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Pastimes : Kosovo -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Timothy Liu who wrote (8495)	5/14/1999 10:52:00 PM
From: robnhood	Respond to of 17770

Tim,, I'm pretty sure that I saw it on this thread--- Sorry but I've had too much to drink right now or I would look for it.. Might take me an hour.... I'll give it a look though...

To: Timothy Liu who wrote (8495)	5/14/1999 11:12:00 PM
From: robnhood	Respond to of 17770

Tim,, I saw it specifically somewhere but here's a look---- I'm trying Message 9515703

To: Timothy Liu who wrote (8495)	5/15/1999 8:22:00 AM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 17770

Tim, What rrman is stating about b-2 bombers is entirely taken out of context. If he had done the most cursory of research on NATO operational strategy he would have discovered that ALL B-2 flights begin in Missouri. There are only, I believe, 9 B-2 bombers and they all operate from the same base. 6 of those bombers are on operational status and divide up the mission requirements between their crews. The other aircraft are undergoing final production testing or are used as training craft for new bomber crews. The operational aircraft reportedly fly a 33 hour long mission, round trip. Where rrman DOES have a point is that B-2 raids are comparmentalized outside of the normal NATO command structure. Due to the secrecy of B-2 operations (given their $2 billion dollar cost and irreplacebility), NATO approves the target list and the B-2 mission planners then select those targets within their own operational structure to maintain target secrecy. (My knowledge of this is from Gen. Wald's Pentagon briefings in which these operational detail were loosely discussed). So it is probable that once the target was selected, the B-2 mission staff accepted the target without independent confirmation. Given the comparmentalization they have, they likely would have been prevented from discussing potential target selections with other agencies or with NATO planning staff. So once they are given a target, they assume that some other SOB has confirmed that the target is not misidentified. The B-2 pilot hit exactly what he was told to hit (or rather the bomb the coordinates it had been programmed with). The error lies with who did the target selection, and most importantly, the controls in place to prevent mis-targeting. Hope this helps. Regards, Ron