[Arabesque]

US trains Gulf air forces for war with Iran

By Tim Shipman in Washington
Last Updated: 12:21am BST 30/09/2007

The American air force is working with military leaders from the Gulf to train and prepare Arab air forces for a possible war with Iran, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.

An air warfare conference in Washington last week was told how American air chiefs have helped to co-ordinate intelligence-sharing with Gulf Arab nations and organise combined exercises designed to make it easier to fight together.

Gen Michael Mosley, the US Air Force chief of staff, used the conference to seek closer links with allies whose support America might need if President George W Bush chooses to bomb Iran.

Pentagon air chiefs have helped set up an air warfare centre in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where Gulf nations are training their fighter pilots and America has big bases. It is modelled on the US Air Force warfare centre at Nellis air force base in Nevada.

Jordan and the UAE have both taken part in combined exercises designed to make sure their air forces can fly, and fight, together and with American jets.

The conference was long-planned to discuss developments in air warfare technology, but the question of possible hostilities involving Iran was discussed.

Bruce Lemkin, the American air force deputy under-secretary for international affairs, said: "We need friends and partners with the capabilities to take care of their own security and stability in their regions and, through the relationship, the inter-operability and the will to join us in coalitions when appropriate.

"On its most basic level, it's about flying together, operating together and training together so, if we have to, we can fight together."

While it is unlikely that America's Gulf allies would join any US air strike against suspected nuclear targets in Iran, their co-operation might be required to allow passage of warplanes though their airspace. American defence officials are also keen that Iran's Arab neighbours prepare to deal with any Iranian attempt to target them in return.

Lt Gen Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein, who is special assistant to the chief of staff of the Jordanian armed forces, said "concern at Iran's attempt to establish itself as a regional superpower" had led to greater co-operation, "not just at the inter-service level but also at the political level".

He said the new air warfare centre had allowed them to "exchange information and exercise together".

But Air Chief Marshal Sir Glen Torpy, the head of the RAF, voiced the fear of many British officials that America is too devoted to military solutions. He said: "In an environment like this, we always focus on the part that the military can play in solving security and foreign policy problems, but the military will rarely, if ever, be the solution."

US trains Gulf air forces for war with Iran - Telegraph

[Variable]

If this is really part of some build up for Iran... I'm speechless.

It doesn't take a scholar to figure out that bombing Iran is the worst possible thing they can do. I realize that the US administration is full of dumbasses, but this would be more dumbass than anything they've done.

I'm going to continue to be idealistic and keep my fingers crossed it's just saber-rattling. And if any delusional idiot in the Whitehouse thinks they'll help the situation by dropping ordinance... fingers crossed as well that congress shoots it down.

[Arabesque]

I don't know if this whole training thing is actually taking place. I would have heard about it from my father. It's not like we have a huge country, you know. But then again, they don't mention where. Is it possible that they've put up bases in the Rub3 al-Khali (Empty Quarter)? That's a huge desert, but I think it's under Saudi control, even with the overlapping borders.

[Variable]

Originally Posted by Arabesque

I don't know if this whole training thing is actually taking place. I would have heard about it from my father. It's not like we have a huge country, you know. But then again, they don't mention where. Is it possible that they've put up bases in the Rub3 al-Khali (Empty Quarter)? That's a huge desert, but I think it's under Saudi control, even with the overlapping borders.

It's in Al Dhafra. I took some snaps, check it out,






In this one you can see what kind of aircraft they have.



It looks like they've got some KC-10's (the big ones) and KC-135's (the little guys) which are the tankers. And then there's a C-17 in the upper right (lift). They've got tons of smaller stuff, but they are all under shade screens so you can't see them.

(not that that's of any use to us whatsoever... I just wanted to pretend I was in a spy movie for a minute. Google Earth is pretty cool)


Anyway, I think an important point is that the onus of this operation is actually information sharing for any upcoming conflict, and that's nothing too new. So I don't think it's a pointer that any attack on Iran is imminent (let's hope).

Here's another article...if anyone's into defense industry publications: DefenseNews.com - U.S. Seeks To Formalize Military Links with UAE - 01/12/05 09:37

[Arabesque]

Nice find!

Al Dhafra is a remote desert-area in the south west of the country. It's pretty far from the city, but still, we'd have heard of any "training" going on. I think it's just a way to psychologically build up for the war, which I don't believe will even happen. Unless of course the US is in a hurry to lose its position as a global hegemon?

[MossadConspiracy]

training, supplying, funding, all that good stuff...

even if they never fight Iran (its unlikely they will), theres nothing wrong with having a strong airforce. I doubt any country would prefer having a weak airforce to a strong one

ws

[Arabesque]

In principle, I agree. But I don't see why the country should invest in fighter jets, which it will most probably not use. The cost itself is huge, let alone the maintenance and fuel. They end up rusting in warehouses. Ironically, the government has decided to use them as a form of entertainment. We have an annual air-show where these fighter-jets and all sorts of planes are used by trained pilots to perform stunts in the air. It's a disgrace to reduce them to just that.

There's no need to have a strong airforce and to invest in costly military equipments if we're not free to use them whenever we feel threatened.

[MossadConspiracy]

I think the point of military air shows is to show off what the planes can do and the skill of the pilots. I dunno, some people arent into them. I've personally never been, but I wouldnt call it disgraceful. Most air forces dont have active wars where they can show their skill by bombing people and shooting down other planes

I agree that its a big expense to field a powerful air force. Might not even be worth it for some gulf countries, since air and missile defenses are probably a much more valuable assets to them. But it never really hurts to have advanced planes and advanced training for their pilots. Just my opinion

ws

[bluey]

Originally Posted by Arabesque

Nice find!

Al Dhafra is a remote desert-area in the south west of the country. It's pretty far from the city, but still, we'd have heard of any "training" going on. I think it's just a way to psychologically build up for the war, which I don't believe will even happen. Unless of course the US is in a hurry to lose its position as a global hegemon?

I won't be too sure about that. I recall my Dad mentioning something similar sometime back. [How there were U.S bases here and other Gulf Countries and that training was going on]. He said he had his 'sources'. [Heh].

If it is happening, I wouldn't be too surprised.

[Variable]

Originally Posted by Arabesque

Nice find!

Al Dhafra is a remote desert-area in the south west of the country. It's pretty far from the city, but still, we'd have heard of any "training" going on.

Well, there's always inter-military training going on in some form, and now that the UAE got new F-16s they're training on those as well. I think it's pretty low level though, I doubt they're doing dry-runs on Tehran.

I agree that it's pointless to have big air forces when there's no real use for them (I think Canada should ditch it's fighter wing). Though it's difficult to stop the kind of institutional momentum that keeps them in place - as was put so delicately by a US Air Force officer: "Fighters are an air force's penis - they'll be the last thing to go, not the first"

My question would be to both Canada and the UAE - what on Earth are they being used for now, or could they be used for in the forseeable future? I've asked this to Canadian AF guys, and they in fact have a prepared list with answers on a fancy pamphlet, but they're all bullocks.

[Arabesque]

There are US bases here. That's a fact.

But if there's training by the US military going on at the mean time, I don't think it is true.

Training happens all the time though, and I've seen MOUs when I had worked at DP. My cousin was in a training two months ago, and the trainers were Americans. But they don't get trained by the "official" US military. American private military companies and security organisations are the ones conducting the trainings here.

What makes this article less believable is the fact that it talks about an "Iran-war". The UAE will never fight against Iran. And I'm sure I mentioned why before. It's not because we think Iran is great or we love our neighbour so much. Even Saudi Arabia will not fight Iran. They talk big, but they won't. If they could, they would have dealt with Saddam's Kuwait invasion before that. They couldn't even handle a war-weakend Iraq, let alone a powerful Iran now.

It's just big talk.