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

Neglected Contributors: The Continental European <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Power</strong>s
put six Apache combat helicopters at <strong>the</strong> disposal of <strong>the</strong> ISAF peace-keeping force
in Afghanistan. They were <strong>the</strong> first attack helicopter at <strong>the</strong> disposal of ISAF <strong>and</strong>, as a
rapid response unit, provided close air support for ground forces <strong>and</strong> deterred attacks
by insurgents. 590 According to <strong>the</strong> Deputy Comm<strong>and</strong>er <strong>Air</strong> of ISAF, <strong>the</strong>se helicopters
increased ISAF’s self-protection <strong>and</strong> reconnaissance capabilities considerably. 591
Soon afterwards, <strong>the</strong> Ne<strong>the</strong>rl<strong>and</strong>s dispatched six Apache combat helicopters to Iraq
to provide <strong>the</strong> Dutch ground contingent with enhanced situational awareness <strong>and</strong>
firepower. 592 These helicopters also proved to have psychological effect upon insurgents.
For instance, in August 2004, Dutch infantry got involved in a gunfight with insurgents,
who employed rocket-propelled grenades. When Dutch AH-64D Apaches appeared on
<strong>the</strong> scene, <strong>the</strong> insurgents reportedly withdrew on <strong>the</strong> spot. 593
The German <strong>Air</strong> Force in Central Asia
The Federal Republic’s participation in operation ISAF put one of <strong>the</strong> highest dem<strong>and</strong>s
upon German <strong>Air</strong> Force airlift capacities. Moreover, German airlift capacities were still
suffering from significant shortfalls. As consequence, Ukrainian <strong>and</strong> Russian transport
aircraft had to be chartered (amongst o<strong>the</strong>rs). 594 Never<strong>the</strong>less, <strong>the</strong> German <strong>Air</strong> Force finally
managed to establish an air-bridge to Kabul in early 2002. It ran from Cologne through
Termez airport in Uzbekistan to Kabul. Whereas for <strong>the</strong> first leg <strong>Air</strong>bus A310s were used,
<strong>the</strong> second leg was served by C-160 Transall aircraft, equipped with self-protection suites.
At Termez airport, <strong>the</strong> German <strong>Air</strong> Force established a base which hosted up to seven
C-160. This route became an important life-line not only for <strong>the</strong> German, but also for <strong>the</strong>
entire ISAF contingent. Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore, from February 2003 until June 2004, <strong>the</strong> German <strong>Air</strong>
Force was in charge of running Kabul International <strong>Air</strong>port. What originally was supposed
to be a six-months assignment ended as a fifteen-month assignment because no o<strong>the</strong>r
nation was prepared to take on <strong>the</strong> succession. 595
Germany’s participation in Allied Force in 1999, which supposedly pursued humanitarian
goals, did not mean that German politicians would in <strong>the</strong> future easily participate
in an allied air campaign at <strong>the</strong> higher spectrum of military force. As such, <strong>the</strong> GAF’s
contribution to Enduring Freedom was in <strong>the</strong> first phase relegated to NATO AWACS
aircraft deployments to <strong>the</strong> US <strong>and</strong> to military airlift in support of deployed naval,
army, <strong>and</strong> special-forces units as well as of allies. 596 Only in early 2007 did <strong>the</strong> German
Parliament decide to dispatch RECCE Tornados to Afghanistan in support of ISAF. 597
Although Germany pursued an evolving path throughout <strong>the</strong> 1990s, which finally
culminated in <strong>the</strong> German <strong>Air</strong> Force’s participation in Operation Allied Force, <strong>the</strong> main
emphasis of Germany’s military contribution has remained upon stabilization operations,
with a clear cut humanitarian purpose, as was <strong>the</strong> case in <strong>the</strong> German led EU mission in
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<strong>Air</strong> <strong>Power</strong>, <strong>Insurgency</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> “War on Terror”