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Patriot missiles shield Arabian Peninsula

ARABIAN PENINSULA (Amy News Service, April 8, 2003) -- Every launched Iraqi missile targeted by Patriot sites so far has been killed.

Only one missile made it under the air-defense radar, injuring two Kuwait City residents March 29.

The dissemination of vital data to all Patriot batteries and early warning of incoming theater ballistic missiles has been instrumental in theater air defense, according to soldiers who work at the Combined Air Operations Center.

"Our Patriot battery people are among the force protection unsung heroes of this war," said Staff Sgt. Jose J. Hernandez, CAOC Operations Battle NCO. "The success of the Patriot has helped to keep casualties a lot lower than if one of those Iraqi missiles got through and landed somewhere in the area of responsibility."

"Just knowing our efforts have helped to save lives is definitely something that we'll be able to tell our families when we get back home," Hernandez said.

The Patriot battery buildup began during the Operation Southern Watch years on the Arabian Peninsula, Hernandez said. Since Operation Iraqi Freedom began, Lt. Gen. T. Michael "Buzz" Moseley, Combined Forces Air Component Commander, has taken over the batteries and has kept them mobile and on the move.

Just as other Coalition forces are moving forward to Baghdad, some batteries have also been moved around and even relocated closer to the front to provide needed force protection from theater ballistic missiles and enemy aircraft.

"I think every one of us on our CAOC staff has asked to go forward," Hernandez said. "That's not because we don't like our position, because being involved in the planning and execution stages from here, as well as being able to see the whole big picture in as near to actual-time as can be, is great. Being in this Coalition environment with every service branch and British and Australians, is really one of the best learning experience to ask for, especially during time of war, when everything is tactical and strategic and real."

Hernandez is a member of the Army National Guard from Orlando, Fla., called to active duty with the 32d Army Air Missile Defense Command from Fort Bliss, Texas. Operation Iraqi Freedom is the latest in a series of contingencies he has supported -- from Operation Southern Watch and Operation Enduring Freedom -- since being called to active duty 18 months ago.

"I was originally trained to be forward in the field with stinger missiles," Hernandez continued. "The picture I had being in the front was basically narrow because we only needed that to do our current operations. But here in the CAOC, we see the full picture from air to ground to sea, and that knowledge reflects in our high kill ratio of incoming missiles." Underneath the movie-theater sized screens that display a wide variety of strategic and tactical information on the non-stop air campaign, Hernandez continues to help maintain the Patriot Missile batteries, implement and issue tactical orders on battery movement and maintenance, and handle any number of situations that crop up daily.

Most of the time, Hernandez' job is not one for dramatics, but there are moments. Several Patriot batteries on the peninsula were busy engaging and shooting down missiles in the early days of the war.

"It got very tense between the time we passed on a `heads up' about incoming missiles," said. Hernandez. "Then it got real quiet, and after only minutes, we got a response, and everyone heaved a sigh of relief. It was a good feeling to be part of our success."

(Editor's note: Navy Chief Journalist Douglas H Stutz is a member of the Combined Forces Air Component Commander's Office of Public Affairs.)