. That would help keep down the number of civilian casualties that occur during war….
U.S. UNDERTAKING GENERATIONAL WEAPONS SHIFT
— STRATFOR, WWW.STRATFOR.COM, 3 MAY 2002
— A recent Defense Department decision to kill a costly artillery system program represents the start of a generational shift in weapons systems….
… The key representatives of this new breed of system are cruise missiles and other reusable unmanned aircraft. As the range and speed of these systems increase, it will be possible to carry out the mission of delivering munitions without a massive forward deployment of men and matériel….
REPORTED CRASH OF SPY PLANE BODES BADLY FOR U.S.
—STRATFOR, WWW.STRATFOR.COM, 12 JUNE 2002
— A U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed near Qorveh in the Iranian northwestern province of Kordestan in late May, according to Iranian media sources June 12….
… If the United States is supplementing its satellite surveillance on these facilities by committing unmanned vehicles to conduct real-time, low-level reconnaissance, this may be a sign that the administration is preparing to evoke its emerging “preemption” and “defensive intervention” strategic doctrine and may be preparing to strike Iranian WMD facilities….
U.S. USING TURKMEN OPPOSITION TO PRESSURE PRESIDENT
— STRATFOR, WWW.STRATFOR.COM, 25 JUNE 2002
— U.S. officials appear to be giving cautioned support to opposition leaders seeking Turkmen President Saparmurad Niyazov’s ousting. Washington is likely trying to send a message to Turkmenistan’s authoritarian ruler to let U.S. military forces and businesses into the country. Niyazov is likely to follow his survival instincts and accede to some U.S. demands to preserve his regime.
… But the U.S. interest in the opposition reflects a deeper American interest in Turkmenistan’s gas and oil. This interest is unlikely to die, meaning some changes in the regime are likely. Niyazov knows what to do to ensure his survival, and when American pressure intensifies he will likely make a deal with Washington. Introducing democracy would not be in the cards, but some U.S. military presence and concessions to Western investors would.
“HEAVYWEIGHT CONTENDER,”
BY JOHN A. TIRPAK, AIR FORCE MAGAZINE, JULY 2002
— … Air Force Secretary James G. Roche has suggested that a very large UCAV [Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle] — bomber-size — might be a good idea, since bombers typically go after fixed targets, which can easily be programmed into a UCAV’s flight plan. Moreover, bombers in Afghanistan orbited the battlefield waiting to be called on to precisely deliver ordnance. Such a mission might be well-suited to an air refuelable, large-scale unmanned vehicle, Roche suggested….
RUMSFELD WEIGHS NEW COVERT ACTS BY MILITARY UNITS
— THOMAS SHANKER AND JAMES RISEN, NEW YORK TIMES, 12 AUGUST 2002
— Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is considering ways to expand broadly the role of American Special Operations forces in the global campaign against terrorism….
… Proposals now being discussed by Mr. Rumsfeld and senior military officers could ultimately lead Special Operations units to get more deeply involved in long-term covert operations in countries where the United States is not at open war and, in some cases, where the local government is not informed of their presence….
PROLOGUE
Captain Wakil Mohammad Zarazi deployed two of his youngest, most inexperienced — and therefore most expendable — troops right beside the road for the ambush, promising them promotions and high honors if they survived — and a place at the right hand of God if they were killed. Yes, they still believed they would get both.
The boys hid behind piles of snow and rocks until the lead armored personnel carrier, an old Russian-made BMP, cruised by, and then they threw RKG-3 antitank hand grenades under the chassis. When the grenades were rolled under the BMPs, they righted themselves, then fired copper-sheathed, high-explosive, hollow-charge warheads up into the crew compartment. The molten copper blew through the ten-millimeter armor underneath and spattered molten copper throughout the crew compartment, instantly killing any soldiers inside. The BMP died quickly and messily — and, Zarazi hoped, all on board did, too.