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Chapter 8 – The JOC – Drone War

April 2009

Near the end of the week in the JOC (Joint Operations Center), I settled in next to Vince in our side-by-side workstations. We noticed a change to the TV monitors at the front of the Joint Operations Center (JOC). One of the two extremely large LED TV monitors at the right front of the JOC, which were normally tuned to U.S. network broadcasts, changed to a live, night vision camera aboard an overhead MQ-1 Predator drone instead of the usual CNN broadcast on that monitor.

Meanwhile, the other TV monitor on Fox News was showing The O’Reilly Factor.  The JOC was predominantly pro-Fox News, but showing CNN seemed like the politically correct thing to do…I guess.  However, when there was important stuff to show, CNN got the thumbs down ahead of Fox News.

The other 12 linked, large screen LED monitors which formed a matrix display at the center front of the amphitheater continued to display a map of the Multi-National Corps – Iraq (MNC-I) area of responsibility (AOR). The map displayed the boundaries for the MNC-I order of battle for the various divisions in Iraq.  

Vince and I each put on a pair of headphones tied to our workstations to listen to the monitors. Channel 1 audio gave you The O’Reilly Factor off the left-most monitor, while channel 2 provided audio on the right-side monitor showing the drone targeting camera.  This was only the second time I had watched live drone thermal camera footage since working the night shift.

“Looks like a convoy of MRAPs (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected trucks) going somewhere with a drone in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) support,” I hypothesized as I could clearly make out the unique vehicle profile compared to a Humvee.

I saw the MQ-1 Predator provide “eyes in the sky” over-watch protection for the convoy against potential unseen enemy ambush sites. The drone pilot repeatedly scanned in wide-angle view ahead of and to the sides of the convoy, looking for hotspots. This gave the pilot a very wide and expansive field of view to locate threats. Whenever a hotspot was detected, the pilot would change the camera resolution and contrast to zoom on the hotspot, giving a much clearer image of the threat. Convoy Commanders loved drone support since drones were responsive, efficient and deadly; a really nice security blanket.

“Oh, there’s a hot spot,” I heard Vince exclaim over the workstation-to-workstation intercom inside my headphones, “Watch him zoom it.” 

In wide view, low resolution and low magnification camera footage, hotspots were just that; almost formless white spots that occasionally moved with only a little definition to assess the threat.  A hotspot could be a person, an animal, a leftover campfire, a warm engine cowling, etc. Scanning in this fashion was the equivalent of looking ‘a mile wide and an inch deep’ for any hotspot.  When the pilot found a hotspot, he would change to higher resolution and magnification in order to now scan ‘an inch wide and a mile deep’ to expose the threat.  In high resolution and maximum magnification, the video feed was so precise and focused that a good drone pilot could literally see a terrorist taking a leak and shaking it off.  That would be the last time that terrorist would have a full bladder.

Vince and I watched as the drone pilot shifted the crosshairs of the targeting camera over the top of the newly discovered hotspots in wide-angle, zoomed-out view.  The pilot then switched the camera resolution to high definition and zoomed in with magnification.  To better define the target, the pilot changed the video contrast and the target’s silhouette popped into view. 

Vince and I looked at each other as the silhouettes of some animals, probably goats, could clearly be seen on the monitor.  The animals were facing the road on which the convoy would pass.  The animals in this position almost mimicked the same profile of people lying in the prone position as if waiting in an ambush hide.  The high-res video ruled out the threat.

“Well thank God it was some goats or something,” Vince remarked. “At first it looked like somebody waiting in ambush because it didn’t move.”

I pointed out, “This can be a bit mesmerizing, watching the search go on.  I think I’ll just listen and get back to work.”

I switched my gaze briefly over to The O’Reilly Factor as Bill “O” teased the next segment, “Upcoming after the break in our Impact Segment, I’ll talk with Code Pink’s Medea Benjamin on why her group has raised the ire from some in the ‘Daily Kos’ groups.” I listened while I returned to my never-ending PowerPoint Ranger duties.

While the convoy continued with drone support on the right monitor, I watched Bill O’Reilly come back on air with his Code Pink spokesperson. I half-heartedly listened to the Code Pink nonsense while pounding away at the keyboard on the presentation du jour.

Ms. Benjamin then made some comment to O’Reilly about the United States using drones to kill people in Iraq and Afghanistan.  She didn’t think that was appropriate. Bill kinda rolled his eyes, but it then dawned on me. I looked up at the side-by-side TV monitors and was struck by the timely juxtaposition of the Code Pink interview immediately next to the live armed drone footage on the other monitor.  Hollywood couldn’t have written that scenario any better.

“Hey, Vince.  Are you watching or listening to O’Reilly right now?” I quipped over the intercom.

“No, man.  I’m watching Drone Hunter, starring an Air Force captain in Nevada on channel 2,” he shot back, laughing.

“You have to appreciate this situation,” I said. “This Code Pink person just complained to O’Reilly that our drones are killing people in Iraq and Afghanistan, while I’m watching live drone video on the monitor right next to The Factor broadcast.”

Vince shifted his eyes to the O’Reilly monitor and listened for a moment before speaking. “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about. She’s an ejit!” Vince added.

“But hey, looks like we’ve got somethin’ cookin’ on Drone Hunter for sure,” he blurted out. “Look at all those hot spots up ahead. Come on. Zoom in for Christ’s sake,” Vince implored the pilot. 

Almost as if on Vince’s cue, the drone pilot shifted the crosshairs to the potential threat which lay several miles ahead along the convoy route.  Plenty of time to assess, seek permission to engage and destroy the target if needed before the convoy even came close to the area.

The pilot adeptly centered the targeting crosshairs on the fuzzy white-hot shapes on the black background of much cooler ground cover. Then whammo…the pilot switched from wide field of view to a much more focused and magnified camera view of the hotspots.

I could clearly make out the details in the high-resolution, high-magnification video stream as I mentioned with some trepidation, “Hey man.  Those are bad guys.  Looks like a small technical vehicle with a PKM machine gun on the back and several more dudes just walking around with AK-47 rifles. They’re sitting there at the bend of the road to the east behind some shrubs facing west toward the convoy!”

Suddenly the camera crosshairs shifted to another location not far away, but farther up the road from the bend on the south side of the road the convoy would be traveling.  There we made out an equal number of hotspots which were clearly lying in wait along the convoy’s route of travel. The pilot zoomed magnification again and manipulated the video contrast to get better detail.  It paid off.

Vince foresaw what was unfolding. “Holy Shit, Matt. There’re seven more guys with AKs and backpacks. Could be satchel charges or bandoleers or something. If they stay right there, they’ll have a perfect L-shaped ambush with the technical vehicle shooting down the length of the convoy.”

Vince and I had read way too many ambush SIGACTs to not understand what could happen.  As the convoy approached from the west along the road, the technical vehicle would open up against the lead vehicle to try and disable it near the other part of the ambush team.  If the convoy got stopped during this opening engagement, it would likely be stopped right in front of the attackers on the south side of the road. These attackers would then open a crossfire into the side of the convoy while the technical vehicle would strafe it with fire from the front.

At some point when the convoy’s return fire was suppressed, the technical vehicle would hold fire while some of the broadside attackers wearing suicide vests and/or carrying explosive satchel charges would assault the now-stalled vehicle convoy.  The convoy members would not have much time to react to these attackers running into the convoy from as little as twenty meters away.

“Yeah, I see it, too,” I added.  At that point everyone in the JOC started seeing it as the place became eerily quiet.  In fact, even Rocketman Collins stopped working, which was rare for him since he was doing everything in his power to make his ‘Boss’ look good.  If the Boss had made a left-face movement with Rocketman standing behind him, he would have broken Rocketman’s nose.

Breathlessly, all of us in the JOC watched the drone pilot scan the ambush area for additional threats or perhaps reinforcements arriving.  Not finding any more targets, the pilot focused back on the technical vehicle, the more immediate threat.  The south side ambush team would not attack if the convoy didn’t stop, and the convoy would only stop if the technical vehicle opened fire and caused it to stop.  Eliminating the vehicle threat was the beginning.

This threat needed to be neutralized and now.  The channel 2 audio picked up the warning to the convoy commander. “They probably won’t stop, but they will slow down to give the drone some time.  Convoy route manager will be calculating an alternate route around the ambush, if needed,” Vince added for clarity.

We then watched the dismounted insurgents loitering around the technical vehicle depart the area, leaving the driver and gunner with the vehicle. These seven terrorists headed over to the other ambush team on the south side of the road, running to cover the 100 or so meter distance quickly.  They must have received intelligence from someone up the road that a convoy was approaching.

They lay down next to the others already in place, bringing the south side ambush force up to fourteen insurgents. Fortunately, the fourteen insurgents were packed pretty tightly and only spread out about twenty-five or so meters.  If they all got up and ran in different directions when the technical vehicle got hit by the drone, they would be a more difficult target for the drone to engage with a missile. The pilot would have to be quick on the trigger. This was a big to-do and everyone in the JOC knew it. Work in the JOC essentially halted in place while we watched the scene unfold. We basically knew we were going to seriously rain on the insurgents’ parade real soon.

It seemed like hours had elapsed since the start of this engagement as we watched impatiently.  In fact, it had been no more than about fifteen minutes since the hotspots were found to be insurgents. The drone pilot got both ambush teams in the camera view, switching magnifications to ensure no other teams or vehicles were entering the engagement area unnoticed. Finally, the pilot centered the crosshairs on the technical vehicle and stayed there.  The technical gunner and driver were in the vehicle in a “stand to” attitude, obviously waiting on the arrival of the convoy.

“Come on, Man.  You need to launch.  Don’t let those bastards get away,” Sgt. 1^st Class O’Rourke whispered in our cell intercom.  Heads were nodding YES in agreement.

“There it is!” O’Rourke said with anticipation as we all watched the drone camera momentarily blur and shake as a Hellfire missile was launched. Someone on the intercom quietly announced, “Shot, over.”  Someone else responded with, “Shot, out.” These being standard artillery fire direction center to artillery forward observer calls to announce the shot, and the other to acknowledge it. The first Hellfire was on its way to the vehicle team.