9/11 Attack Essay

Throughout the history of Air Defense Artillery (ADA), innovative steps were made for the technological advance in weaponry to defend our skies and ground forces. The diverse history and continuous research and development of air defense systems played a vital role in the safety of ground troops and foreign civilians during the Persian Gulf crisis. Though not always in the forefront of battle, ADA had its own vital roles that it played from the time of its birth, and it was no different during Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield when necessity helped to bring about the evolution of the PAC-II Patriot missile.

Our nation has been in conflict with the Middle East for over two and a half decades. Air Defense Artillery has made a huge impact in Middle East conflicts. The threats that make Air Defense Artillery a necessity for these conflicts include a number of aircraft, such as planes, jets and helicopters as well as launched munitions like scud missiles and mortars. Air Defense Artillery is an ever evolving force and has been there for protection of American forces against these threats. Air Defense Artillery is a group of weapons that divide the airspace into two different sectors. Short Range Air Defense, also known as SHORAD, defends against low altitude, short range aircraft and munitions. High to Medium Altitude Air Defense, also known

Following the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing, Rescorla invited Hill to New York, where he hired him as a security consultant in order to assess the building 's security. Although no arrests had yet been made, Rescorla believed that the bomb had been planted by Muslims. Hill went undercover in several mosques throughout New Jersey, showing up for morning prayers at dawn. He took on the character of an anti-American Muslim, in order to interview the other visitors to the mosques. He concluded that the attack was likely planned by a radical imam at a mosque in New York or New Jersey. Followers of Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, a radical Muslim cleric based in Brooklyn, were subsequently convicted of the bombing.

In August 1990, the CPT Joe D'Antona, started the command of B / 2-7 ADA in Dhahran air base, marking the beginning to the participation of the ADA in Operation Desert Storm (USC Army ROTC, nd). During the Operation Desert Storm, various changes were made to the Patriot system, including the development and updating of the system, alignment and construction of five hundred new missiles. ADA, had an active participation in Desert Storm, defending the activities of the divisions and defense of critical assets in Israel, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The first, Army's Avenger Battery deployed during Desert Storm was 4-5 ADA / 1st Cavalry Division, being also one of the first units to lose a soldier under hostile

The Vietnam War (1955-1975), was a conflict between the communist north and the United States backed south. This war claimed over 3,000,000 lives including an estimated 58,000 Americans and over half of the remaining being Vietnamese civilians. The American population would divide over opinions of U.S. involvement in this conflict and lead to many protests and civil unrest. Throughout the course of this war, the Air Defense Artillery was a cornerstone of U.S. force’s capability and helped shift the tide of battle significantly. This paper will discuss the history of the war, some major conflicts that occurred and the ADAs role during this war.

In the early morning hours of January 18, 1991, the first PATRIOT missile engaged an Iraqi ballistic missile, changing the future of United States Air Defense Artillery. Throughout the initial days of Desert Storm, United States PATRIOT batteries defended the countries of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Israel from a barrage of Iraqi ballistic missile. This began and solidified United States alliances with Middle Eastern countries that remain to this day. Looking at the era surrounding Desert Storm, one can see the accelerated development of PATRIOT and US Air Defense through failures, successes, and lessons learned.

The 11th ADA BDE served as the Theater Air Defense Control Center. The only experience prior to this environment as the main center and command for air security came from a joint exercise (Roving Sands) hosted at Fort Bliss. The exercise was deemed the “Largest combined arms/air defense joint service exercise ever conducted in the continental U. S.” (Hamilton, 2009, p. 298).

Many Air Defense units today have a long history that runs deep with accolades and awards. One of these units is 3-4-ADAR. Third Battalion (Bn.) Fourth Air Defense Artillery Regiment (3-4 ADAR) is the most decorated Air Defense unit in the world. The Air Defense Branch is a relatively young branch by comparison. The ADA Branch originates from the Field Artillery Branch. AD did not become a branch of its own until technology advances made it necessary for a change. As plains started becoming a part of combat, the more need there was for AD. Our branch became its own, as air superiority became the deciding factor in winning wars.

There have been many Air Defense systems in the history of the ADA branch. One of the most accurate was the Homing All the Way Killer (HAWK). The HAWK was a medium range anti-aircraft weapon system developed by Raytheon in the 1950s and fielded in the 1960s (citation). The system worked together with radar, Information Coordination Central (ICC), Battery Control Central (BCC) and launchers to engage enemy Aircraft. The launcher itself contained three dual thrust rockets, was pulled behind a truck and emplaced strategically according to the unit’s mission. During the Persian war Kuwaiti forces used it against Iraqi Aircraft taking down approximately 22 Airplanes and one helicopter (citation).

but for many of my friends and family ADA also known as air defence artillery is there life and

Furthermore, the lessons learned from different leaders showed how anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) survived its transition from peacetime into WW1 trials and formed the basis of today’s air defense artillery (ADA) branch. The planning and direction set by its leaders developed different strategies to follow which included research and development; intellectual freedom, soldier care and training. Following the strategy plan AAA leaders ensured that research and development continued unhindered. A few of the improvements were made to mounts, tracer ammunition, search light equipment, and some sound locators. AAA learned the need to produce more weapons combating air defense was imminent because of the fight transitioning from ground to air.

Attack Aviation has a large logistical footprint and very limited amount of internal logistical support. Problems arise when you need to move Class I, Class II, Class V, and Class IX to a new and ever evolving footprint. Leveraging the Air Forces to move supplies and personnel limits the extent that we can exert our combat power over time and distance.

Recently, in conflicts such as Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), the battlefields have shifted from open ranges to urban environments. As a result, procedures and techniques must adapt in order to be successful. Effective mission planning is one of the keys to employing CAS on the urban battlefield. It is vital that these kinds of operations need to be scrutinized in detail and need to have a unified standard procedure for ground element forces and aircrafts. All combat aircrafts need to be sufficiently equipped to carry out any kind of mission deemed necessary in support of ground operations and ground elements need to be well rehearsed in procedures for conducting a proper evaluation of the time critical target needing to be eliminated.

Though COL Boyd is credited with minimal combat missions and zero kills, he revolutionized aerial combat tactics and developed the OODA (observe, orient, decide, and act) loop which is still used in aerial combat today. After graduating high school and enlisting in the United States army, John Boyd’s first assignment

With the paradigm shift towards unconventional warfare, the effectiveness of aerial combat missions such as air-to-air combat and strategic bombing are somewhat nullified as opposing forces on the ground or objectives are generally covert and not well-defined. Despite this, the role of airpower should not be seen as a lower priority as the élan of true combat ability arises from providing close air support to the ground troops. CAS is the quick reflection of aircraft’s firepower in contribution to the battle on the ground where especially the characteristics such as speed, ubiquity, concentration, precision and lethality claim a big share at the efficiency of these missions16. Historical evidences have informed us that lightly armoured ground forces employed with no CAS support has had heavy causalities and a termination of the operation.