[PEN-L:4591] US military uses Yugoslavia as testing ground for high-tech

["Frank Durgin" <fdurgin1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

               WSWS : News & Analysis : Europe : The Balkan Crisis

               US military uses Yugoslavia as
               testing ground for high-tech
               weaponry

               By Jerry White
               27 March 1999

               The US military has welcomed the confrontation
               with Serbia as an opportunity to test its arsenal of
               high-tech weaponry and to train American military
               personnel in a new theater of war.

               Military commanders were elated the night the
               bombing began, according to the New York Times.
               "For some diplomats and officials at NATO
               headquarters in Brussels, where [Supreme
               Commander US General Wesley] Clark has made
               no secret of his judgment that an air campaign
               against Milosevic was justified long ago, the mood
               this evening was almost jubilant," the newspaper
               wrote. "'It's accelerating and exhilarating,' said
               one."

               Each branch of the armed forces is jockeying for
               the chance to display its weapon systems,
               regardless of whether any specific military purpose
               is fulfilled, simply to justify their multibillion-dollar
               budgets.

               Since the bombing began US Navy warships and
               submarines in the Adriatic Sea, and bombers
               flown from Italy, have launched scores of cruise
               missiles at Serbian targets. These include a new
               generation of Tomahawk missiles, which the
               Pentagon says have "proven effective" during recent
               raids against Iraq, hitting 80 percent of their
               targets.

               Military planners prefer the unmanned
               missiles--which cost $750,000 each--in the initial
               stages of an attack rather than risking more
               expensive manned aircraft. The cruise missiles,
               built by Raytheon Corporation, are launched with
               the click of a computer mouse from ships floating
               well out of reach of any enemy threat. Traveling at
               the speed of sound, the missiles are guided to their
               targets by 24 global positioning satellites orbiting
               the earth.

               Wednesday was also the debut of the US Air
               Force's most expensive warplane, the B-2 "Spirit"
               stealth bomber. Two of the $2.2 billion planes flew
               from air bases in Missouri to Yugoslavia, where
               they dropped 40,000 pounds of bombs each, and
               then returned nonstop to the US.

               First introduced in 1988 for long-range nuclear
               strikes deep into the former Soviet Union, the plane
               had been plagued by technical problems, including
               a radar system which had difficulty distinguishing
               mountain ranges from clouds and radar-absorbent
               paint that wore off too quickly. The fear of losing
               the aircraft, two of which cost as much as an
               aircraft carrier, led the military to pass over the
               B-2 for combat missions at a time when every
               other strike aircraft was being deployed in the
               Persian Gulf.

               The Air Force had been "champing at the bit" to
               test its B-2 squadron on real missions since its
               deployment in 1993, said Chris Hillman, an analyst
               with the Center for Defense Information in
               Washington, DC. Although the military has
               simulated using the B-2s, Hillman said simulations
               are like video games when compared to real battle.
               The only true test of the B-2 "is to have somebody
               who really hates us trying to shoot us down," he
               said.

               After the mission General Leroy Barnidge,
               commander of the B-2 Bomb Wing in Missouri,
               said, "I got to tell you, the crews in these jets
               performed magnificently. It says to the critics that
               this plane did everything it advertised, and then
               some."

               The US currently has a fleet of 21 B-2 bombers,
               which costs $44 billion. The warplane's "success"
               over the skies of Yugoslavia will surely mean
               billions more in future procurements for
               manufacturer Northrop Grumman.

               Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin,
               Boeing and other US defense contractors have
               made no secret of the fact that they see the conflict
               in Yugoslavia as an opportunity to market their
               weapons and secure new contracts. On Friday
               Reuters financial service carried an article entitled,
               "Conflict lets US weapon makers strut their stuff"
               which began, "The conflict in Yugoslavia will give
               US defense firms, especially Raytheon Co., a
               chance to show off their wares on a global stage,
               analysts said on Thursday."

               Robert Friedman, an analyst for S&P Equity
               Group, told Reuters, "It really depends on how long
               this conflict goes. If this becomes a protracted war,
               and it is heavily dependent on cruise missiles, then
               that would help Raytheon's short-term
               bottom-line."

               Raytheon spokesman Dave Shea concurred,
               saying, "Certainly, it portends for increased
               business, but it would be difficult to quantify at this
               point." Referring to the cruise missiles, smart
               bombs and other weapons made by the company,
               Shea added, "Assuming that the weapons work as
               advertised, we view that as the best advertising."

               Since the Cold War ended in 1990 sales to foreign
               governments have represented the greatest growth
               opportunity for US defense contractors, which have
               consolidated over the last decade. The companies
               lobbied hard for the expansion of NATO and US
               government loans to Eastern and Central
               European countries to upgrade their militaries with
               American-made equipment.

               Military planners are also anxious to test out US
               military forces in a new terrain, and fighting a new
               enemy, in Yugoslavia. Unlike the flat desert
               expanse of Iraq, where isolated targets were clearly
               visible in the springtime, Serbian mobile
               antiaircraft missiles and artillery are hidden in the
               mountains, valleys and woods and the weather is
               typically cloudy. Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon
               said, "We've had a lot of experience against these
               weapons, but every country and every air defense
               system presents its own challenges and we take
               those challenges, very, very seriously."

               The opportunity to test improvements in weapons
               systems and give pilots and other specialists
               experience under hostile fire is a significant factor
               in American foreign policy. In the 25 years since
               its ignominious withdrawal from Vietnam, the US
               military has engaged in foreign adventures every
               few years: Lebanon and Grenada, 1983; Libya,
               1985; Panama, 1989; Iraq, 1990-91; Somalia,
               1992-93; Haiti, 1994; Bosnia, 1996; and now
               Yugoslavia.

               There is, of course, a down side to such training
               missions--the potential for US losses. The
               Pentagon has elite squads to rescue pilots in the
               event that a plane is shot down. The Clinton
               administration is greatly concerned that any
               substantial US military casualties could evoke
               domestic opposition. At the same time, US military
               commanders know that a "bloodying" of the troops
               is essential for the type of sustained conflicts that
               are being planned for the future.

               The US has greatly exaggerated the Serbian
               military threat in order to justify the massive forces
               it has arrayed against the country. But senior
               Pentagon officials said the Yugoslav airforce
               consists mainly of old Soviet planes and only 15
               newer MiG-29s and is not considered a major
               threat to US and NATO warplanes. The official
               gloated, "Our air-to-air pilots would probably love
               to see them come up to fight."

               Another element of the attack on Yugoslavia is the
               desire of military officials to condition the
               American public to accept massive civilian
               casualties. US-NATO commanders have warned
               that targets in Serbia will not be isolated desert
               outposts, but cities, towns and villages where
               Serbian troops and Kosovar rebels are fighting.

               "The American public is used to these instant
               gratification operations with zero defects," said
               retired Admiral Thomas J. Lopez, former
               commander of NATO's southern command. Once
               the military operations begin against Serbia "they
               are going to pound the living hell out of it," he said.

               See Also:
               US-NATO bombs fall on Serbia: the "New World
               Order" takes shape
               [25 March 1999]
               Whom will the United States bomb next?
               [26 March 1999]

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