Baghdad racing against time in the war on terrorism and Washington bureaucracy and slow reinforcemen

Baghdad racing against time in the war on terrorism and Washington bureaucracy and slow reinforcement




The slow delivery of the aircraft raised the American offensive in Iraq discontent, also raised questions about whether the Obama administration could be moving more quickly to expedite the extradition of helicopters and warplanes to Baghdad at a time when a growing threat. 


BAGHDAD / obelisk said President Barack Obama during an interview recently that he does not want to become the American army is a force Iraq flights. But he may not have another option in front of him.

Were not only Iraq's fledgling air force when the United States withdrew from it in 2011 and Washington agreed to strengthen the Iraqi air force from Baghdad through the sale of 36 F-16 fighter sophisticated multi-tasking and 24 Apache helicopter.

But the protracted contract negotiations and the long interval between the demand put forward and start delivery in addition to the slow bureaucratic procedures were all factors inhibiting. Iraqi aircraft began pouring into the production line after four years of informing Congress planned to sell at a time locked in a Baghdad battle for survival in the face of militant jihadists.

Until August / August, only two were an order of -16 thousand Iraqi fighters, worth 65 million dollars, which are Tzlmthma American government from Lockheed Martin did not reach any of them in Iraq. The delivery process is now stalled because of payment problems and the deterioration in the security situation, which prevents the completion of the work required to prepare the Balad Air Base to receive the aircraft.

The US defense official said on condition of anonymity, according to a report I followed "obelisk" in Reuters, "not being handed fighter thousands -16 at this time because the Iraqis did not pay the premium due and because the insurance plan the development of aircraft in the country has not been completed because of the security situation in Iraq" .

And helped the American attacks this month in retreat fighters "Islamic state" of Kurdish areas sensitive. The organization's fighters had beheaded the American journalist James Foley in response to such attacks.

And the slow delivery of the aircraft raised the American offensive in Iraq exasperation some Iraqi officials also raised questions about whether the Obama administration could be moving more quickly to expedite the extradition of helicopters and fighter jets to Baghdad at a time when a growing threat.

He also raised the slow delivery of fighter jets thousands of -16 to criticize Baghdad amid resentment and a wide range of state of political fragmentation suffered by Iraq and also raised criticism of other Iraqi officials blamed the bureaucracy American obtrusive and said that Baghdad waiting for the aircraft, was not available for comments from Iraqi officials as it prepares Prime Minister New Haider Abadi for the formation of a new government.

But members of the Security and Defense Committee in the Iraqi parliament said that the former is clear that the United States wanted to slow down the delivery of the aircraft.

Said Alexander Tut and Vice Chairman of the Committee that the Americans wanted to postpone the deal one way or another, pointing out that Baghdad paid 1.6 billion dollars until the end of 2013 as part of the deal planes thousands of -16, which includes training.

He added that in 2014 there were some differences and there was a delay and there was a political blocs stand in the face of the arms. He said that this does not justify the delay because the first batch was supposed to be delivered at the beginning of 2014.

He Jihad Hassan Amin, the Iraqi lawyer of security and defense committee in the previous Parliament expressed his belief that the United States has slowed in the delivery of the aircraft, fearing that lead to the consecration of sectarian divisions.

"Now ... there is hope in the formation of this new government, and that can create a better atmosphere."

Although Iraq is suffering a deficit in the budget secretary said he does not see the issue of payment a significant barrier.

He went on saying, "Iraq has the funds and the allocation and payments will be approved."

He denies the officials of the Ministry of Defense (Pentagon) any deliberate delay in delivery of the aircraft and say the United States is related to a foreign military sales worth 15 billion dollars with Iraq, and is working to speed up the process of delivery of the equipment as much as possible.

She said Lockheed Martin, which is based in Bethesda, Maryland, that the production of Iraqi aircraft will be completed in late 2017 and this date precedes the time frame set out in the Declaration of the initial contract months later.

Washington bureaucracy

Said Loren Thompson, an analyst at the Lexington Research in Washington, which has close ties with Lockheed "expres​sion(in time) for the bureaucracy of Washington, does not mean being in the right time in the war zone."

He added that the American bureaucracy "is not good at providing things quickly to allies who face danger ... whether it's planes or planes to Afghanistan to Iraq, the system always finds a reason to find one way or another."

Said Michael O'Hanlon, a defense analyst at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said the quality of the air force sought by the Iraqis to buy them from the United States would be an ideal tool to hit the fighters of the Islamic state who travel in convoys of cars across the vast open spaces of the country.

He continued by saying, "If it becomes clear that an emergency -omen Kzlk- I think that there are multiple ways to provide them with limited quantities of air power quickly if we decided to focus on it and to circumvent some thing about the usual bureaucratic rules."

No air force almost

The data indicate Global Foundation, plus that the Iraqi air force before 2003 was one of the most powerful air forces in the region as it includes about a thousand aircraft, including Soviet MiG and French Mirage. And suffered serious damage this power in the first Gulf War and after the sanctions imposed on Iraq in the late nineties.

By the time of the American invasion in 2003, the Iraqi air force is between 100 and 300 fighter aircraft in service, most did not find the proper maintenance and all stores to scrap after the conflict.

Analysts say considering the size of the Iraqi military forces that Baghdad now has about 12 military aircraft from Russian Sukhoi -25 and six attack helicopters, Russian-made.

And the remaining part is a small helicopter and medium-sized American and Russian-made planes and American light can carry a number of passengers used for reconnaissance purposes and some of them can launch missiles, Hellfire air / ground.

Said Ben Barry, a former officer of the British Army and colleague present at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London "when pulled out, the United States spent 20 billion dollars to build the Iraqi military force strength of 800 thousand people and relied on the ability of this force on a peacekeeping while withdrew the American army in 2011. But This did not happen.

Has captured fighters "Islamic state" on the US military equipment made millions of dollars, and the failure of the United States to leave an air force negligible or find ways to help Baghdad to enhance its strength quickly does not make the front of many alternatives to extend a helping hand for Iraq to become able to Baghdad secure its air force, despite management assurances that the use of United States Air Force will be limited.

Said Admiral John Kirby, Pentagon press secretary, told reporters, "We are ready to assist them and coordinate with them to some extent, but as the President said .. will not become the Iraqi air force."

Militant threats

And was building an air force that can control over Iraqi airspace project existed long ago. The Pentagon told Congress the first time, plans to sell F-16 fighter jets to Iraq in September 2010, but the contract for the sale of the first 18 aircraft did not sign, but in December 2011 contract was signed eighteen aircraft in April, the other in April 2013.

  The first Iraqi aircraft flew in May / May last was presented at a ceremony at the Iraqi ambassador in early June at the Lockheed plant in Fort Worth, Texas.

Even at a time when the first planes out of the assembly line fighters were "Islamic state" invade northwest Iraq and advancing towards Baghdad in a manner threatening to Balad Air Base, located 80 km to the north of the city.

And postponed Lockheed about 25 of its employees who were working with the Iraqi Air Force in preparation for the arrival of the aircraft and assist in training run. And a second defense official said that Iraq's decision and contracting companies to withdraw workers from the country means that the work needed to al-Qaeda is not yet complete.

Officials in June expect the transfer of four F-16 fighter jets to Iraq by the end of the year. But the second defense official said the expected delivery of two of them to Iraq perhaps next fall.

The official, who asked not to be named, "I do not want you to think that the security situation is the only thing. Security situation is one of the factors But there are other things," pointing out that "the payment was an issue for a period of time, even before the security situation becomes a factor."

The defense officials said it was still premature to even talk about a date for the delivery of Apache attack aircraft produced by Boeing.

The Pentagon told Congress first ordered the planned deal in January. It requires that hires Iraq six helicopters and temporarily buy 24 other aircraft in the coming years.

Said Stephen Pucci former officer army special forces, who heads the Foreign Policy Centre Heritage Foundation in Washington that the foreign military sales process, "rarely characterized by speed or efficiency."

"It is not a priority in general unless there is an emergency in which someone intervenes and speeds of moving the matter within the system.

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