Agence France Presse March 19, 2003
Despite night vision, US troops won't wait for a moonless night to invade Iraq
By Jean-Michel Stoullig
US troops will not wait for a moonless night to launch military action in Iraq, despite the clear advantage their night vision equipment gives them when fighting in complete darkness, according to experts and Pentagon officials.
"Obviously with our night vision capabilities we have a greater advantage in periods of darker nights. It's a factor, like the heat as we get closer to summer ... but we can make adjustments," said Lieutenant-Colonel Dave Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman.
"The advantage in night vision is a reflection of our overwhelming superiority, it's not going to be a show stopper," said Chris Helman, an analyst at the Center for Defense Information.
"The decision to start is not going to be based on the phase of moon", he said, adding that Washington was in a hurry to get rid of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Radar-evading stealth fighters, such as the F-117 and B-2, can easily escape detection by Iraqi anti-aircraft systems and drop smart bombs from high altitude at any time of day or night.
But some bombers and helicopters may be detected by eye on a moonlit night.
M1-Abrams tanks are equipped with thermo-imaging systems that enable their crews to see in the dark and attack their enemies from a safe distance.
Infantry troops have a similar advantage with their night-vision goggles, which could be crucial in urban fighting. "To be able to see and target the enemy who is not aware you are here is important; these are extra elements of safety. Especially in the streets of Baghdad" said Francois Boo, a military expert at GlobalSecurity.org.
Fighting at night also enables US troops to avoid the searing daytime heat.
But the last full moon, which lights up the desert, was on March 18, and it won't be until the end of the month that the sky will turn totally dark.
One of the reasons to go in swiftly is that as winter gives way to spring, the nights get shorter in the Middle East, giving troops less time to fight during the cool of night, said Boo.
"The moon is not going to be a problem. The weather, sandstorms can be an annoyance... but the decision to start the war will be purely political," said retired general Bernard Trainor, an analyst with the Council on Foreign Relations.
The first Gulf war started during the moonless night of January 16, 1991, when the US military launched massive missile and bombing strikes.
Copyright © 2003, Agence France Presse
