Orlando Sentinel October 8, 2001
Florida takes major role in war effort
By Richard Burnett
The U.S. strike Sunday against Afghanistan marks the beginning of a military action that will have Florida connections at every stage. From smart bombs to special forces and combat radios to air-base engineering, Florida's defense contractors and military personnel will be front and center in America's war effort.
The state's largest defense contractor -- Lockheed Martin in Orlando -- designs some of the precision-guided weaponry used in Sunday's strike. Harris Corp. in Melbourne provides much of the tactical communications technology for the military. Northrop Grumman Corp. in Melbourne builds the Joint STARS battlefield radar aircraft that played a key role in Operation Desert Storm.
In Tampa, the U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base is calling the shots for America's special-operations troops, who began reconnaissance activity inside Afghanistan several weeks ago. Special communications reservists from MacDill are establishing secure networks for the military.
At Patrick Air Force Base in Brevard County, almost 100 reservists who shipped out two weeks ago are helping to build and maintain tactical air bases near Afghanistan. Another 35 reservists from Orlando reported a week ago to Fort Bliss, Texas, as part of a squadron that operates the Patriot air-defense system.
From Jacksonville to Homestead, hundreds of others have been activated for flight operations, classified missions, security work and other duties. Among the U.S. ships to launch cruise missiles into Afghanistan on Sunday was the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea, whose home port is Mayport Naval Station, outside Jacksonville.
As the sailors and troops have mobilized, so have the defense companies -- many of them working overtime to meet the increased demand. "All of our facilities are responding quickly to the needs of our customers," said Pete Harrigan, spokesman for Lockheed's integrated-systems business, which includes the Orlando operations. "But at the request of our customers, we are not able to discuss the work in more detail."
The U.S. forces have technical advantages that are head and shoulders above a decade ago during the Persian Gulf War, and Afghanistan will be no match for it, analysts say. "They are not nearly as sophisticated as Iraq was," said Barry Render, a business professor at Rollins College and former aerospace engineer. "Iraq put billions in its military, and we destroyed that."
The U.S. weapons systems have improved significantly even since the Kosovo action several years ago, said John Pike, a defense analyst and founder of GlobalSecurity.org, a think tank based in Washington. "The big change from Kosovo is the abundant availability of satellite-guided precision weapons, which are unaffected by weather," he said.
Copyright © 2001, Orlando Sentinel
