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CNN Live Saturday

U.S. Forces Train to Think Like the Enemy

Aired September 23, 2001 - 14:50   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Military experts say a key to winning any war is understanding the enemy -- learning to think and move like the enemy whether on the ground or in the air.

CNN's Kyra Phillips reports now on how U.S. forces are getting that training.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It takes miracles to become a saint.

LT. CMDR. DARREN ANDING, U.S. NAVY: Thumbs up.

PHILLIPS: It takes mission to become a saint adversary. Good and evil come together here but these enemies are not enemies of freedom. These are the VFC-13 Saints, vulcans for the good guys.

ANDING: You can't be effective in combat unless you know the capabilities of the enemy.

PHILLIPS: By stimulating the flight country the Saint Adversary Squadron helps this air wing eliminate a real threat in the United States.

LT. CMDR. DAVID RYAN, U.S. NAVY: When we go out there if they target us correctly, get their shots off when they're supposed to -- if they do everything right and we've trained them correctly we'll die. And that's the best job that we can have.

ANDING: Bingo -- we will use a 1.5 Bingo for the F-5.

PHILLIPS: Lieutenant Commander Darren Anding ...

ANDING: The four afterburner go.

PHILLIPS: ... and this strike element are today's foreign threat. It's time to get into the mindset of the enemy. Anding will see if the U.S. pilots are combat ready and carrying out rules of engagement.

CMDR. JOHN COLE, U.S. NAVY: We're watching for the interim departures or the op altitude or the ridge line popping up in front of them in the rising terrain. And that's what we do. That's why it's very important to have Guardians airborne.

PHILLIPS: This is Combat Town -- simulated urban warfare. Bombing enemy's tanks and aircraft, destroying surface to surface missiles and weapons depots -- crucial training for strike fighter readiness.

ANDING: This is one of the few ranges in the United States that they're able to drop live weapons on target. If a fighter is not able to drop live weapons in practice how can anyone expect them to drop live weapons for real somewhere, you know, in a war.

I'll tell you what -- the fighters today did an excellent job. Everybody will be very proud of them today. Bombs were on target, on time -- they did some slaying in the air. All of us were dead before they even got to the target.

PHILLIPS: Dead saints but a breathing mission.

ANDING: See you later.

UNKNOWN MALE: OK.

PHILLIPS: Squadrons training to intercede on behalf of a free world fighting against terrorism. Kyra Phillips, CNN, Fallon, Nevada.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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