Our (Aussie) pilots refused to bomb 40 times (in Iraq)

Australia's F/A-18 pilots defied the orders of American commanders and refused to drop their bombs on up to 40 missions during the invasion of Iraq, it can now be revealed.

In a remarkable account of how our airmen applied Australian rules of engagement, an RAAF pilot has told The Sun-Herald each of the 14 RAAF Hornet pilots aborted three to four bombing runs because intelligence given at pre-flight briefings did not concur with what they found at the target.

Last night, The Sun-Herald could not confirm whether or not American field commanders raised objections about the Australian pilots' actions, nor if US pilots later carried out the bombing runs themselves.

But Australia's Defence Force chief, General Peter Cosgrove backed the pilots' action, and said there were no recriminations.

Squadron Leader Daryl Pudney last week described how he and other Australian F/A-18 pilots were forced to weigh up the risk of civilian casualties in a split second before dropping their bombs.

He said pilots broke off many missions after they saw the target and decided there was not a valid military reason to drop their bombs.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/13/1078594618101.html

If not a common experience, are we to believe US intelligence is just plain awful at times?

...positions during ground combat? That task is the primary responsibility of spotters on the ground (forward air observers and artillery spotters), or in the air (remotely piloted vehicles and live pilots).

Reading between the lines, it appears to me that the Aussies refused to drop their ordinance on heavily populated areas, and/or targets of a questionable nature. Unlike American pilots, they have the right to refuse to drop bombs on a target if they so choose.

To answer your question directly, an American pilot who refuses to drop ordinance on a designated target can find themselves in a lot of hot water. Quite a few of those targets tend to be of a questionable nature because of the fast pace of combat and what is known as the "fog of combat". That's how some Americans and tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians have been killed during this unjustified war.

?

violence or conquering the Iraqi people. It was nothing more than a massive demolition exercise to destroy the city, in order for halliburton et al to have so much more to rebuild and capitalize and profiteer off of, using OUR tax dollars.

thanks george.

At least the aussies had some integrity...

I'd like to buy those pilots all a beer. Fine gentlemen.

that really took balls:toast:

I wish our pilots had the guts to do the same thing.

Thank you for posting this...we can only hope that these were not put back into the mix and bombed by other forces :(

What backbone, conviction, and courage!!! Something we see less and less of these days...the light grows dim.

or any of the other neo-conservative dominated military doctrines of BFEE PNACers.

Here are a few links into the dimension of mind that Reichmarshall Rumsfeld and others tred.

But not the Australians. Good on them!

Shock and Awe
http://www.dodccrp.org/shockIndex.html

Revolution in Political and Military Affairs/RPMA
http://www.guerrillacampaign.com/coup.htm

And the mother of all links to US military think-tank papers
Warfare In The 21st Century
http://carlisle-www.army.mil/library/bibs/warfar03.htm

:dem:

Or were they forced to carry out their missions regardless of what they saw of the actual target?

So glad you posted this.

It takes a lot more maturity, a lot more self-respect, more courage, and a lot more goodness to do this.

We need to believe there are still people in the world like this, and hope they won't be the only ones. Someone doing something RIGHT could start a movement!

Here's a toast with the lovely nectar, Fourex, to my Aussie mates with a conscience!