SOF

First Gulf War Air Campaign Begins January 17, 1991

On this day in 1991, Operation Desert Shield became Operation Desert Storm as the US along with other coalition countries began a massive bombing campaign against the Iraqi forces of Saddam Hussein. The Iraqis had invaded the country of Kuwait during the summer of 1990 and the coalition began forming up to force Iraq to withdraw.

A day after the deadline set in United Nations Security Council Resolution 678, the coalition began a bombing campaign to destroy dug-in Iraqi forces, gain aerial superiority, and prepare for the eventual ground assault into Kuwait.

In less than a week, the Iraqi air force was swept from the skies, most of their air defenses were smashed and their ground forces became easy targets for coalition aircraft and smart bombs. By the time the air campaign ended on February 23, the Iraqi army in Kuwait was softened up so much, the ground offensive began and the coalition units sliced thru the Iraqi defenses.

The coalition air forces had nearly a 4-1 advantage and 1800 of the 2250 aircraft belonged to the U.S. Iraq had 934 aircraft but only slightly more than half (550) were operational.

Opening Moves: The air phase of Desert Storm began shortly after 0230 on 17 January when Army Apache helicopters and Air Force Pave Low helicopters blasted Iraqi radar sites that would warn the Iraqis of an impending air strike. By identifying and knocking the radar sites along the Saudi Arabian border, the coalition had a narrow corridor to fly in. As the choppers finished their destruction of the radar sites, the pilots reported seeing an almost traffic jam of coalition jets pouring thru the gap.

The initial strikes were conducted by Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from US Navy ships in the Persian Gulf, and “Wild Weasel” aircraft targeting the Iraqi radar and anti-aircraft sites. That was followed by a massive bombing of command and control bunkers, Scud missile launch pads and equipment storage areas, communications and radio facilities, and Iraqi airfields. Within the first 24 hours, coalition aircraft flew 2775 sorties.

Iraqi air defense systems, installed by the Russian military were very ineffective. In over 100,000 sorties flown, only 75 aircraft were lost. And of those only 42 were shot down, the other 33 were lost due to accidents. Since Iraqi commanders were strongly discouraged from independent action, all of their orders came down from Saddam Hussein’s headquarters. So the coalition began the systematic elimination of all command and control facilities.

Iraqi Air Force High Tails It to Iran, Its Enemy: Iraq’s Air Force had several modern aircraft from the Russians as well as the French Mirage F-1 fighters. They exhibited little stomach to meet the coalition fighters who had air combat control with AWACs. Whenever they did attempt to mix it up, they were swept from the sky. In the first week of the campaign, Iraq lost 38 aircraft shot down.

Saddam Hussein decided to save his Air Force for another day and rather than slug it out with the coalition, he contacted one of his neighbors to stash his aircraft away from the coalition. Most expected it to be Jordan, who was close to the Iraqis. In fact, the coalition was prepared for this and set up blocking positions to stop Iraqi planes from going there.

But Hussein contacted his archenemy, Iran to store his aircraft. Of course, the Iranians accepted and Iraq’s aircraft began pouring into Iran’s airspace. About 140 aircraft landed on Iranian airfields, the same ones who fought a bloody war against Iraq in the 1980s.

But the Iranians, true to form, were not to be trusted. They kept the Iraqi aircrews interned for several years. And the aircraft, they kept sequestered for more than 20 years. They released only 88 aircraft and not until 2014.

SCUD Hunting: The coalition dedicated a large number of their strike aircraft, nearly a third, to hunting Iraq’s mobile rocket launchers, the SCUDs. Iraq attempted to break apart the coalition by launching SCUD missiles at Israel. The hope was that Israel would respond and that would cause a rift between the US and the Arab coalition countries. Although Israel’s policy is to respond in kind, the diplomatic efforts by the U.S. convinced them not to attack.

But as an assurance, the coalition had to put a huge effort into spotting and eliminating the SCUDs which were killing Israeli citizens. Besides aircraft, Special Operations Forces including Delta Force, Navy Seals, and British SAS forces scoured the desert and fixed many mobile rocket launchers before they could attack.

Iraqi Infrastructure Wiped Out: In just a few short weeks, the coalition air forces destroyed the vast majority of Iraq’s infrastructure. At the beginning of the war, Iraq had 20 major power stations providing electricity to its citizens. During the bombing campaign, 11 of those were completely destroyed and another half dozen was damaged, while 119 substations were destroyed. As a result, only 4 percent of the electricity production from the start of the war was still operational.

Coalition bombing destroyed all of the major dams, most major pumping stations, and many sewage treatment plants, telecommunications equipment, port facilities, oil refineries and distribution centers, railroads, and bridges.

No help would be forthcoming from the Jordanians. All of the major bridges linking the two countries were bombed.

Losses: The coalition air forces lost a total of 75 aircraft. Of these 52 were fixed wing and 23 helicopters. Only one was shot down in air-to-air combat. Of those 44, 39 fixed wing and 5 helicopters were lost in combat. Iraq aircraft losses totaled 259 which 105 were lost in combat. An additional 68 fixed wing and 13 helicopters were destroyed on the ground. And 137 were interned in Iran and not returned.

This set the stage for supporting the ground troops and the close air support of the coalition air forces pounded the Iraqi army positions. In some instances, entire Iraqi brigades dug into defensive positions were annihilated in place by bombing in the desert that offered no cover or concealment.

In late February, the Iraqis attempted to flee Kuwait in every manner of vehicle carrying all of the loot they could carry. This massive traffic jam was bombed and strafed by ground attack aircraft in an area that became known as the “Highway of Death.”

Not long after, President Bush ordered the cessation of combat operations. The first Gulf War was over. And the air forces were the main players in the destruction of Iraq’s military.

Photos Courtesy: DOD/Wikipedia

US Says No Military Support for Kurdish YPG in Afrin

In the crisis that is growing along the Turkish-Syrian border, the United States has said, the Syrian Kurdish fighters known as YPG, which were armed and supported by the US-led coalition are no longer part of the war on the Islamic State and receive no support.

These comments may calm some of the tensions between the U.S. and Turkey. The Turks, are threatening a cross-border military action to wipe out YPG, which it considers to be a terrorist organization. It would seem now that the United States would not intervene on behalf of the YPG in the Afrin region, along the southern border of Turkey.

The comments – reported by Turkey’s Anadolu news agency – came after senior Turkish officials threatened an imminent attack against the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).
The US has viewed the YPG as the most effective fighting force against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) – and has provided weapons, training, and air support.
An estimated 8,000-10,000 YPG soldiers are operating in the Afrin region in Syria’s Aleppo province, which borders Turkey’s Hatay and Kilis areas.
YPG is considered a “terrorist group” by Turkey because of its ties to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long armed conflict in Turkey, killing an estimated 40,000 people.
Pentagon spokesman Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway told Anadolu the US-led coalition wasn’t involved with the YPG in the Afrin area.
“We don’t consider them as part of our ‘Defeat ISIS’ operations, which is what we are doing there and we do not support them. We are not involved with them at all,” Rankine-Galloway told the news agency.

The U.S. is insisting that it is training and supporting SDF units and the fighters along Turkey’s border are internally oriented only. They are there to protect the flow of terrorists from crossing the border.

The Turks consider the Kurds terrorists themselves as Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Tuesday slammed the idea. “Is the duty of protecting NATO borders left to terror groups? We can protect our own borders,” calling the fighters marauders.

The Turks are insistent that they will not allow any NATO force to equip or train any of the YPG units operating in the area.

To read the entire article from Al Jazeera, click here:

Photo courtesy AP

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 8, Day 4

Shoulders and back day in the gym before heading off to do a 5-mile rucksack march in under 75 minutes. Conduct the ruck over varied terrain. It will probably be a very early start here in the Northeast as we’re supposed to get hit with another snow storm. So be careful out there.

Remember to hydrate throughout the march. It is a good habit to get used to doing while rucking and a needed one for the time when you’re in the course. Mark your time down in your workout logbook.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, behind the neck (go as heavy as possible)

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, front

3 x 10 Dumbbell Side Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Front Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Arnold Press

3 x 8 Shoulder Shrugs

5-mile Rucksack march (45-lb minimum) over varied terrain, 75-minutes maximum

Stretch well after completion

January 16, 2002, Shoe Bomber Richard Reid Is Indicted in Boston

The attempted shoe bombing by Richard Reid, a British national, on a Paris to Miami flight occurred more than 16 years ago but even today, passengers are made to take off their shoes as US airport security remains in reactive rather than proactive mode.

Reid was arrested after being detained on the flight when a flight attendant caught him with his shoe in his lap, a fuse attached and attempting to detonate the bomb in his shoe. He was indicted on nine counts, one of which was dropped. He pleaded guilty to eight counts in Federal Court and was sentenced to three life sentences plus 110 years and fined $2 million.

Background History: Reid was born in England on 12 August 1973. His mother was English and his father, a Jamaican, was a career criminal and that checkered background would shape Reid’s life as well.

He was arrested several times for a being a graffiti artist before moving up to street crimes and was sentenced for robbery in 1992. It was during this time in prison that he converted to Islam and became radicalized.

After his release from prison, Reid attended the same mosque in London as Zacarias Moussaoui, a convicted September 11 conspirator. At the Finsbury Park Mosque in London, his loud anti-American views attracted terrorist recruiters. Then he began to associate with Al Qaeda radicals, including Djamal Beghal, one of the leaders of the foiled plan for a 2001 suicide bombing of the American Embassy in Paris.

Between 1999 and 2000 Reid traveled to Pakistan and then Afghanistan where he received terrorist training at a camp in Afghanistan. After his return to Britain, he traveled to mainland Europe where he goes to the British consulate in Brussels, Belgium and claims he’s lost his passport and is issued a new one.

While traveling abroad, he corresponded with an address in Pakistan and reportedly was receiving his instructions from there.

Preparation For Airplane Bombing: Reid and Saajid Badat, another British national returned to Pakistan in November 2001, and subsequently travelled overland to Afghanistan. There they were issued “shoe bombs” by their al Qaeda contacts, which were casual boots that were adapted to be covertly smuggled onto aircraft before being used to destroy them.

Later forensic analysis of both bombs showed that they contained the same plastic explosive and that the respective lengths of detonator cord had come from the same lot: the cut mark on Badat’s cord exactly matched that on Reid’s. The two would-be terrorists returned separately to the United Kingdom in early December 2001. Reid went to Belgium for 10 days before catching a train to Paris on December 16.

On December 21, 2001, Reid purchased a ticket and then attempted to board a flight from Paris to Miami, Florida. He was stopped by security personnel because his dishevelled physical appearance aroused the suspicions. Also, Reid had paid for the ticket in cash and did not answer all of their questions, nor had he checked any luggage for the transatlantic flight.

However, after additional screening by the French National Police resulted in Reid’s being re-issued a ticket for a flight on the following day. He returned to the Paris airport on December 22, and boarded American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami. At that time he wearing his boots that had been packed with plastic explosives in their hollowed-out bottoms.

Near Disaster on Flight 63: As the flight was well over the Atlantic and shortly after the meal service, passengers on the flight complained of a smoke smell. One of the flight attendants, Hermis Moutardier, tried to find the source. She found Reid sitting alone near a window, attempting to light a match. Moutardier, thinking that Reid was attempting to smoke, warned him that smoking was not allowed on the airplane, and Reid promised to stop.

A few minutes later, Moutardier, decided to check on Reid and found him leaning over in his seat, and tried to get his attention, which he ignored. After she asked him what he was doing, Reid grabbed her and shoved her to the floor, revealing one shoe in his lap, a fuse leading into the shoe, and a lit match.

Moutardier tried grabbing Reid again, but the 6’4, 200 pound Reid shoved her to the floor again. This time she screamed for help. When another flight attendant, Cristina Jones, arrived the two women wrestled with him, Reid bit Jones’ thumb.

By now other passengers had heard the commotion and flocked to the flight attendant’s aid. They wrestled and subdued Reid to floor where they applied plastic handcuffs, and used belts, seatbelts and headphone cords to immobilize him. A doctor onboard gave Reid a dose on Valium that was in the aircraft’s medical kit.

The pilots diverted the flight to Logan Airport in Boston. There, the aircraft landed in the middle of a runway where the passengers were bused to the terminal and Reid was arrested by the FBI. Just by luck, the explosives didn’t ignite. It was later thought that the combination of rainy, wet weather and the perspiration of Reid’s feet had gotten the explosives wet enough to not detonate.

Legal Proceedings: Reid was initially charged with “interfering with the performance of duties of flight crew members by assault or intimidation”, a crime which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. But on January 16, a Federal grand jury indicted him on nine counts, including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, attempted murder of passengers on an aircraft, and attempted homicide of US nationals overseas.

Federal law enforcement officers testified that Reid’s shoes contained 10 ounces (283 g) of explosive material characteristic of plastic explosive (C-4) which was enough to blow a hole in the fuselage and cause the plane to crash.

An FBI agent testified that forensic analysis had identified the chemicals as PETN, the primary explosive, and TATP (triacetone triperoxide), a chemical needed to detonate the bomb with a fuse and match.

After pleading not guilty to the charges, one charge was subsequently dropped.

Attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction,
Attempted homicide,
Placing or transporting an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft or public mass transportation vehicle,
Attempted murder,
Interference with flight crew members and attendants on an aircraft
Attempted destruction of an aircraft or public mass transportation vehicle
Using a destructive device during and in relation to a crime of violence,
Attempted wrecking of an aircraft or public mass transportation vehicle.

But in October 2002, Reid pleaded guilty to the other eight charges against him. He was sentenced to three life terms plus 110 years and fined $2 million dollars. During his sentencing, Reid claimed to be a soldier of al-Qaeda and an enemy of the United States. Judge William Young put him in his place by declaring, “You are not an enemy combatant, you are a terrorist” … “You are not a soldier in any army, you are a terrorist. To call you a soldier gives you far too much stature. (he then pointed to a U.S. flag) You see that flag, Mr. Reid? That is the flag of the United States of America. That flag will be here long after you are forgotten.”

He is currently incarcerated at the Federal SuperMax Florence ADX in Colorado where the most dangerous prisoners are held.

Photos:Wikipedia

Russia Conducts Massive ICBM Missile Drills in Siberia

The Russian military is conducting massive drills in Siberia beginning on Monday that will involve truck-mounted intercontinental ballistic missile launchers. Russia’s Defense Ministry identified the military drills that will involve the use of their Topol-M and Yars missile launchers.

Those types of nuclear-tipped ICBMs are mounted on heavy all-terrain vehicles, making it more difficult for an enemy to spot them. The ministry said the drills are being conducted across a vast area from the Ivanovo region just northeast of Moscow to the Irkutsk region in eastern Siberia.
It said the exercise will focus on the deployment of missiles and fending off possible attacks by enemy scouts, but will not involve practice launches.

While the Defense Ministry listed the drills as strictly routine and defensive in nature, given the latest fiasco in Hawaii with the botched missile alert given to the population and the on-going rattling of the nuclear saber in North Korea, this drill couldn’t come at worse time.

The Russians may have had this planned well in advance, but it is bound to raise eyebrows in Europe as well as Washington. And given the increasing tensions between US and NATO countries with the fighting in Ukraine, this military drill will be watched as closely as possible.

To read the entire article from ABC News, click here:

Photo courtesy AP

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 8, Day 3

Tuesday is Leg Day, time for building strength and endurance, begin with pull-ups and towel pull-ups for those who don’t have access to ropes for climbing. Then squats, lunges and the sled followed by a four-mile run in under 32 minutes which is the standard.

If your gym has no sled, you can substitute a Fireman’s Carry with a training partner.

Training:

Continue to prep for the UBRR

3 x Pullups 10 reps

3 x Towel pull-ups 10 reps

3 x Front Squat 20-15-12 reps (lighter weight)

3 x Goblet Squats 20-15-12 reps (lighter weight)

4 x Sled push heavier weight or Fireman’s Carry

3 x 10 reps Dumbbell Lunges

3 x 20 Side planks

4-Mile run (32 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Syrian Rebels Counterattack Government Forces in Idlib Province

Syrian rebels have launched a counter-attack against government forces and their Iranian-backed allies in Idlib province. The fighting, which is raging right along the Turkish border is a source of rising tension for Turkey’s government.

Fighting raged in Idlib, where a government offensive helped by Iran-backed militia has gathered pace in the last two weeks, according to rebels and a military media unit run by Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which is fighting on the Syrian government side.
Idlib province is the biggest chunk of Syria still held by rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad, with a population swollen by Syrians who have fled government advances in other parts of the country. Assad has defeated rebels in many parts of western Syria with critical help from Russia and Iran.
The recent military escalation in western Syria has included an unprecedented attack by a squadron of drones on Russian military bases and has cast a shadow over Moscow’s efforts to convene a Syria peace congress later this month.
The Hezbollah media unit said the army and its allies were repelling a “fierce assault” by the Nusra Front, formerly al Qaeda’s affiliate in the Syrian war, and factions linked to it.
Rebels fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) said in a statement they had set up a joint operations room to repel the offensive and take back areas seized by the government in northeastern Hama and southern Idlib.

The latest push by the army and its allies has the Turks irate since they have accused both Iran and Russia in going back on a de-escalation zone in Idlib.

To read the entire article from Reuters, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

US Will Reinvestigate Hezbollah for Suspected “Narcoterrorism”

The US Justice Department has announced that they will create a task force and investigate alleged drug trafficking by Hezbollah, the terrorist group that is state-sponsored by Iran.

Justice Department officials are trying to crack down on what they labeled “narcoterrorism” by the terror group that is based in Lebanon. The announcement follows reports that the Obama administration had dropped the probe during talks for the Iran nuclear deal.

The unit will be made up of specialists in money laundering, drug trafficking and terrorism, the department said. It will seek to target Hezbollah’s entire sprawling network, which is thought to reach from Africa to as far as Central and South America.
“The Justice Department will leave no stone unturned in order to eliminate threats to our citizens from terrorist organizations and to stem the tide of the devastating drug crisis,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “The team will initiate prosecutions that will restrict the flow of money to foreign terrorist organizations as well as disrupt violent international drug trafficking operations.”
The move comes on the back of a December report published by US news magazine Politico, which accused the Obama administration of stymieing a probe into Hezbollah’s drug trafficking operations for fear of jeopardizing the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.
In 2011, the Obama administration said it had uncovered billions of dollars worth of laundered money that had been filtered through the Beirut-based Lebanese Canadian Bank, a supposed “primary money laundering concern.” Meanwhile, funds from overseas operations were laundered through Panamanian shell companies.
According to Derek Maltz, a former official at the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the proceeds were used by Hezbollah to buy weapons for its operations in Syria and to support Iran-backed rebels in Yemen, who are fighting Saudi-sponsored government forces over control of the country.

This latest move against Hezbollah, whose power is growing in the Middle East, could signal that President Trump is looking to move away from the Iran nuclear deal. This deal that the Obama administration was behind and that the President during the 2016 election was so critical of has been a contentious thorn in Trump’s side.

To read the entire article from Deutsche Welle, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 8, Day 2

A good workout is the best way to start Monday and the week off right. We’ll start with the basics of pushups, sit-ups, and crunches, then to the bar for V-ups, pull-ups and dips before a 5-mile run in 40 minutes or less in a mini UBRR test.

Remember to mark your progress in your workout log book.

Training:

More preparation for the UBRR

1 x 1-minute Pushups

1 x 1-minute Sit-ups

1 x 1-minute, Crunches

1 x 1-minute, V-ups

1 x Dips as many as possible to muscle failure

1 x Pullups as many as possible or to muscle failure

5-mile run (40 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 8, Day 1

Time for our Sunday morning ruck march. Do a quick warmup of pushups and sit-ups before heading out. Stretch well both before and after the event. Remember to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated out there.

Today would a great time to wear your second pair of boots for the Selection Course. Don’t wait until then to get another pair broken in. Check for hot spots and blisters, by the time the Selection course rolls around, you’ll be an expert at this and shouldn’t have as many issues in that area.

Training:

Warm up

2 x 20 Pushups

2 x 20 Sit-ups

6-mile Rucksack march over varied terrain with a 45-pound minimum. And mark your times in your workout log book. The standard is 90 minutes, you should be looking to better that.

Stretch well after completion