Air Power, Insurgency and the “War on Terror” - Prof. Joel Hayward's ...

Chapter 11
American soldier using his lighter to set fire to a Vietnamese hooch. None of <strong>the</strong>se are
images <strong>the</strong> American military would have chosen to depict <strong>the</strong>ir decade-long agony in
Vietnam, but it did not have a vote. Similarly, it is likely that <strong>the</strong> current war in Iraq will
be forever linked with <strong>the</strong> photos of <strong>the</strong> abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>
image of a US Marine firing his rifle into a helpless Iraqi at his feet. These photos, which
spread widely <strong>and</strong> quickly throughout <strong>the</strong> Arab world, have become a metaphor for our
failed attempts to democratise Iraq.
In short, <strong>the</strong> days when we could control <strong>the</strong> news reporting from <strong>the</strong> frontlines are long
gone. Anyone with a camera, cell phone, camcorder, or satellite uplink can monitor our
military’s actions <strong>and</strong> beam those images, instantaneously, worldwide. Comm<strong>and</strong>ers
must be aware of this new capability <strong>and</strong> take it into account during <strong>the</strong> planning
cycle. They must also be proactive <strong>and</strong> not reactive, because, as <strong>the</strong> old adage goes,
bad news never gets better with age. And so, <strong>the</strong> US Army has been justly criticised
for deliberately distorting facts to suit <strong>the</strong>ir institutional purposes. In a recent instance,
Congressional testimony revealed that <strong>the</strong> Army misrepresented <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>n covered up
<strong>the</strong> truth concerning <strong>the</strong> death of Pat Tillman – a National Football League player turned
Army ranger – who was killed by friendly fire <strong>and</strong> not by <strong>the</strong> enemy. Army leaders were
aware of this fact almost immediately after <strong>the</strong> event. Similarly, regarding <strong>the</strong> capture of
Private Jessica Lynch, <strong>the</strong> Army initially portrayed her as a “girl Rambo from <strong>the</strong> hills” who
heroically emptied her gun against attacking Iraqis before <strong>the</strong>y overwhelmed her <strong>and</strong>
took her prisoner. In reality, says Lynch, she surrendered without firing a shot, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>
Army knew it but told <strong>the</strong> public a different story so as to project a false image <strong>and</strong> serve
<strong>the</strong>ir own agenda regarding women in combat.
On a more elevated scale, <strong>the</strong> entire issue of media awareness has taken on increasing
significance in this new era of “information warfare.” This is a huge topic, worthy of several
essays by itself, but let me sum up its potential importance by repeating an observation
made by an old colleague, Dr Steve Chiabotti at <strong>the</strong> School of Advanced <strong>Air</strong> <strong>and</strong> Space
Studies. Chiabotti noted that <strong>the</strong> current Global War on Terror is first <strong>and</strong> foremost an
information war, <strong>and</strong> that war is occurring primarily within Islam itself between <strong>the</strong>
radicals <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> moderates. This internal battle is <strong>the</strong> true centre of gravity of <strong>the</strong> War
on Terror, <strong>and</strong> our primary task should be to devise ways to aid <strong>the</strong> moderates in <strong>the</strong>ir
struggle. In this vision of <strong>the</strong> great threat now facing <strong>the</strong> US, <strong>the</strong> information war should
be <strong>the</strong> “supported campaign” to use modern parlance, <strong>and</strong> our military actions should be
directed with <strong>the</strong> goals of <strong>the</strong> over-arching information war always in <strong>the</strong> forefront. Thus,
all we do in Iraq <strong>and</strong> Afghanistan should be with <strong>the</strong> aim of aiding <strong>the</strong> Islamic moderates
in <strong>the</strong>ir struggle to police <strong>the</strong> radicals who are hijacking <strong>the</strong>ir religion. In truth, I know of
no one in our military who views <strong>the</strong> war in Iraq in such terms. As a consequence, much
<strong>Air</strong> <strong>Power</strong>, <strong>Insurgency</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> “War on Terror” 203