Pace of close-air support, cargo transport slows - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times

Pace of close-air support, cargo transport slows

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. — The Air Force is on track to drop far fewer bombs, transport less cargo, do less close-air support and pump less gas in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2009 than in 2008.

The Air Force has seen increases in airlifts, airdrops and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, according to U.S. Air Forces Central. The figures are through Nov. 2.

The biggest growth — 46 percent — has been in airdrops to remote locations. About 24.1 million pounds of supplies have been airdropped so far this year, compared with 16.6 million last year. Most of the increase occurred in Afghanistan, which has more remote bases.

But the jump in airdrops has caused an overall decrease in the amount of cargo transported because airdrop missions carry less tonnage than traditional missions. The Air Force transported about 176,000 tons of cargo last year, compared with 126,000 so far this year.

“A significant amount of our airlift now is engaged with the airdrop process, and with [that] we lose some of our carriage capability,” said Lt. Col. John Edwards, AFCent’s deputy chief of plans and requirements.

Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions grew about 12 percent. The Air Force has flown about 15,400 ISR missions over Iraq and Afghanistan so far this year, already surpassing the 2008 total of 13,781.

“Our ISR capability ... has been skyrocketing,” said Col. Ken Craib, AFCent’s deputy director of operations.

The ISR missions also are migrating from Iraq to Afghanistan. Last year, the Air Force flew about twice as many sorties in Iraq as Afghanistan; so far this year, about 20 percent more sorties have been flown in Iraq.

The biggest decrease — 36 percent — was in the number of bombs dropped in both war zones, from 5,966 in 2008 to 3,808 so far in 2009. The number in Afghanistan fell 27 percent; the number in Iraq went down 87 percent. So far this year, 119 bombs have been dropped in Iraq — only 15 since May.

“We’re seeing a lot less weapons employed, both in Iraq ... as well as Afghanistan, where the commander has issued some new guidance ... on how to employ air power,” Edwards said.

In June, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan, ordered air and ground forces not to attack buildings where insurgents may be hiding among civilians unless coalition troops are at risk and friendly forces cannot safely disengage.

A 21 percent decline came in close air support missions, which have become arguably the Air Force’s most visible mission in the wars.

The number dropped from 37,514 in 2008 to 29,546 so far in 2009. Iraq saw CAS sorties decrease 59 percent. In Afghanistan, where ground fighting has intensified, CAS sorties increased by 15 percent, from 19,092 to 21,946.

“We expect that to increase as the ground forces disburse and they’re further away from their organic fire,” Edwards said.

There were also decreases in tanker sorties, from 18,361 to 14,790; in fuel offloaded, from 1.1 billion pounds to 900 million; and in aircraft refueled, from 86,288 to 68,829.