COIN Air Component

This Survey is searching for the best ideas on Close Air Support platforms for small units below Battalion (Company / Platoon / Squad / Fire Team / Sniper Team / etc.). Have you ever served in a combat zone with a unit that was directly engaged with an enemy force, that is, experienced rounds exchanged not just a remote staff position in a combat zone?

YES for more than three months accumulative

YES for less than three months accumulative

NO - never

In combat were you an Officer, Enlisted or some other rank

OFFICER

ENLISTED

CIVILIAN CONTRACTOR

GOVERNMENT AGENCY

In combat, while on patrol, moving to someplace, or at your post were you ever engaged by an enemy individual or force that required you to actually use your weapon, that is, it was not a situation where you just took cover or moved, you made an instinctive or conscience decision with or without your fellow soldiers in this action to engage with fires from your own weapon an enemy that you could see positively or were certain in responding to the direction of the incoming fire.

YES several to many times

YES at least once

NO never fired my weapon but was fired upon

NO never

Whenever you went out on a Scheduled or Unscheduled Patrol, Administrative Movement to a post or garrison, Immediate Reaction Response, a Planned & Coordinated Assault or just took over your responsibilities at a location in a combat zone you were confident that numerous forms of supporting arms would be dedicated to you and your unit if necessary, that is everything from organic mortars to artillery and air support.

NEVER - Are you kidding me, we had to fend for ourselves

SOMETIMES - Perhaps but I was not aware of it directly

IT WAS AVAILABLE ON CALL VIA THE JTAC - but I / the unit never trusted it that they would have our backs

IT WAS AVAILABLE ON CALL VIA THE JTAC - but I / the unit understood that it would be a hit or miss thing in getting it and it might take up to an hour and still be refused

IT WAS AVAILABLE ON CALL VIA THE JTAC - assets were always available and it worked as advertised

ALWAYS - we had our own CAS assets with us all the time or they were just minutes away

The Predator Drones were supposed to set up CAP's (patrol points) all over Afghanistan in order to provide ISR (intelligence - surveillance - reconnaissance) support to the ground units providing real time video via the ROVER link system to laptops where the imagery could be reviewed. These Predators were supposed to be an important link in ensuring that all units had timely CAS and artillery when needed and they could give early warning of impending attacks, ambush preparations, new IED placements, and over all disposition of the enemy.

NEVER - what Drones, what ISR

NEVER - the Drones were all under the intelligence shop and rarely shared with the contact units

SOMETIMES - very rarely in fact when a situation developed that had some easily identifiable fixed target well away from any civilians where it could be assumed that the enemy existed so that the Drones could instigated the launch of an air strike using TACAIR with big bombs and not risking any collateral damage.

SOMETIMES - after at least 45 minutes of discussions and all JTAC ROE conditions were met and final approval given

EVERY TIME - Drones did the job, helped with TACAIR and whenever we needed fire support they helped get it.

We had small hand-launched and recovered drones with our unit and they enabled us over periods of hours to have access to the 3rd dimension in the battle-space enabling us to see over terrain and obstacles and provide local warning when the enemy moved or was preparing an ambush, assembling for an attack, or setting a new IED.

NEVER - those small drones never worked and were soon discarded

SOMETIMES - but NEVER IN A PUSH situation when things just got too complicated

SOMETIMES - when you could organize and plan all details leaving just the reliability of the equipment and batteries as the failure issues

USED AS EXPECTED - the drone team lunched and recovered as trained and the equipment worked as advertised