Patrick McLanahan Collection #1 Read Online Free Page A

represents the start of a generational shift in weapons systems. . . .
    . . . The key representatives of this new breed of system are cruise missiles and other reusable unmanned aircraft. As the range and speed of these systems increase, it will be possible to carry out the mission of delivering munitions without a massive forward deployment of men and matériel. . . .
    R EPORTED C RASH OF S PY P LANE B ODES B ADLY FOR U.S.— S TRATFOR, WWW.STRATFOR.COM , 12 J UNE 2002—A U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed near Qorveh in the Iranian northwestern province of Kordestan in late May, according to Iranian media sources June 12. . . .
    . . . If the United States is supplementing its satellite surveillance on these facilities by committing unmanned vehicles to conduct real-time, low-level reconnaissance, this may be a sign that the administration is preparing to evoke its emerging “preemption” and “defensive intervention” strategic doctrine and may be preparing to strike Iranian WMD facilities. . . .
    U.S. U SING T URKMEN O PPOSITION TO P RESSURE P RESIDENT — S TRATFOR, WWW.STRATFOR.COM , 25 J UNE 2002—U.S. officials appear to be giving cautioned support to opposition leaders seeking Turkmen President Saparmurad Niyazov’s ousting. Washington is likely trying to send a message to Turkmenistan’s authoritarian ruler to let U.S. military forces and businesses into the country. Niyazov is likely to follow his survival instincts and accede to some U.S. demands to preserve his regime.
    . . . But the U.S. interest in the opposition reflects a deeper American interest in Turkmenistan’s gas and oil. This interest is unlikely to die, meaning some changes in the regime are likely. Niyazov knows what to do to ensure his survival, and when American pressure intensifies he will likely make a deal with Washington. Introducing democracy would not be in the cards, but some U.S. military presence and concessions to Western investors would.
    â€œH EAVYWEIGHT C ONTENDER ,” BY J OHN A. T IRPAK , A IR F ORCE M AGAZINE , J ULY 2002— . . . Air Force Secretary James G. Roche has suggested that a very large UCAV [Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle]—bomber-size—might be a good idea, since bombers typically go after fixed targets, which can easily be programmed into a UCAV’s flight plan. Moreover, bombers in Afghanistan orbited the battlefield waiting to be called on to precisely deliver ordnance. Such a mission might be well-suited to an air refuelable, large-scale unmanned vehicle, Roche suggested. . . .
    R UMSFELD W EIGHS N EW C OVERT A CTS BY M ILITARY U NITS — T HOMAS S HANKER AND J AMES R ISEN , N EW Y ORK T IMES , 12 A UGUST 2002—Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is considering ways to expand broadly the role of American Special Operations forces in the global campaign against terrorism. . . .
    . . . Proposals now being discussed by Mr. Rumsfeld and senior military officers could ultimately lead Special Operations units to get more deeply involved in long-term covert operations in countries where the United States is not at open war and, in some cases, where the local government is not informed of their presence. . . .

GHOWRMACH BORDER CROSSING, NEAR ANDKHVOY, FARYAB PROVINCE, NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN
    January 2003
    C aptain Wakil Mohammad Zarazi deployed two of his youngest, most inexperienced—and therefore most expendable—troops right beside the road for the ambush, promising them promotions and high honors if they survived—and a place at the right hand of God if they were killed. Yes, they still believed they would get both.
    The boys hid behind piles of snow and rocks until the lead armored personnel carrier, an old Russian-made BMP, cruised by, and then they threw RKG-3 antitank hand grenades under the chassis. When the grenades were rolled under the