Coinciding with increased tensions with Iran over the resumption of illicit uranium enrichment, the U.S. Air Force has dispatched additional warplanes to the region in a not-so-subtle sign, military sources say.
An entire wing of F-16s, the Air National Guard's 122nd Fighter Wing based in Fort Wayne, Ind., left for a base in southwest Asia on Tuesday. A wing is usually about 72 aircraft and several hundred support personnel.
F-16s and support personnel from the 4th Fighter Squadron of the 388th Fighter Wing based at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, also deployed recently to Iraq. The squadron has 12 F-16s.
Both units' F-16s could be used in any military operation to take out Iranian nuclear facilities.
A spokesman for the U.S. Central Command Air Forces, which runs air operations in the region, said the F-16 deployment of about 80 jets is part of a rotation and is not related to Iran's uranium reprocessing.
Do we have no diplomats left in this country? How come our only reponse to disobedient countries is military force?
Well we can rattle our sabers all we want the Irans are all to aware that we cannot back it up.
If Pat Robertson ran off and founded his own country, and was well on his way to getting nuclear weapons, do you think diplomacy would have any effect on him?
ReplyDeleteThat article is misleading.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, the deployment of the squadrons from Hill AFB and Fort Wayne are part of the planned AEF rotation in support of operations in Iraq. What the article fails to mention is that the deployment was planned over a year ago and they're replacing units leaving the theater of operation. There is not an increase in the number of fighter aircraft. Two fighter units are going home and two went overseas to replace them.
That article was also so poorly researched that they somehow concluded that Fort Wayne has 68 aircraft. Fort Wayne is a standard Air National Guard fighter wing. They have a single fighter squadron and no where even close to having 68 aircraft. They're currently transitioning from Block 30 F-16's to Block 40, but they have fewer than 30 aircraft total, and not all aircraft are deploying. If you'd also check the Indiana news you'd see that their deployment is for approximately 40 days, which is the standard deployment cycle for Air National Guard fighter units.
Welcome Steven.
ReplyDeleteI will pay attention closer to how this plays out and I certainly do give credence to your response to the articles inaccuracies. I always welcome any informed criticisms of my posts.
If you have any more information that will clarify subjects that I tackle on this site, please feel free to volunteer them.
Here's an article that actually bothered to mention that the deployment of Fort Wayne is short term and is part of a rotation of other Air National Guard units.
ReplyDeleteSouthwestern grad headed to Iraq