The Air Force may have adopted a doctrine on irregular warfare — combating insurgents and guerrillas while trying to win the hearts and minds of a local population — but it’s not about to abandon the advantages of airpower and sophisticated weaponry in the name of “fighting fair.”
Maj. Gen. Allen Peck, commander of the Air Force Doctrine Development and Education Center, made that pretty clear today at the Air & Space Conference sponsored by the Air Force Association in Washington, D.C.
Peck — noting that the Air Force’s irregular warfare doctrine stipulates that military actions must come second to influencing the population you’re trying to win over — heard that an earlier speaker said that just using airpower, even on a legitimate target, gives the enemy a propaganda opportunity.
The argument made by the earlier speaker is that enemy troops will claim the Air Force attacks them from the air but will not come face to face to fight them.
It was obviously not a question Peck usually gets. Or, perhaps, one hed ever heard.
“We should eschew capabilities that the enemy doesn’t have and just drive up and put a bayonet in his chest because that’s the only capability they have?” Peck asked. “We’re using weapons from the air, and that’s cheating? And we’re doing it at night and we have precision weapons and they don’t? I don’t even know how to respond to that.”
The fact is, Peck said, “I don’t want a fair fight.”
The Air Force drew up an irregular warfare doctrine that was approved by Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley on Aug. 24. A key part of the doctrine is that while combating and defeating the enemy, you don’t things to turn the civilian population against you.
Legitimacy and influence are critical, according to the doctrine, and “the battle of arms” must work in harmony with “the battle for influence,” but not become more important.
Still, its warfare. And somebody has to decide when a particular action is necessary — even if it may be viewed negatively by the population.
If the target is a mosque, for example, “chances are something like that, the approval level is going to be pretty high,” Peck said, with the person making that call likely being the one who will have to publicly justify it later.
– Bryant Jordan
There are times when the “pike” or a K-Bar may be the the weapon of choice or last resort. But, I am sure not at 40,000 feet. The good general needs to be on the ground kicking doors and clearing buildings before he says more.
There are times when the “pike” or a K-Bar may be the the weapon of choice or last resort. But, I am sure not at 40,000 feet. The good general needs to be on the ground kicking doors and clearing buildings before he says more.
As a Former Marine, there is no such thing in war as a fair fight! The Palestinians & the Islamic radicals have no qualms about using women & children as shields, the majority are cowards & have no morals or scruples about killing All of us Infedels! Shoot first…Investigate later, only common sense! Mike. SEMPER FIDELIS!!!!!
When we catch Bin Laden, let’s put him in the ring with the Rock. THAT would be a FAIR fight! And one I’d pay to see.
My only comment is God Bless the Men and Women that put themselves in harms way and go ahead and drop the Bombs shoot the enemy do what ever gets the job done so you can come home. Be unfair if it will get you home sooner.
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Why don’t we let the earlier speaker go into Iraq with a Rifle and a Bayonet. Let him/her take a radio to call in an air strike. Any takers on which one’s used first? Most of the arm chair generals out there have never been where the bullets are flying, so it’s easy for them to shoot their mouths off. Are you sure the earlier speaker wasn’t Comrad Fonda? That’s about her speed.
It no longer metters why we are there. It instad matters that now we need to WIN and then leave. The US has never lost a war althogh there have been times we didnt win either. So my question to the liberals is where is your sense of Americanism? We arent like the rest of this world we didnt start this fight with the terrorists but we will sure as hell win and finish it.
Weapons are made to be deadlier, more presice, and better. During the world wars the germans didn’t care how the russians were equiped when they killed them , we didn’t care about how the native americans were eqiped when we killed them, and no real army that wants to win will play “fair”. Weapons are made better so the enemy dies faster and more so your family and friends don’t; and its looks cooler when a bomb goes off.
I am always tempted toward a semi-eloquent rant, but in this case I can simply agree with everything Rodosbc has said. I think I might have met him on the Cua Viet. War is not a game. You can pretend to have rules, but if your opponent has none, you are not going to win by crippling yourself with yours. No matter how civilized it may feel, you just cannot bring a tennis racquet to a gunfight and expect to prevail.
Who cares about fair. They attacked us so we go in there and Buttf@#$ them to hell. If thay can’t take it when the S!@# hits the fan then don’t throw the first punch. If they don’t like getting bombed back to the F@#$ING stone age thats to bad. Life is a B!@#H.
War, war is a drug. There is no way of stopping globliztion, and a one government. The UN, the power station with the top five country’s controlling its
War, war is a drug. There is no way of stopping globliztion, and a one government. The UN, the power station with the top five country’s controlling its
ok know every stfu and listen for a min #1 iraq did not swing first the afangs did with Bin laden infact we went in saying they had wom and yet the UN DID NOT FIND THE WOM so dont be saying they got what they deserved ok
#2 if we would not have invaded the iraqi’s we would need neither bombs not Bayonets
THINK ABOUT THAT
I personally think we should bomb them back to the stone age and turn Iran into a sheet of glass while we’re at it.
its not wether we fight fair or not. there is no such thing! you win by what u have and what u and it can do! fairness does not exist in this type of thing
Fair fights simply don’t exist. fair wars simply do not either. The simplest truth to war is “He who has the biggest gun wins.” meaning simply that technology has in almost any war, decided who wins it. From the time of bronze and iron weapons of ancient wars,Plate body armor, the Briton’s longbow, gunpowder and re loadable firearms, to the machine gun and fighter planes, nuclear weapons, long range missiles, and endless variations of the last four. Sure, morale, numbers, supplies, fortify able positions, tactics, troop training and brute manpower are cards in the deck as well. But technology is the ace in the hole. All to complete one objective, to win.
therein lies the problem. The goal of this war is to ‘liberate’ a country and allow it suitable time to come to strength to protect itself. (As were all told but I’m not going to get into that on this post.) that means we simply cant bomb the place till it resembles a bathroom mirror. That means we have to hold in the thoughts of the people that we are indeed liberators and not conquerors. Conquerors care not, (or very little,) of things such as civilian casualties. Liberators, on the other hand, have to. they have to hold in the mind of the citizenry that we are the “good” guys.
anyway i went off on a tangent. The fact of the matter is war isn’t fair, to pretend that it is on any level is to truly be ignorant on a level unfit of any human being. To say that we are too afraid to face you in a ground fight as we bomb you over and over from the air is just showing your frustration that you cant do anything about it other then keep your heads down.
Well nany nany boo boo. We have bombs, and they have rocks. It is not our fault they haven’t made any sort of technological advancements in centuries because they are too busy killing people in the name of their god. Let’s keep bombing them until all the retards are gone.
Nick WTF are you talking about? Do you know who saddam hussein was? Do you know the kind of life that people in Iraq were brought up in? Um…by the way, do you know why you aren’t using gay british grammar right now?
In reference to Mr. Juan, I must say that his response was not only immature, but politically incorrect. Just because they are narrow-minded doeesn’t mean they’re retards. Also, they are advancing in technology, just a little slower than the superpowers.
To the topic though. There is no such thing in the history of mankind and war as fair. Really, when you think about it the first war/ fight was because some tribe or country wanted something materialistic or had an authoritative complex and subdued whoever to get it. War and the urge to fight is a cruel, selfish carnality that seems ingrained in some (formerly in myself too). I’m just seventeen and I realize that. These middle east could possibly trace their lineage to Ishmael, a wild war-like man. They may not have the sophistication in weaponry, but they have a determination that has stopped most races from conquering them but each other. They will also use anything and everything to make us look bad. We just need to be careful with where and when we use weapons on them
Yo, wussup peoples? Uh, i ain’t the smartest person around, but you gotta be a complete idiot to think that you gonna get a fair war. Why don’t we all just go pick a couple daisies for each other now? No wonder people say the air force are sissies. What the devil you mean fair war? Okay, let me put it this way. You drop a bomb on someone right? Now drop one on yourself cuz you gotta make it fair. Dont you agree? Sounds like someone needs to snap outa lala land.
Hey, Ris here. Mister what’s’face doesn’t want a fair war. Define fair war. The guy is an idiot. Since when was war fair? I’m gonna fight you because you got somethin i want. Yeah, real fair. Does he think it’s fair we’re fighting the whole iraqi population cuz of a couple of terrorists? I dont. People need ta wake up and smell the roses. Today, nothing is fair. Does anyone think it’s fair for those of us who have to put up with gay people? By the way, if any of you are gay, too bad. I aint takin back what i said. If you’re gender confused, you got problems.
Ever loose track of what you where thinking when you walk into a Home Depot or record store(ex). ? I think that something similar happens to reporters when they finally get the “big gig”. There minds go blank & they will say/write anything that keeps there ad-executives happy.
To: The grunts on the ground & in the “Air”,
Disregard the Washington rhetoric, they are only trying to pacify our country’s nancy’s so you guys can concentrate on keeping each other alive. I lost a friend on 9–11. One of the funniest bastards you’ve ever met. Get Some , But don’t stick your necks out to do it,huh? It’s a country run by Dick-weeds & might remain so for awhile. Live & let the heathens die.–over,out.
my name is mud. i want to lick your earlobes…please.
sincerely,john allcott
JC, go back to elementary school and learn to spell and punctuate. Ok, with that out there now, I can concentrate on the subject at hand. There is no such thing as fair. Nothing has ever been fair, nor will anything ever be fair. Go ahead and let that dream go. As to the Chair Force chosing bombs, I guess that’s why they are the Chair Force. They are lazy. FIX BAYONETS!! OOHRAH!!
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