Integrating Joint Fires for Special Operations

The scene is rural Iraq around 0300 local as a B-1 drops three 2000lb Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) on the target compound for a twelve-man Special Operations Forces (SOF) team. Seconds later, the team enters the target compound searching for the remains of a known terrorist leader. As they enter the site, a much larger than expected enemy resistance is encountered coming out of an underground shelter beneath the compound. A hundred angry enemy fighters begin to open fire at close range. As the team falls back outside the compound walls, the team leader asks the Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) where the fire support is. The answer he gets is "stand-by." The JTAC calls for immediate fire support to an AC-130 gunship that was told to hold 20 nautical miles away to stay out of the bombers way. The gunship calls that it will be in position to fire in five minutes. A two ship of A-10s is standing by 20 miles away for deconfliction as well and says that they will be on station in three minutes for a situation update. The B-1, that just dropped the JDAMs, states it will be ready for another bomb run in eight minutes. As the team is taking fire and falling back, the five to ten minutes that it will take to get actual rounds on the enemy is an eternity away. As the team gets to a defensible position, the team leader says to himself, "This fight will be over in five minutes. Something has to be done about this. It is taking way too long to get fire support on target." The frustrated AC-130, A-10 and helicopter crews all report after the action that they could have gotten a lot closer to the target area if the planners and JTAC would just trust us.