ISAF commander views CAS mission first hand

Published Nov. 21, 2011
By Master Sgt. Mary Davis
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- The commander of International Security Assistance Force experienced close air support first hand when he received an orientation flight Nov. 17 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.

Marine Gen. John R. Allen, ISAF commander, flew in a 335th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron F-15E Strike Eagle to experience what Airmen do every day. Although the general has flown in F/A-18 Hornet and F-4 Phantom aircraft, this marked the first time he's flown in an F-15 - and the first time he's flown into a CAS situation.

"It was a great honor to be with this squadron," said General Allen. "I hear about them all the time when I get my strategic brief every morning. Today, I had the chance to be with them when they responded to help out our brave Soldiers. So it was really terrific."

COP Margah, located in Paktika Province, was recently attacked by enemy forces, in which 455th Air Expeditionary Wing combat fighter aircraft provided close air support, dropping more than 9,000 pounds of ammunition killing up to 70 Taliban.

During his orientation flight, they flew to the same area to provide much-needed support again, the general said.

"Airpower is central to our success. A couple of days ago, there was an attack on COP Margah. It was beaten back by a combination of a great job the Soldiers were doing defending the COP, but the incredible work that was done by the Airmen that showed up to support them tipped the balance and ultimately permitted the complete defeat of the enemy," General Allen said. "The fighters do terrific work every single day, but it's the whole gamut of aviation - from transports to helicopter aviation and, of course, the fighters at the very top of the stack are making a difference every single day. So, it's central to our success - there's no doubt about it."

As a career infantryman, the general had experienced combat from the ground and made calls for assistance, but this flight enabled him to see and experience how Airmen provide that assistance daily.

"It gave me the opportunity to see what our Airmen do every single day. As we were taxiing off the runway I said, 'I'm a Marine infantryman. Most of my life, I've been the guy giving the nine-line brief. I have never been the guy that received one and had to respond to it.' It was a magnificent opportunity for me to be over top of infantrymen that were calling for help and to be part of that help was really something."