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COIN for Aviators
Okay, enough about Lady Gaga. And Israeli settlements. It's time to post on counterinsurgency again, and this is in response to an aviator's request for information on how he should prepare his unit for counterinsurgency. One of the resident aviators at CNAS, "Herbal" Carmen, weighs in with the following advice. (Herbal and the role his E-2's play in the contemporary operating environment, meanwhile, are discussed at greater length in Air & Space Magazine.) Take it away, Herbal:
We aviators spend lots of effort to train how to blow stuff up, and we’re pretty good at that. But how do we train to combat where blowing stuff up isn’t always the answer? In 2003, as the war in Iraq began, we were really focused on how to maximize proper weapons delivery on the battlefield. With over 1000 sorties a day on the Air Tasking Order, the battle was as much about efficiently getting aircraft to the target area as it was physically placing the weapon on the target.
Part of that standard pre-deployment training involved learning the rules of engagement, reviewing the laws of armed conflict and such lawfare topics that if not presented in the right way can cause aviators to turn off the ears or to turn violent against the JAGs giving the training. Our JAGs in 2003 trained us pretty well with a series of increasingly challenging case studies. Even so, what we focused on most was making sure that the air wing could do more than hit the broadside of the barn with a JDAM or LGB and then get back aboard the ship on the first pass with a 45-55 second interval.
When the shooting started in 2003, the ground forces that moved first. On Kitty Hawk, we made no bones about the fact that we were supporting the troops on the ground that had to sleep in the dirt. Our squadron sent our Top Gun-trained weapons tactics instructor in to work with the V Corps’ ASOC and we made friends with the MEF bubbas that ran the Marines’ CAS show. Both of those moves helped immensely. We were able to do a much better job at getting jets linked up with JTACs and jets were able to do a better job of getting weapons off the wings onto the right targets.
What was surprising was the rapid pace at which the battlefield changed. The Fire Support Coordination Line we knew when we briefed inevitably changed by the time we went feet dry. Our situational awareness to what was actually happening on the ground wasn’t nearly what it should have been. We now have two Army liaison officers on each carrier. An article from Nimitz’s deployment talks about how important they were for their fight in Afghanistan. When we deployed on Lincoln in 2008, we also had LNOs on board. Since then it seems that the LNOs are probably even more in tune with what’s happening on the ground and doing a better job of turning that over to the aircrews.
Before the Sun Kings deployed in 2008, we started focusing our weekly briefings on intelligence topics beyond order of battle. Our intelligence officer talked about human networks in Iraq and Afghanistan, piracy near Somalia, terrorism near the Philippines, etc. These briefs were very general and often just touched on each topic.
We also watched a few of the Frontline series of videos. The one I thought helped teach us the most about COIN was The Insurgency.
Looking back, we could have done more that that built on previous knowledge. We could have brought in Army officers, SEALs, and Marines that had been there in the previous year to talk about what was happening on the ground. We did bring in one Marine who was training at 29 Palms with his battalion and it was very well-received.
About the same time in the workup cycle, I found Ex’s blog and others (Small Wars Journal, Long War Journal, etc.) that described what was happening on the battlefield. We started circulating occasional links to stories about what was happening, hoping one or two of the aircrew would read the articles and start talking about them in the Ready Room. Some did, and it helped incrementally. We even started to find copies of printed stories with written comments in the ready room. Even aboard the ship, where the internet connection was painfully slow, I would try to log on and then read and forward a story or two each day on what was happening.
The reason that we did this had nothing to do with COIN. It boiled down to one thing that many Hawkeye bubbas hold true: superior knowledge is required to bring order to chaos. E-2C Hawkeye crews need to know more about what’s happening in the battlespace than anyone else out there because we’re often the only ones airborne that interact with everyone on the battlefield. That’s why many of us spend hours and hours geeking out on tactics manuals, SPINS, commander’s intent messages, etc. COIN was just the context. In fact, at first we didn’t even know it as COIN.
So based on that what advice would I give to an aviation unit training for COIN?
- Train aviators to be experts in their machines first. General McChrystal’s guidance doesn’t do anything to get an aviator across the ramp onto a pitching deck at night.
- Begin teaching aviators about COIN and about what’s happening on the ground casually. By that I mean, give them something to talk about and bring that topic up at the lunch table without lecturing. Let the discussions happen. Because over time, they will develop their own professional interest. Those discussions then spread to the ready room to the planning room to the cockpit.
- Get the intel officer outside his comfort zone and talk about people instead of weapons systems. Have him talk to events that are happening and place them in context of who is who in the zoo. MG Flynn’s report is the best example of why we need to look beyond order of battle.
- Watch some of the Frontline series videos and others every so often and then talk about the show afterward. Make popcorn.
- Get some of the books about counterinsurgency in the squadron libraries. Our Navy reading program does not have many, so pay attention to some of the reading lists that are floating around and buy a few of the best for the squadron.
- Bring in guys who have been there to talk about their experiences. Aviators are keenly interested in hearing from the folks that have “been there.” That knowledge and wisdom is soaked, and aviators build a human connection to the unit they’re supporting. JTACS, company commanders, battalion commanders would all make great guests.
- Get the JAGs involved, but make sure they tailor the training to the attention spans of aviators. Case studies are a very good way to do this.
- Do not fill up a no fly day with training and lectures on subjects that don’t immediately appear to be directly affecting safety of flight or mission accomplishment. Nothing stops learning faster than a rest day filled with death by powerpoint.
- Make understanding how we’re fighting the war on the ground a part of professional training, not just a subject tacked on before the transit to theater. Anything added on in the waning days of workups will be seen as a check in the block.
Ex: Greatly appreciate the
Ex: Greatly appreciate the help you and everyone at CNAS has been able to give me thus far!
I'm sure Herbal was a great
I'm sure Herbal was a great E-2 ACO or whatever, but unless this post was written as direct advice to other E-2C operators there is little to be gleaned by aviators who will carry weapons (helo or fixed wing) and deal directly with JTACs on a daily basis. From my experience as a fixed wing pointy nose aviator in Iraq, there are two critical lessons I learned:
1. Know the ground order of battle cold (friendlies at least).
2. Know the terrain cold (urban or rural).
No. 1 allows you to know instantly who you are talking to on the radio, Marines, Army, SOF etc., armor, recon, light infantry etc. This allows you to know who you are supporting and what they are looking for, what there tendancies are. For example: marine recon searches a village a hell of a lot faster than marine infantry.
No. 2 should be obvious, but you should not have to spend time digging through a chart or grg when the JTAC urgently needs you to check out an area.
ISR in the COIN environment is basically about recognizing patterns and what doesn't fit. That takes time, and until they can simulate the activities of thousands in a simulator, there will be no substitute.
Very Interesting, when are
Very Interesting, when are you going to do a write up on Mexico? http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/01/world/main6352799.shtml?tag=strip Just read, and wow is all I have to say. Anyone know any other good reading on Mexico?
Visito, I'm not in any way
Visito, I'm not in any way suggesting you skip your #1 and #2 (we train alongside and across the street from the JTACs as they get their quals). What I'm suggesting is--in addition to what we do to putting bombs on target--we learn about the human terrain and not just the physical terrain. So when the day comes that you get the panicked request for Type III CAS and you don't have the luxury of a confident cleared hot call, you've got some idea about what's really going on on top of terrain you carefully studied in the planning phase. Part of that comes from the LNO brief, but it's better if the LNO's brief informs a broader base of knowledge.
Herbal, like what you've
Herbal, like what you've written here. Think it makes for a great scene setter for aviation COIN but I also agree with Visito that what you are talking about here is less about how aviation contributes to COIN and more about how it understands COIN. An important difference in my opinion.
The number one thing I would recommend for aviators (particularly the pointy nose crowd) is to get out of the killer mindset. Yes, you train extensively to employ munitions accurately (and safely) but that's not COIN. Red Flag in particular but even the Green Flags spend too much time focused on kinetic operations. Its not sexy, and its boring as hell, but training really needs to emphasize ISR employment. After hours of careful surveillance, you *might* get to employ weapons but I can pretty much guarantee that every mission you fly is going to begin and end with ISR stink. To this end, there are two key areas to focus on:
1. Learn to think like Recon. Your job is to observe the battlespace and report that back to the guys on the ground. Some of that you will do over the radio, directly to the guys who need it. But even more of it will be via your end of mission reports to intel and "nothing significant to report" or "no weapons released" just doesn't cut it. I admit, things have changed alot and aircrew are getting better, but there still needs to be a concerted effort in changing the reporting procedures. Talk to your IN and get access to how Pred crews write up their mission results. That is what you are aiming for, though I know that will anger many of you. Get a feel for how they collect, manage, and report their data. Much easier for a DGS crew to do at 1G/0Kts and with plenty of writing materials/desk space, no argument from me here. But you are part of the "unblinking stare" that is providing top cover for all the poor bastards slugging it out on the ground. Real time reports are great for when they are in the middle of an op but long term surveillance and pattern of life analysis requires an eye for detail and extensive reporting. (And then make sure your IN actually gets the info the folks who need it, not just some databank at the CAOC!)
2. Rapid correlation. Manned aircraft with targeting pods tend to be faster and better able to acquire fleeting targets than UAVs. This is not to put down the hardwork of the UAV folks but simply to acknowledge the physics of flight, speed, and altitude. Hell, even the ability of a pilot to observe launches or muzzle flashes from the corner of his eye gives an added benefit over the soda straw view of the UAV. But most importantly is the ability to take a hand-off from some sensor (JSTARS, SIGINT, JTAC, scouts, whatever), find the target quickly, follow it and then hand it off to something slower but with a longer loiter time. And to be able to do this in a crowded urban environment even more so.
Naturally, training is the key here and when you are trying to fill squares for all other requirements, carving out time for this type of long term observation is not easy to do. But it needs to be a focus of all spin-up training. And what doesn't seem important today could be incredibly significant tomorrow so learning to observe patterns of life (what is normal, how much traffic is usually present, where to people tend to congreate) is crucial.
From FL200, COIN is hours of boredom and maybe, maybe a few minutes of coordination prior to release while you listen to the chaos on the radio. But those hours of boredom should actually be hours of intense concentration as you play your role as airborne scout for the folks on the ground. As well as everything Visito recommended...
That's what COIN is for aviators.
BK, thanks, that is a great
BK, thanks, that is a great comment! You're exactly right that what I say is about understanding COIN and not about doing COIN. I believe that once we understand what COIN is about, the senior lieutenants and WTIs will fill the space with great ideas, new tactics, and the right TACADMIN. I think you've got two great points to look into, particularly the reporting. Visito's right that about the simulator's usefulness...at least as we know it today. I can already think of an Air Wing Fallon Dynamic Strike event where we could build on both.
Herbal, you seem to
Herbal, you seem to rehashing both my points in new words. I was pointing out that neither point was particularly evident in your original post. I can't tell you the number of Air Force and Navy aircraft that showed up in MEF battlespace with no clue of what was beneath them, although if you forced me to say so, I'd say the Navy was a little better. I watched the PBS carrier show a couple of years ago, and the aviators were complaining about how the marines were dropping ordinance and the other services weren't back then. There was a reason for that. That was a couple of years ago, and maybe things are better now. Maybe not.
BK is right however, 99% of the job is ISR. ISR is about knowing the terrain, knowing the GOB, recognizing patterns and variations therefrom.
One more point. In a
One more point. In a CAS/COIN environment, aviation works for the ground commander. The Navy is ok at getting this principle; things like sending prospective FAC(A)s to TACP school helps. The Air Force, on the other hand historically just doesn't get this point and quite likely won't in the near future.
Visito, if I'm rehashing
Visito, if I'm rehashing your points it's because I agree with them. But I'm also adding to them, and--based on what you last wrote--it appears that you agree with that part as well. As for the PBS carrier program, it was several years back; but that very mindset in the scene you mention is why we need to understand more about COIN.
If you're suggesting that we Naval Aviators need to learn more about what's in the MEF battlespace, it may be a fair critique. Who would you say knows the MEF battlespace better, the Navy squadrons on the ship or the Navy squadrons on the beach? And why?
I like where this discussion
I like where this discussion is going – and THAT (I believe) is the point of Herbal’s OP.
My .02 is that there is only fractional influence a dude in a plane has on overall COIN impact, other than an occasional kinetic effect. Knowing how to “Bullseye” a DMPI and “not flying into the ground” are basic warfare skills pursued on a Tactical level. (wait-stay with me here)
BK is going in the right direction with “information flow” with “influencing the population” being an end-goal, and ISR certainly contributes. Fact is, COIN “victory” occurs at 0’ MSL. It occurs when “Achmed’s neighbor decides to plant mustard greens instead of poppies this season, and his daughter will marry your son if he will stay home on the farm instead of going away with the ‘radical bully groups’ for weeks at a time.” We don’t have a JDAM full of rainbows to make that happen yet.
Going along with Herbal’s original intent (to spur RR discussions amongst junior/field grade aviators), I’d suggest something along the lines that instigates a discussion of National Strategic Objectives, the players/actors, THE PROCESS, and lessons learned. LT’s are smart enough to WANT to find out WHERE/HOW their airplane at 25,000’ fits into the grand scheme (remember what happens when you take the “M” out of DIME). I think this would seem to be beneficial; assuming today’s LT’s (and Skipper Herbal) will be tomorrow’s flag officers.
Herbal, I'm definitely
Herbal, I'm definitely biased (Marine Aviator) but like Visito said, when AF and Navy (in my experience Navy support was significantly better, but still dramatically less informed than most Marine Air) checked in, they typically had no idea what was going on and we spent their first bag of gas getting them up to speed. MEF FACs and JTACs would frequently call into the TACC and try to request Marine Air specifically for this reason. As our ATO process calls for capabilities, and not platforms, we weren't able to accommodate that, but the implications weren't lost on us. It seems fairly intuitive that aviators who have spent a year on the ground understand the role and capabilities of air in COIN a lot better than those who haven't. The AF & Navy would be incredibly well served by a program that took their aviators out of the cockpit and into the Ground Combat Element.
As for why the Navy does a better job of this than the AF, I think it's written into their culture a bit more. Marine Air is (and always was) at least doctrinally all about supporting troops on the ground, whereas the AF still seems to be task organized around stopping hordes of Soviet MiGs coming from East to West in Europe. The Navy is somewhere in the middle. There was a study about the the efficacy of AF close air support in Iraq, in particular their command structure in Qatar, as contrasted to the MAGTF model a couple of years ago called Team Tiger, which was fairly critical of the Air Force for these reasons.
Next time I give a brief
Next time I give a brief I'll be sure to ask if there are any current or former aviators first. If there are, apparently I'll need to cut it by a third and add Itchy and Scratchy cartoons to stay inside their attention span.
I keed.
And on a totally unrelated topic, for some reason this...
http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2010-04-01-mentors_N.htm
Totally made me think of this....
http://www.thebrushback.com/lsprewell_full.htm
It must be hard living on a retirement, er "retainer" check of 8k or more a month for life plus a 2nd career.
The men on that helicopter
The men on that helicopter and their base-bound commanders probably don't classify as 'aviators' (though the former might; I have no idea). Either way, however, this post strikes me as fantastically relevant and prescient in light of today's disclosures.
As a current MQ-9 driver
As a current MQ-9 driver (and former "fast" mover) let me second what BK posted above. Tactical assets supporting COIN need to pull the fangs in and concentrate on understanding what's going on at ground level and how their presence can assist, be it through ROVERing Litening footage to the JTAC, providing a non-kinetic show of force flyby, or using their FAC(A) expertise to deconflict airspace or provide a viable squirter control plan during a raid. Of course, have your JCAS procedures well in hand in case they need weapons effects, and make sure you place a high premium on avoiding noncombatant casualties to the point of pushing SA to the JTAC. Sometimes you see stuff from overhead that he doesn't.
I'd also add that the wealth of information coming into my GCS through radio/MIRC/VoSIP etc. can play a huge part in cross-cueing info that the JTAC or manned assets may not have. And the chance of gomers on dirtbikes running away from my 130KIAS airframe is fairly small.
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