[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12291]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                   UNITED STATES AIR FORCE IN KOSOVO

  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, last month the May 15 edition of Newsweek 
ran an article regarding Kosovo and the damage assessment data that was 
gathered by NATO and the United States Air Force. While some of the 
accusations in the article raised concerns on both sides of the issue, 
I believe, Mr. Speaker, it misses the point, and, that is, the 
outstanding job accomplished by our men and women of the United States 
Air Force.
  What many fail to realize is that the Air Force was practically 
engaged in a major theater war. Thirty-eight thousand sorties were 
flown during the 78-day operation with two aircraft lost to enemy fire. 
At the beginning of Operation Allied Force, the average number of 
sorties flown per day was 200. That number increased to 1,000 by the 
end of that conflict. Furthermore, the United States expended over 
23,315 munitions with the United States Air Force accounting for 91 
percent of that amount. That in itself, Mr. Speaker, is a logistics 
success story.
  Over 20,000 Air Force personnel were deployed in Operation Allied 
Force. The operation also included 13 percent of Air Force fighter 
aircraft, 16 percent of bombers and 28 percent of tanker aircraft. At 
the same time, United States Air Force equipment and personnel were 
deployed to Northern Watch in Iraq, Southwest Asia, Central and South 
America, and various Pacific operations. In fact, Mr. Speaker, we have 
over 260,000 military personnel in over 100 countries. Our military has 
been deployed more times during this administration than the entire 
Cold War period.
  I am concerned that the Newsweek article chose not to highlight the 
major effort in which the United States Air Force engaged over those 78 
days, but the outstanding performance continued after hostilities 
ceased as Air Force officials delved into an in-depth analysis of the 
warfare data.
  This article in Newsweek dated May 15, this year, attempts to 
persuade the reader that NATO, the Pentagon and United States Air Force 
officials purposely misstated the number of tanks, artillery and 
armored personnel carriers destroyed in Operation Allied Force. 
However, the author based his assertions on a so-called suppressed 
report. In reality, his information was likely provided by way of an 
initial ground survey conducted by NATO itself.
  This initial survey documented actual on-site findings of damaged or 
destroyed equipment. But let me emphasize a point here. This survey was 
conducted after 78 days of aerial combat operations where the 
battlefield, of course, can drastically change from day to day. 
Furthermore, it is common practice for any army to remove as much as 
possible of its equipment and damage from the battlefield as soon as 
possible.
  Let me emphasize that this data project was conducted by NATO itself, 
with the support of the United States Air Force. Obviously since the 
Air Force conducted most of the offensive operations, its involvement 
was crucial to gathering accurate data. The project was also designed 
as an assessment of weapons targeting, their impact and effectiveness, 
and, of course, not just counting armor damage.
  The data released by NATO was the result of a thorough methodology 
composed of ground survey, mission reports, cockpit videos, satellite 
and other imagery and, of course, intelligence reports. This data also 
had to factor in decoy use, multiple strikes on a target, and, of 
course, unconfirmed strikes. As a result, the data released was in fact 
more conservative than initial battle damage assessments. That is 
precisely the point of this in-depth analysis, to get an accurate 
picture of what happened so you can learn and adapt for future 
conflicts.
  The Newsweek article does raise a few questions, but if one looks at 
the entire picture of this operation, that person will see the 
Herculean effort shouldered by the United States Air Force. In the end, 
the Serbs retreated. The Air Force mission was accomplished, which, of 
course, is the real message for all Americans, that the Air Force did 
its job and did it well.
  We can be proud of these men and women and their commitment to serve 
their country and fight for a people whom they did not know. I commend 
the United States Air Force, and all the other armed services in 
support of Operation Allied Force.

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