The Washington Times
www.washingtontimes.com

Marines have new devices, goals

By David Axe
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published February 14, 2006

AL ASAD, Iraq -- Marine Corps aviators at this sprawling air base in western
Anbar province are adapting Cold War airplanes and traditional tactics to a
new kind of warfare -- snooping for insurgents and terrorists who hide among
innocent Iraqis, and taking out pinpoint targets in hectic urban fighting.

"It's not just about dropping bombs anymore," said 1st Lt. Kevin
Lampinen, 26, a flier with Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 332
from Beaufort, S.C., deployed to Al Asad to support Marines and soldiers
battling insurgents in contested towns such as Ramadi and Hit.

The squadron flies 12 two-seat Hornet fighter jets that were designed
for Cold War battles against other jets and modern armies. But in Iraq,
where the enemy is often unseen and the biggest killers are improvised
explosive devices, or IEDs, many old tools and tactics don't apply.

To keep the traditional promise of Marines aviation to support the men
on the ground, aviators have adapted. Jets designed to jam enemy radar now
are jamming the radio signals that detonate IEDs. And bombers are trading
some of their ordnance for new sensors that can spot insurgents in crowded
cities.

"Our jets came out here with an upgraded targeting pod called Litening
that is a huge step forward," said Maj. Joseph Reedy, 36, of the 332
Squadron.

Squadron commanding officer Lt. Col. David Wilbur said the pods, which
include TV and infrared cameras and can help guide bombs, enable crews to
switch easily between looking for insurgents and attacking them, even in
poor weather.

The sophisticated pods made their combat debut on Marine Corps jets
during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and since have become standard equipment.

"There's no reason to take off without one," said Lt. Col. Wilbert
Thomas, 42, commander of Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 224,
also from Beaufort, which served in Anbar between January and August 2005.

Maj. Reedy describes a November mission in which he and Lt. Lampinen, in
a section of two jets, responded to calls for help from Marines
participating in "Operation Steel Curtain" -- an offensive intended as a
"kind of cleansing" of western Iraq, in the words of 332 intelligence
officer Capt. Jeremy Demott, 32.

The Marines on the ground "were ... taking fire from a lot of different
directions," Maj. Reedy said. "We ended up having to go below the weather to
visually seek out these targets ... and we actually ended up emptying our
guns. I felt we really helped those guys out."

After expending all their ammunition, Maj. Reedy and Lt. Lampinen
switched on their pods to give the ground troops a big-picture view of the
battlefield.

Steel Curtain and other recent operations "have caused the insurgency to
go underground," said Capt. Demott, the intelligence officer. This and the
continued use of IEDs means quick and detailed reconnaissance is more
important than ever, and the 332 Squadron has adopted to the need.

Four of the squadron's jets can be equipped with nose-mounted cameras
that replace the standard gun. The cameras enable analysts on the ground
such as Sgt. Elizabeth Zakar, 27, to spot IEDs and report them to ground
units. New equipment is coming out to speed up this process.

The Marine Corps is a relatively small force compared with its sister
services, and its size means many Marines in different units know each other
personally.

"I know that's my buddy down there," said Capt. Chris Arms, 29. "So I'm
going to do everything I can, squeeze every drop of gas out of the airplane
to stay on station as long as I can. With the Marines having Anbar province,
that's our responsibility."

"It's all about supporting the ground troops," Lt. Lampinen said.

Its good to see the Marines gaining ground in the battle for the Al Anbar province. The technology will greatly help the effort. I was in the unit that secured Al Asad Airbase, and were the first U.S. Forces on that installation. I am a firsthand witness as to how new field tech makes the job easier.
The solution still lies in keeping politics off the battlefield and keep sending accurate rounds downrange.