A Block 5 MQ-9 Reaper in Afghanistan with the external fuel tank for extended range. USAF
The Warzone/The Drive: The USAF Expands MQ-9 Reaper Drone Force in Afghanistan to Its Largest Size Ever
The air war over Afghanistan is rapidly heating up and a huge deployment of Reapers drones is the latest major development.
The U.S. Air Force says its force of MQ-9 Reapers at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan is now the largest deployment of the type to a single base ever. The drones are part of a larger surge in the air war over the country, which could still include yet more unmanned aircraft in the near future as other services, such as the U.S. Navy, consider their own unmanned contributions.
The Air Force says there are now nearly three squadrons worth of Reapers at Kandahar, though it declined to give specific numbers, according to a report by Stars and Stripes on Jan. 26, 2018. The size and scope of American presence there had steadily shrunk since the NATO-led coalition officially ended combat operations in 2014. It has begun to grow again as the United States has reinvigorated its efforts against the Taliban, Al Qaeda, ISIS, and other militant groups in the country, deploying additional ground forces, including elements of the U.S. Army’s first ever dedicated advisory unit, the 1st Security Forces Assistance Brigade, or 1st SFAB.
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WNU Editor: Drones are not the only air asset that is being deployed to Afghanistan .... The A-10 Is Back Over Afghanistan (Popular Mechanics). Here is an easy prediction. In 2017 the U.S. dropped 4,300 bombs in Afghanistan .... Exporting the Surge: Trump Doubles US Afghan Bombing Over Two Previous Years (Sputnik). That number is going to pale to the number of bombs that will be dropped this year.
1 comment:
Barack Obama tried a "surge" to Afghanistan. It failed miserably. Now Donald Trump wants to try a "surge" to Afghanistan. A definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. I agree with this definition.
The Soviet Union could not win in Afghanistan. At the time the Soviets rolled in, they had the most powerful conventional forces the world had ever known yet they couldn't wim. Relatively speaking US forces circa late 2001 were no where close to the Soviet forces who invaded Afghanistan and lost. At the time, I asked myself "what makes us tnink we can win nere when far more powerful forces failed?" Do we hwve some sort of guile the Soviets lacked?"
Anyone who has watched or worked with/against the US government knows the US government does NOT have guile. In fact, the opposite is true. Americans understand this. This is why we voted for a businessman as POTUS in droves. We knew that our "masters" would try and disenfranchise us.
We expected this. We also expected better from DJT in terms of foreign polic. He's essentially BHO on steroids especially with regards to Russia.
It's long past time to end Cold War 2. To the best I can tell, Russia"s terms for doing so essentially involve no cost to us and offer huge upside potential benefits. As such, experential common sense suggests we do so now.
Is there an American Mikial Gorbachev? I hope and pray so. America's survival may very well drprns on it. Many of us hoped Donald Trump would be this man. Candidate Trump was very smart in this area. POTUS Trump has sadly lost his way.
Why is this so? Perhaps the political environment means such sober minded and prudent advisors have been purged. In the face of stiff and organized opposition, doing that which is right requires tremendous character and courage. Few have it. I've always been impressed by those who do.
I pray DJT and his team find such courage. The patience of Russia, the Russian people, and Vladimir Putin is not infinite. At some point, their patience with us is going to wear out. They will not strive eith us forever. At such time, they will mete our severe punishment against us up to and including cutting off America vrom being a country forever.
It's vitally important that we get this right. At this point, Russian terms are essentially cost free. Prudence says take the terms now. We've dug ourselves a pretty deep hole here. When in a hole, the best approach is to STOP DIGGING!!
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