Its nice to see they're increasing their options.

Starts with "I" ... ends with "n" ... 1982 Flock of Seagulls hit?

I'm guessing it means nothing, Ace. It's not a routine deployment for the 122nd, but it's a routine deployment for the Air Force.

Like Dave said, just a standard AEF (Air Expeditionary Force) rotation. The active duty does them every 120 days.

Ohhhh.....

thanks for the hint, phinn. I didn't bother to read the link, so I had no idea why Ace was so worked up about this (I figured fark explained it to him). Let's keep this hush hush.

But why not just use B2's? Its a no risk operation being flown out of Missouri.

This gives diplomacy some teeth. Let's them know we are serious. Couple of years ago when we were in talks with N. Korea and Bush was talking about all options being open, we moved a bunch of B-52s or B-2s(can't remember) to Diego Garcia during negotiations.

Brad-- I recall it as Guam. DG is for SW Asia ops, Guam is for PACAF missions.

Still, your larger point stands: it's gunboat (gunplane?) diplomacy, 21st Century style.

These aren't the right jets for an Iran raid. They'd use the F/A-22 Raptor unit.

Mmmm.... Raptors......

You're right Dave, it was Guam.

My bad.

The F-22 is not fully operational yet. The first units are just now standing up. They have yet to deploy for a 'real-world' contingency.

-Phat

Ace, the Jawa link is messed up. It reads: "www.ace.mu.nu//www.mypetjawa.mu.nu".

The 122nd flies F16s... which is hardly an aircraft that we will send over Iran...

Someone at Rusty's makes the point that a bombing campaign in Iran could have very bad effects in Iraq (not arguing against bombing Iran, only recommending waiting a while).

I wonder if maybe that's a good idea. Iraq is basically stable right now, but not very. Sure, it's better than the MSM will portray it, but if all of a sudden a mushroom cloud appears over Tehran, how long will that stability last? I'd hate to see Iraqi progress jeopardized by a premature invasion.

That said, I don't mind sabre-rattling one bit, and if Iranian agents can no longer support insurgents in Iraq, it might have a net stabilizing effect there.

Sounds like they are trying to ramp up the combat readiness of these ANG units for Middle Eastern ops. If the IDF does go after Iran's goodies at some point in the future or Syria is dealt with as they should be, there will be a need for mucho aircraft for a lot of missions and a lot of area to be covered and or patrolled. The only way of accomplishing this is to integrate ANG units into the mix which means they must be combat ready. They also must rotate regular Air Force units stateside which I doubt is possible without mixing in ANG units. There's nothing like a foreign deployment to get the juices flowing and focus attention. Best. Training. Environment.

Laddy,

Sorry, but you're wrong. The ANG fighter units have the same readiness benchmarks that the Active Duty units do (assuming equivalent missions/roles). The ANG fighter squads have been deploying to the Desert since the old days of Desert Shield/Storm and Operations Southern/Northern Watch. They just do it with less frequency than the active duty units. Which is not a detriment, seeing they have MUCH less pilot turnover than any active duty unit.

Hate to be a bitch about this, but I'm a pilot in the AF reserve and although I don't contribute much on this site, I just hate to see Loose Shit.

Just to chime in on the F-22 thought- they're still primarily training for air-to-air stuff. Someone on duty can probably overrule me, but the F-16 would be a really good choice for Wild Weasel work following 117s doing some precision anti-AAA work. I can't imagine not sending something with a bigger payload afterwards, even if doing primarily precision bombing (i.e. the B-1).

Given the Iranian Air Force's numbers and unknown anti-air strength, I don't think I'd send B-52s in just yet- B-52s are hard to survive in without air supremacy. My friends at Barksdale would probably kick my ass for saying it.

Anyone in the AF want to discuss typical raid composition?

tmi3rd

The entire Middle East has been referred to operationally as SWA for as long as I can remember. Make no bones of it.

Officers' Club answered the question. John Noonan says it's just a typical rotation into the region.

http://officersclub.blogspot.com/2006/01/where-is-122nd-fighter-wing-going.html

Oh and he agrees that we should send the Raptor.

To borrow something from the military I will say one thing:

OPSEC, think OPSEC before posting.

All Things Beautiful TrackBack The Rules Of Engagement

Flap Trackback: Iran Nuclear Watch: United Nations Security Council Referral Will NOT End Nuclear Development

Earlier comment on OPSEC on the money. Everyone in the world can read this guys. Just an ex-ground pounder who doesn't want to see our guys get hurt.

The F-22 (no longer the F/A-22) is in fact operational as of mid-Dec.

Anyone who wants to know what we'll likely do to Iran is welcome to check out GLOBAL STRIKE CONOPS. It's unclassified.

If we mounted a sustained air campaign, we'd still use F-16s along with all the rest of our available systems, including the ANGs.