ANALYSIS – Despite the growing threat from a belligerent revolutionary Iran bent on expansion and acquiring nuclear weapons, not to mention a still active ISIS terror threat in Syria and Iraq, the Pentagon no longer sees the region as a primary danger zone.
The focus now is China and Russia.
And that’s where our most advanced military hardware is heading.
Because of that, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), responsible for the Mideast Area of Operations (AOR) is coming up short.
Significantly, CENTCOM has a minimal requirement of two and a half air force squadrons of around 12 aircraft each. It currently has just under that two and a half squadron number.
This is especially critical now that CENTCOM will no longer have a Navy aircraft carrier dedicated to its AOR.
The bulk of the two and a half squadrons consist of still effective 4th generation F-15E Strike Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons.
One way to fill the gap is to send a squadron of older, tank-busting A-10 Warthogs to the theater.
“I have a requirement for additional air assets,” Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, the head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), said in testimony to the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), adding that A-10s “have been approved to come to CENTCOM.”
With their 30mm gatling guns, a wide array of bomb stores and titanium bathtub protecting the pilots, the slow-moving, 40-year-old A-10s were once the mainstay of U.S. ground attack aircraft designed to decimate Soviet-Russian tanks during the Cold War.
They were also widely deployed during the Global War on Terror (GWOT), often seen strafing insurgent positions with their trademark cannon.
But the A-10 is now considered too old and slow to effectively face sophisticated air defense systems and fourth or fifth-generation jet fighters flown by China or Russia, and the Air Force is dropping the attack aircraft from its so-called 4+1 fighter plan.
It expects to fully retire the plane by 2029.
And these advanced threats do also exist in the Middle East AOR. Even without including Iran’s sophisticated defenses, Russia has advanced aircraft and systems based in Syria in direct proximity to 900 U.S. troops operating there.
Recently Russian jets in Syria have been flying provocatively over U.S. positions.
While the A-10s may not be the best to face advanced Russian jets or Iranian air defenses, they could, however, fulfill strike missions against lightly armed ISIS militants and Iranian-backed militant groups.
And that too is a major CENTCOM mission right now.
Iranian-backed militias have reportedly carried out 78 attacks against U.S. and coalition forces with drones, rockets and mortars since January 2021. Countering them is a key CENTCOM objective.
The A-10s could also effectively destroy Iranian naval craft, patrol boats or surface drones.
“The A-10 is still relevant to the mission CENTCOM flies over the Middle East,” said Larry Stutzriem, a retired Air Force major general who has flown the A-10, the F-16 and other aircraft.
But these won’t be the only planes in-theater. There are also those two squadrons of F-15s and F-16s. They can likely handle any immediate combat needs for advanced fast movers – or jet fighters.
At least until reinforcements could arrive.
Meanwhile, the U.S. will keep two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile battalions in the Middle East, each consisting of four Patriot batteries, each of which can have up to eight launchers.
There are also an additional 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq beyond the 900 troops in Syria to help fight Islamic State militants.
Overall, more than 30,000 U.S. military personnel will remain in the region.
Central Command also hopes to compensate for its reduced footprint by deploying aerial and maritime drones for daily operations and working closely with regional partners to surge forces in a crisis.
To bring that point home to potential adversaries (looking at you, Iran) U.S. and Israeli forces conducted a major military exercise in January deploying more than 140 aircraft.
Bottom line, in case of a big war, those dozen venerable (if not vulnerable) A-10s won’t be alone.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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Good keep enemy forces down for sure
Wow….it’s like; “CENTCOM is Woke smoking dope and hasn’t got a clue.”
That about sums it up right there…ask any Israeli or any nation signed onto the Abraham Accords.
China IS our main threat. HOWEVER, we must be able to fight a one and one-half IF NOT a two-theater conflict. The problem isn’t CNTCOM, it’s the DOD and its allocation of resources due to administration policies regarding the military.
Send them A10’s with a few escorts,and the tide will change very quickly.The iranians want to play with fire,trying to kill our troops,let’s give them all the fire they need.Hidenbiden has screwed things up so bad, in the middle east, we will have to go back and take on ISIS again,just like we had to do with obuthead,on the JV team, that was slaughtering all the kurds and other groups.Insanity at it’s best.
Yes! It’s critical that we have air superiority before sending in A-10s. It’s that or 2 seat type with GIBs newer “A-10s” with the ability to defend themselves against those who’d make improper advances to them.
Send the A10s to Ukraine and get that war over with. Win it or get out, and let the EU defend Ukraine.