DoD News Briefing
Thursday, February 4, 1999 - 1:50 p.m.
Presenter: Captain Mike Doubleday, DASD PA
...........
Q: If we could turn to Iraq for a second?
A: Sure.
Q: Have you figured out what happened with the AGM-130 that hit that neighborhood outside of Basrah?
A: I don't have any further detail on that incident. I should just leave it there.
Q: Is it still being investigated, do you know?
A: We certainly want to know as much as we can about any incident that has such a result, but at this point I just don't have any detail about where we have progressed in our review of that situation.
Q: There have been reports of Iraq pulling out some of its air defense assets in the no-fly zones. Have we seen any indications of more of that going on?
A: I think I would describe the situation as mixed. So that I can -- I don't think we can characterize any kind of move one way or another.
Q: Mike, you've been hitting anti-aircraft artillery sites much more often lately than you have in the past. Would a prudent and reasonable person draw the conclusion that they've moved the missiles out of harm's way, and these are the next most tempting targets?
A: First of all, in a very specific sense, I don't want to get into the whys and wherefores of the targets that we strike as a result of threats that they pose to U.S. forces.
What we have been doing, what we will continue to do is to enforce the no-fly zones and to strike those targets that we feel are a threat to coalition forces, both in the north and the south.
I can't say what may be in the thinking of the Iraqis with regard to the various threats that they have posed to us from time to time except to say that certainly over the last several weeks they have been very aggressive in exhibiting these threats, and that we will continue to answer them with strikes.
Q: Could you in a general way say there is anything different or unusual about the disposition of Iraqi air defenses? Traditionally you guys have been able to say something about that from the podium.
A: I have seen nothing that is particularly unusual about it other than the fact that I think you've heard General Zinni [and] , you've heard from others that they have integrated their air defense systems, they have utilized these AAA associated radars and others into their air defense system. They have used a variety of command and control assets in ways that are very provocative, and they have been much more aggressive in attempting to push the envelope in the no-fly zones.
Q: For the record, is there any activity today over there?
A: No. There was a violation in the south. Our units in the south were not flying in the box today and it was a very brief excursion.
Q: Isn't, in fact, the action of the Iraqis to harass, to perhaps shoot down a U.S. plane, isn't that in fact giving the United States a great deal of opportunity to practice and to prove themselves against this air defense system? In fact isn't it a matter of diminishing returns for Saddam?
A: That is certainly not the way I would characterize it. I think that Saddam's actions over the recent weeks since OPERATION DESERT FOX have shown a level of frustration, have shown -- have not been particularly well considered militarily. But the important thing is that for the last eight years since the end of the Gulf War, coalition forces have been enforcing these no-fly zones. We have flown nearly 200,000 sorties in connection with this effort, and we will continue to do that. And we will continue to respond to the threats that we see to our pilots and crews as they go about this task of enforcing those no-fly zones.
Q: What I meant is in fact hasn't his frustration been increased by the fact that he's doing no good whatsoever against the U.S. air forces?
A: I can't say what his level of frustration is.
Q: I have two questions. Could you bring us up to date specifically on the latest battle damage assessment from our attacks in Iraq? And second, can you confirm that the Iraqis are still using their aircraft to lure ours or the British aircraft over air defense sites?
A: They certainly have had aircraft that go up into the no-fly zones as recently as today. This technique has been exhibited over and over again. As General Zinni indicated when he met with you about ten days ago, his assessment was that indeed they were attempting to do that, but that our air crews are well trained and are not going to get lured into any of those kind of SAM traps, essentially.
What was the other part of your question? The assessment on damage?
I can't give you any kind of a percentage except that I can say that we believe that we are having a very grave impact on the Iraqi air defense system. We have diminished his abilities in that regard. He has lost a variety of air defense components. He has lost a variety of missile components. And as long as he keeps up these threats to our coalition forces and as long as he continues his repeated violations of the no-fly zones, we will go about in our very deliberate way the enforcement of the no-fly zone and responding to the threats as we see them.
Q: What is BDA on the strike on the anti-ship missiles sites?
A: I think I'd best characterize it as those targets are out of commission. There was evidence of secondary explosions, which indicates that the target and associated ordnance were hit.
Q: About that, is there any threat posed to our fleet in the Gulf by anything now that's near shore or off shore of Iraq?
A: Let me be kind of circumspect in my answer. I don't want to provide to you a very detailed intel picture on the threats that we see, but I will tell you that our forces over there are well armed with the best intelligence we can provide so that they can respond appropriately where these threats exist. I think that all of you are aware that we have a very significant capability to identify threats and to deal with them in a variety of ways.
Q: Do they still have Exocet missiles and other anti-ship assets?
A: I have not seen anything recently that addresses that. You might...
Q: (inaudible)
A: Let me see if there's anything we can give you on that one. We'll take that as a question.
...........http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Feb1999/t02041999_tasd0204.html
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