US Leads

From the Stars and Stripes:
"In coalition of many, US air power is doing the heavy lifting"

American refueling planes rumble into the air from this desert air base around the clock to top up coalition aircraft bombing Islamic State militants, whether they're Arab fighters flying out of regional bases or French warplanes catapulted off an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. The al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar is the regional nerve center for the air war against the militants who have taken over almost a third of Iraq and Syria. That makes it the main hub for coordinating warplanes from the U.S. and 11 other nations in the coalition carrying out bombing raids. While the U.S. is doing the heavy lifting in the airstrikes, American officials say the allies' contributions are vital. "This is dangerous stuff. This is not political theater," said Lt. Col. David Haworth, chief of the current operations division for the Combined Air Operation Center. "I don't think what we are doing today would be even remotely possible without the coalition partners," he told The Associated Press, making a rare media visit to the base. "To say that we want to or we are capable of going it alone I think would be a terrible mistake." The low-rise Combined Air Operation Center, packed with rows of computer terminals with big-screen monitors overhead, brings together officers from across the coalition to help share information and plan missions. Intelligence gathered by coalition members helps give commanders a deeper understanding of how the Islamic State group operates on the ground, Haworth said. For example, at times its fighters mass together like a traditional army unit, while in other situations they behave more like insurgent guerrillas. Since the bombing campaign began, American warplanes have handled 80 percent of the 2,780 airstrikes carried out as of Tuesday in Iraq and Syria, according to the most recent figures provided by the U.S. military. Primarily Western allies including Australia, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan and the Netherlands operate over Iraq, and have handled about three of every 10 airstrikes there. The share of American strikes is even greater in Syria. There, Arab coalition members have conducted just 93 airstrikes, compared with 1,137 by American aircraft. The countries operating alongside the U.S. over Syria include Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

 

 

^ It's not surprising in the least that the US is doing the majority of the fighting. The world tends to think of us as the world's policeman yet they do little more than debate about things and think of themselves while we do the real work. If it wasn't for the US most problems around the world wouldn't  be dealt with (whether you like how or not.) The Arab countries may be part of the coalition, but history as shown they aren't a good military force - they have never won a battle against Israel (thankfully) and yet most still call for its destruction. As for the EU, they are too busy deciding what kind of light bulbs all 28 member countries should use rather than deal with real issues. The US has to take the lead because there's no one else willing to.  I'm not saying we are perfect, but with no one else man enough to step-up it's good the world has us.  ^

 

http://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/in-coalition-of-many-us-air-power-is-doing-the-heavy-lifting-1.334258