Gen. Stanley McChrystal new doctrine , discourage use of air power , reduce collateral damage and civilian casualties. However , this put more troops on the ground and expose to troop casualities.
Graphic shows monthly U.S. troop deaths in the Afghanistan war
An Afghan soldier rolls a fuel barrel Saturday at the site where two hijacked fuel tankers were hit by a NATO airstrike Friday in Kunduz, Afghanistan.
Airstrikes by coalition forces in Afghanistan have dropped dramatically in the three months Gen. Stanley McChrystal has led the war effort there, reflecting his new emphasis on avoiding civilian casualties and protecting the population.
NATO fixed-wing aircraft dropped 1,211 bombs and other munitions during the past three months — the peak of the fighting season — compared with 2,366 during the same period last year, according to military statistics. The nearly 50% decline in airstrikes comes with an influx of more than 20,000 U.S. troops this year and an increase in insurgent attacks.
The shift is the result of McChrystal's new directives, said Air Force Col. Mark Waite, an official at the air operations center in southwest Asia. Ground troops are less inclined to call for bombing or strafing runs, though they often have an aircraft conduct a "show of force," a flyby to scare off insurgents, or use planes for surveillance, Waite said.
The decrease in air attacks may also be the result of having more ground troops, Waite said. Air attacks are often used when ground forces aren't available to secure an area or seize an objective.
Protecting civilians is generally more effective than large combat operations, McChrystal said in counterinsurgency directives issued to NATO forces in Afghanistan. "Destroying a home or property jeopardizes the livelihood of an entire family — and creates more insurgents," McChrystal wrote. "We sow the seeds of our own demise."
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said civilian casualties have been "dramatically reduced."
Airstrikes that accidently killed civilians have angered the population, undermining efforts to win over civilians.
Despite the reduction in airstrikes, a U.S. aircraft attacked two fuel tankers that had been hijacked by the Taliban last week in northern Afghanistan, killing civilians.
McChrystal has appointed a high-level commission to investigate the attack. An initial assessment concluded that civilians had been killed or injured in the blast, according to a statement issued Tuesday by NATO forces in Afghanistan.
The strike was authorized by German forces operating in the area. Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned against rushing to judgment regarding the airstrike.
U.S. forces have been told to exercise extreme caution before ordering airstrikes.
By exercising so much restraint, the U.S. military may sacrifice a key firepower advantage on the battlefield and expose ground troops to more risk, some officers and analysts say.
"There is a tradeoff," said Col. Gian Gentile, a former battalion commander in Iraq who has publicly criticized counterinsurgency doctrine. "You reduce civilian casualties, but you potentially increase your own casualties."
Doug Macgregor, a retired Army colonel and military historian, says the emphasis on having conventional forces trying to win over the population is futile.
"You surrender whatever military advantage you have by compelling the U.S. conventional soldier or Marine to fight on terms that favor the enemy, not the American soldier or Marine," Macgregor said.
Brazil order 50 Cougar Helicopter from france worth $12 billion . Will be assembled in Brazil itself . A transfer of technology that is vital for this deal between France and Brazil. Highly reliable helicopter and well used in many troubled times. Can used for wide range of missions including tactical troop transports , special ops, shipborne operations , surveillance, combat search and rescue , evacuation and others. Can carry side arm of 2 7.62mm general purpose machine guns , a 20 mm cannon , rocket launcher pods , air refueling capability , radar warning , able to continue to fly 30minute when fuel is zero and other more.
Brazil already ordered 5 Scorpene Submarine which are new generation of diesel electric attack submarine. They are highly automated new submarines with new diesel engine with air independent propulsion system which allow it to stay under water for more than 21 days without surfacing to recharge battery etc. Also equipped with all rounder weaponary consists of anti-ship,anti submarrine torpedoes , anti surface missiles. Have 6 torpedo tubes that can be all fired at once . Can consists of Black Shark wire guided torpodes with 50 km range and also shoot Exocet missiles(anti ship missile). Weaponary are all automated. Can carry crew of 31 man , with 9 person per shift to handle the whole submarine automation. Total of 18 torpedoes or missile , 30 mines can be carried at one time.
A Rafale fighter jet performs at the international Paris Air Show this summer. Under the deal, Brazil will acquire French-built Rafale fighter jets and military helicopters.Rafale is a twin-jet combat aircraft capable of carrying out a wide range of short- and long-range missions, including ground and sea attack, air defence and air superiority, reconnaissance, and high-accuracy strike or nuclear strike deterrence.
France's President Nicolas Sarkozy speaks during a press conference at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, Monday, Sept. 7, 2009. Sarkozy is on a two-day official visit to Brazil.
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, right, and France's President Nicolas Sarkozy joke in front of a mirror during their arrival at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, Monday, Sept. 7, 2009. Sarkozy is on a two-day official visit to Brazil.
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his wife Marisa Leticia ride on an open car during the Independence Day parade in Brasilia, Monday, Sept. 7, 2009.
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, right, and France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, speaks during the Independence Day parade, in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, Sep. 7, 2009. Sarkozy is on a two-day official visit to Brazil.
France´s President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, and Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva watch the Independence Day military parade in Brasilia, Monday, Sep. 7, 2009. Sarkozy is on a two-day official visit to Brazil.
Brazil's president said Monday his country is negotiating with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale combat jets, a sign that Dassault SA is the clear favorite over U.S. and Swedish companies to win the $2 billion-plus contract.
Stepping up an aggressive plan to fortify the defense of its valuable natural resources, Brazil said Monday that it had entered into a billion-dollar-plus agreement to buy 36 French fighter jets.
In a defense plan unveiled last year, Brazil detailed what it saw as the need to militarily protect its growing reserves of offshore oil as well as natural resources in the Amazon basin. On Monday, Lula said that the French fighter jets would help Brazil defend its borders.
The announcement by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva came during a Brazilian Independence Day visit by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Silva's office said negotiations have begun with Dassault, "taking into account the breadth of the proposed transfers of technology and the guarantees offered on the part of the French."
Sweden's Saab AB has been offering its Gripen fighter and Boeing Co. of the U.S. has proposed the F-18 Super Hornet for the Brazilian contract, which is expected to be worth about $2.2 billion to $2.5 billion.
A decisive factor was France's willingness to transfer technology to Brazil in the course of supplying it with Rafale fighter jets. Saab, maker of Gripen jets, and Boeing, maker of F-18 Super Hornets, were reluctant to do, Lula indicated in remarks last week in which he expressed a preference for the French planes.
The agreement follows a long-term pact signed in December and valued at $11 billion, under which Brazil and France will jointly build five submarines, one of them nuclear-powered. The vessels will be built at a new shipyard in Itaguai, an industrial zone near Rio that includes three new steel factories.
In addition, France is selling Brazil 50 military helicopters that will be assembled at a factory to be built in Minas Gerais state.
Sarkozy, meanwhile, told a news conference that France plans to acquire a dozen KC-390 military cargo transport planes made by Brazil's Embraer to replace U.S.-made C-130s it now uses.
A Brazilian deal would be a breakthrough for France, which has yet to find a foreign buyer for the jets. The French government has been trying for years to market the Rafales, from Saudi Arabia to India and elsewhere, but has yet to clinch a deal.
While the announcement gives Dassault an inside track on the sale, Silva indicated that the negotiations do not rule out purchase of a rival plane.
Sarkozy said his country has no worries about transferring technology to Brazil.
"France will be a trustworthy, efficient partner," he said. "We do not fear sharing technology."
Sarkozy also announced France supports Rio de Janeiro's bid for the 2016 Olympic Games — and asked that Brazil back France's proposal to host the 2018 winter games.
They also discussed plans for December's global warming summit in Denmark and this month's economic meeting of the Group of 20 in the United States.
Brazil already has agreed to buy five French Scorpene submarines, one of them with nuclear propulsion, and 50 Cougar helicopters for about $12 billion. All would be assembled in Brazil.
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Brazil has entered into final negotiations with France to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets, the two countries said on Monday during a visit by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
In exchange France has agreed to buy around a dozen KC-390 military cargo planes, a future jet-powered transport plane to be built by Brazil's Embraer.
France, seeking its first overseas buyer for the Rafale, has been competing against the United States and Sweden to sell 36 planes to help renew Brazil's air force.
The Rafale, manufactured by Dassault Aviation, was shortlisted along with the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet supplied by Boeing and the lighter Gripen combat jet offered by Sweden's Saab.
Yves Robins, a spokesman for Dassault Aviation, said there was every reason to think Brazil would buy the Rafale planes.
We can imagine that it will be concluded definitively in 2010, if things go well, he said.
It is the latest skirmish in the global fighter jet market, reckoned to be worth around $17-billion (U.S.) a year.
