The Other Face of Air Power: "Afghan Rescue 705 Flight," July 28-29, 2010

The fact that the mission was conducted in a highly -contested area of northeastern Afghanistan only added to the significance of the humanitarian accomplishment: the saving of more than 2,000 Afghan men, women, and children from devastating floodwaters.2 Not only did the mission save a great number...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Air power history 2012-03, Vol.59 (1), p.20-33
Main Authors: Marion, Forrest L., Roberts, Gregory A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air forces
Air power
Aircraft
Analysis
Clouds
Commercial markets
Counterinsurgency
Features
Floods
Governors
Helicopters
Insurgency
Lifesaving
Military aspects
Military aviation
Rain
Vehicular flight
Weather
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The fact that the mission was conducted in a highly -contested area of northeastern Afghanistan only added to the significance of the humanitarian accomplishment: the saving of more than 2,000 Afghan men, women, and children from devastating floodwaters.2 Not only did the mission save a great number of lives, which in itself was of the utmost importance in humanitarian terms, but in the context of the ongoing counterinsurgency in Afghanistan, in which the Taliban and other antigovernment forces continue striving for control with Kabul over allegiance and control of the indigenous population, the mission lent "legitimacy" to the government in Kabul as well as to provincial, local, and nomadic government leaders who were able to call upon the resources of the Afghan Air Force and its US/NATO partners and advisors.3 Since the spring of 2007, a combined U.S./ NATO -led coalition initiative had been underway in Afghanistan to rebuild an indigenous air force, known in the 1980s as the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Air Force (DRAAF). American and coalition leaders, such as General Boera, recognized that Afghan - istan's forbidding mountainous terrain, lack of ground transportation infrastructure, and threats to ground travel in the form of roadside bombs placed a premium on developing an air capability both for the country's security as well as for governance.
ISSN:1044-016X