GBU-31: Mk84 bomb fitted with JDAMRQ-1 / MQ-1 PredatorRQ-4 Global Hawk
Al Qaeda waged
netwar
U.S. response to al Qaeda’s rise was weak and ineffectual:
World had changed
—
and U.S. had not yet changed sufficiently
Most important advance in U.S. capabilities:
JDAM
UAVs (RQ-1A Predator & RQ-4 Global Hawk)
Siprnet
In the past, civilian casualties were regarded as routine;now those were a major scandal
Growth of precision-guided munitions
Most important offer from U.S.: air power
Victory still required close cooperation of air & ground action
Heavy air strikes defeated Taliban
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