| Show 5 rN v v X f W. W Y- Y tt Fi V r x fw arC S' S 1 t r t f G a. a n bry c i 4 4 W il l' l t u. u v a f V o. 7 i w r 1 nv f 1 e S tt VC r Z Z fe M. M tf MM M Mk f f r x V w K r j J M. M J e 1 i e e m fl O. O e U I m e u ta I y V VV q lf l' l it h d- d df f v v of x- x v X w i m 1 X C f e J rHE alE Persian n Gulf Js the e i Q us 91 nl v 2 s first r reaf teai V 1 test t f whether r the equipment ill p ri we weha i ha y re now know n w is as w what t We we really y Sneed in iri lQ the post post Cold War era ra ji w According ig to o US U.S. News World Report the heroes her es of Operation Desert Shield are is some II e drab ungainly y ships that the N Navy vy was was' for forced to buy uy from om a commerce shipping shipping ship ship- ping linea line a de decade ade ago go When the deployment nt of US U.S. troops to t to the G Gulf started one thing became evident all l the advanced advanced advanced ad ad- technology and sophisticated weaponry that the possesses U.S.-possesses US U.S. possesses is useless useless-if if it cant can't get to the scene of action ina swift manner in r. r Even after the advanced r weaponry arrives i in in l the Middle Mid Mid- dle dle East sti it proves to be unprotected unprotected un un- i protected d. d to the to the harshness harshness of the ithe desert x The Apache helicopter which which the Army A I y is ts counting tin 8 on to kill kili 11 Iraqi troops if war war brea breaks out was was a a calamity t in inthe ins i the Panama anama op operation Uon with e electronic glitches brought b on onby by bythe the high humidity Al AI Although though the Middle East poses poses' little threat at of humidity problems the sand and dust could shut down i its fur turbine lne engines In addition m many y systems have been extensively tested here at home but never used at wartime These systems include in In- dude clude the helicopter-fire helicopter hellfire hellfire hellfire hell- hell fire antitank missile and arid the Patriot air de defense ense system Even the Tomahawk cruise e missiles missile which could o d. d ta take e. e out Iraqi Iraq military targets without without- caus causing g high ig civilian casu casual casual- l. l ties If n. the weapons perform en rm successfully t the e. e US U.S. S. S wo would ld have h ve a tremendous s edge x j V ir lX However t when nines hie l JJ lri bombers iS I LJ Ib jn t. t 1896 only two manage managed n g. g e l to drops bombs on the th it t r and neither q scored adire a- a ad a d hit hitts f x The r 1 J Pentagon ent go 1 assumed d th that t if f American weapons weapons were goodenough good enough to beat the Sovie they were more than enough to beat anyone else eIser The US U.S. Cor Command con Command con control communications arid and intelligence intelligence in in- system allows American commanders to see seethe seethe th the battlefield and control rol their forces forcesT Some radar planes spy spy satellites and ele electronic jamming equipment equip ment mentar are a also so as 3 effective How However er Operation Desert rl Shield is is' proving proving- th that at deal dealing rag with Wid new threats in fri the world dd is more re complex th than n Pen Pentagon Pentagon t tagon officials shad had ass assumed fi r r |
