We posted on our sister site at Military.com a story today about the use of EA-6B Prowlers to counter the improvised explosive device threat in Iraq.
This is significant because it marks the first time the story has made it out into the open press. Those of us who have embedded in both Iraq and Afghanistan over the years knew about this powerful counter-IED technology, but we refrained from reporting on it at the request of commanders who didn’t want the “secret” mission out in the open.
It was the spring of 2004, when I was in Bagram, Afghanistan, that I first saw the Prowlers in action. I remember asking the Army PAO there whether I could do a story about the fact that EA-6Bs were deployed there – the first time I’d seen such aircraft in “The Stan.”
The PAO looked me straight in the eye and said, “what Prowlers?”
I countered: “Those four sitting right there next to the 160th birds” (referring to the imposing, black-painted spec ops MH-47s lined up along the tarmac).
“There are no Prowlers here,” he said, making me think of the famous Obi Wan line “these are not the droids you’re looking for…”
“There are no Prowlers here,” is said robotically.
For nearly two years I – and other reporters I know who knew – wanted to tell this story. At one point, a colleague of mine reported on the issue based on statements from a Prowler driver at a conference of Old Crows. He was quickly slapped down by his command, and the Navy pleaded with our publication to pull the story.
Later, in Iraq, it was known as “banging trons.” Prowlers would orbit during night patrols, using their powerful electronic jamming gear to run through the spectrum in hopes of detonating IEDs while bomb layers were planting them. This was known to happen on more than a few occasions.
Wising up, but probably unaware of what was causing the mysterious detonations, the bad guys switched to command detonated IEDs or pressure plate set-ups. The best way to counter these, interestingly enough, were snipers – watch, wait and pick them off while they’re planting them in the road.
Still, the most popular triggering device – at least back in ’06 – was the larger signaled chordless phone system that existed before Iraq had a widespread cellular network. Most houses had a powerful antenna on the roof with a Senao base station that could transmit phone signals to great distances. It makes sense that Prowlers can intercept or imitate these too.
It’s good to see a normally secretive community get its day in the sun. I wonder if the commander quoted in the story really knew this issue would hit the mainstream. This tactic is an important tool to the boots on the ground operators, and surely with the introduction of EA-18G Growler – incorporating an impressive suit of wiz-bang jamming and active electronic warfare gear – the mission will continue to good effect.
-- Christian
1. A lot of you are assuming this story's for real: that Prowlers are really banging trons, and not just doing ELINT. Consider the possibility that this could be disinformation, or psyops -- make the bad guys afraid of something they can't see or hear in the night.
2. Then consider the possibility that it's only partly true, and partly false; the true part is bait for the false part. Same result.
3. Then consider the fact that this is a timed release. Somebody in the chain of command decided that a) the cat was out of the bag, and/or b) there was more benefit to be gained from disclosure than by secrecy. Maybe that's PR, not psyops; more on that below.
Maybe you don't trust the chain of command. I don't.
4. As far as need to know, the troops and taxpayers NTK that we're doing something about IEDs. The body count is climbing; we NTK what works, and what doesn't, so we can allocate effort and funds accordingly. Believe it or not, procurement and research is part of the observe, orient, decide, act (OODA) cycle. As a taxpayer, I need to know that our money is well spent, so I can vote the bastards out if it isn't. Elections are part of the OODA loop too.
5. Let's not get too worked up about the treasonous press. There's plenty of secrecy out there that works; the press isn't leaking everything. The F-117 and B-2 stayed stealth for years; nobody knew about Tacit Blue until it showed up in AVIATION WEEK. There's a lot of stuff in the black world that stays that way. Some of the stuff that's coming out of declassified Cold War archives will stand your hair on end. The press, if they knew about it, sat on it for decades.
On the IED front, the Warlock jammers have been reported widely, but there isn't dick out there about how they actually work. Let's not start lynching journalists, just yet.
6. Personally, I'm less concerned about what this story says about TTP, than I am about it being a fundraiser. IIRC, this kind of mission profile has been cited as another excuse to buy F-22s. No matter that a small, cheap, unit-organic drone might do it better.
Posted by: Demophilus at June 15, 2007 05:12 PM