Where do you think Al Qaeda operates, most people just think about Afghanistan and
Pakistan? There is also Al Qaeda operatives working in the Arabian Peninsula as well, and is where Operation Copper Dune is being conducted. This operation is being conducted in a very new way of military occupation with not as many soldiers but there are many Predator drone aircraft conducting operations in the area, along with Yemen. The operation encompasses strategic placement of the base, personnel, and aircraft to conduct many operations in the area of responsibility. The small units in place conduct precise mission without the need of a huge force, thus greatly lowering the threat in the area.
The Operation Copper Dune falls under the realm of Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa
(JTF-HOA) and Joint Special Operations Command, along with other entities such as the CIA.
(Global Security, 2014) There seems to be numerous drone flights, conducted by the Air Force’s
Predators leaving the base almost daily. This operation is much different from what our conventional Army has been conducting during the Global War on Terrorism. Yes we use
Predators in Afghanistan and Iraq, but they were merely an over watch during raid operations, and some reconnaissance missions. This operation is using them decisively to conduct any surveillance and kill orders needed. Operation Copper Dune is spearheading the way of the future in war fair. After an attempted bombing, “Al Qaeda network attempted to bomb two U.S. bound airlines and jihadists in Somalia,” in 2010. (Craig Whitlock, 2012) “JSOC drones from
Djibouti and CIA predators from a secret base on the Arabian Peninsula converged over Yemen and killed Anwar al-Alwaki, a U.S. - born cleric and ...
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...opper Dune is an ongoing battle to weaken and end the violent attacks of terrorist cells, such as al-Qaeda. The strategic location of the base in Djibouti, Africa has played a key role in the operations around the area. Many aircraft both manned and unmanned are being used in the new concept of military operations. The placement of Special
Operations forces and UAV’s has been a key role in operations to counteract al-Qaeda lead forces. Terrorist cells will continue to expand their realm and scope to inflict pain to other countries, we must have operations and soldiers set up like Operation Copper Dune to stop them.
Fighting with a smaller force that can produce longer station time on the area may seem to increase the effectiveness of the operation. This way of fighting may come to light in the near future with our current limit on operations and funding.
September 11, 2001, Osama Bin Laden decided to “wake the sleeping giant.” The US immediately sent SOF units and CIA officers to recon the area and meet with the Northern Alliance. The primary battle leading up to this operation was Tora Bora, which was absent of conventional forces. Up until this point, the war on terror was predominantly a Special Operations fight along with Air Force for overhead support.3 SOF and the Northern Alliance had already displaced Taliban forces out of many towns and villages in northern Afghanistan to gain control of key terrain. Key towns in northern Afghanistan including Taloqan, Konduz, Herat, and Mazar-e Sharif took only three weeks to clear.4 The SOF units were making huge impacts across the country calling in air strikes. At the same time the SOF units were diligently...
U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Joint Operations, Joint Publication 3-0 (Washington, DC: U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, August 11, 2011), III-1.
The Battle of Kamdesh was fought in Afghanistan during the Afghan War. It is an occurrence in the ongoing NATO campaign of the Operation Enduring Freedom since the year 2001. It was one of the bloodiest battles the USA forces engaged in during this campaign against the Taliban insurgents. The Taliban insurgents, assisted by local Nuristan militias, attacked Kamdesh, which is an American combat outpost, located deep in the Nuristan tribal Areas. They carried out a well-coordinated attack on the outpost, leading to a breach and an overrun of the post. This paper, seeks to analyze why, when, how, and what were the resulting impact of the battle.
Controversy has plagued America’s presence in the Middle East and America’s usage of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) contributes vastly to this controversy. Their usefulness and ability to keep allied troops out of harm’s reach is hardly disputed. However, their presence in countries that are not at war with America, such as Pakistan and Yemen, is something contested. People that see the implications of drone use are paying special attention to the civilian casualty count, world perspective, and the legality of drone operations in non-combative states. The use of drone technology in the countries of Yemen and Pakistan are having negative consequences. In a broad spectrum, unconsented drone strikes are illegal according to the laws of armed conflict, unethical, and are imposing a moral obligation upon those who use them. These issues are all of great importance and need to be addressed. Their legality is also something of great importance and begins with abiding to the Laws of Armed Conflict.
Air Force Special Operations The United States of America is a powerful and well known force throughout the world. It has become a superpower of nations in just about three hundred years, being one of the newest nations in existence today. Its military reaches out into several countries in the globe and holds a presence as a peacekeeper and wielder of democracy. Of the US military’s five branches, the Air Force is the ruler of the skies, keeping control of the earth’s aerospace. Without the Air Force Special Operations, the military could not complete operations as effectively or efficiently as it potentially could.
In today’s operational environments, the U.S. Army is facing a range of problems and mission sets that are arguably more complex than previously encountered. Forces face an array of demands that encompass geo-political, social, cultural, and military factors that interact in unpredictable ways. The inherent complexity of today’s operations has underscored the need for the Army to expand beyond its traditional approach to operational planning. In March 2010 in FM 5-0: The Operations
N.A. Operation al-Fajr (Dawn), Operation Phantom Fury [Fallujah]. Global Security. 7 May 2011. Web. 8 March 2014. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/oif-phantom-fury-fallujah.htm
Training, joint exercises, military operations and humanitarian relief cannot be done from afar, which means U.S. service members must deploy to various countries within Africa. Before sending U.S. forces abroad, AFRICOM must ensure there are adequate status protections in place.54
a comprehensive research service. Retrieved May 2, 2004, from Terrorist Attack by Al Qaeda: http://www.fas.org/irp/crs/033104.pdf. Gunaratna, R. (2005, September). Retrieved September 2005, from http://strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/parameters/articles/05spring/henzel.pdf. Gunaratna, R. (n.d.).
The military use of lethally autonomous robots (LAR) is not science fiction – it is happening right now. A robot is a mechanism guided by automatic controls. Autonomous robots are able to independently maintain stability and plan action. The first generation of military robots have operated under direct human control. The most well-known military robots are “drones” or unmanned aerial vehicles. The drone system currently in use is the unmanned aerial vehicles IAI Pioneer & RQ-1 Predator which can be armed with air-to-ground missiles and remotely operated from a command center. Drones have already been used by the U.S. military for unmanned air attacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other war zones. (Merchant, 276).
Al Qaeda is an international terrorist organization that was founded by Osama bin Laden in the late 1980s in Peshawar, Pakistan. The name is Arabic for “The Base of Operation” or “method” (Burke 2004). However, many experts agree that al-Qaeda is more dangerous as an ideology than as an organization. As an organization, it has been weakened by fragmentation, arrests, and deaths of the top leaders. This has caused the structure of the organization to be destroyed, resulting in the lack of a central hub for the militant group. One thing that remains is the ideology, which is fueled mainly by a hatred of Western, Zionist, and Semitic cultures and beliefs (Burke 2004). As a result, many people may not be directly part of the al Qaeda network or even directly linked to bin Laden. Due to their common views and beliefs of Western culture, militant groups loosely associated to al Qaeda have been formed, carrying on the original objectives that bin Laden had in mind when he created this organization.
... range of problems and conflict. Special operations units will also focus on defeating irregular threats such as Al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations along with building partner capacity and capability. Special operations units will also focus on the prevention of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (low end) and cyber defense. Finally, the force will be able to assist partner nations with disaster response.
The use of drones as weapons of war and delivery and surveillance systems should not be dismissed because many people do not realize the real capabilities of drones and how they can be used to better the world through efficient air strikes, faster delivery times, and useful surveillance. Some of the most common misconceptions about drones arise due to the lack of knowledge about what drones are. A drone is a remote controlled, pilotless aircraft that can be used to survey an area, conduct stealth missions, and deliver supplies into difficult to reach areas (Drone). Unmanned aircraft are also, contrary to popular belief, not solely machines that kill without even a thought to who is being fired upon. They have proved to be effective surveillance units in areas that may be dangerous for manned aircraft to fly, along with the potential to be reliable delivery units (Drones).
Another name for drones are Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVS). These are “aircraft either controlled by ‘pilots’ from the ground or increasingly, autonomously following a pre-programmed mission” (Cole 4). Even though there are many unique types of drones, but they usually fall under two main categories: ones that are armed and equipped with missiles and bombs and others that are used for surveillance. In the past couple of years the use of drones has increased dramatically. The reason being because “unlike manned aircraft they can stay aloft for many hours and are flown remotely so there is no danger to the flight crew” (Cole 13). There are drones that can actually fly over more than fifty hours. In countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq, the Predator and U.S Reaper are physically there. Cause of the power of technology th...
Tice, Brian P. (1991). Unmanned Aerial Vehicles – The Force Multiplier of the 1990s. Airpower Journal.