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CNN Live Today

In Afghanistan, Pentagon Says Spring Weather Makes Movement Easier

Aired March 26, 2002 - 13:12   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: In Afghanistan, the Pentagon says that spring weather makes movement in that country easier, both for the coalition forces, and certainly for al Qaeda fighters as well. There are also questions today about how effective the predator drones have been in this war.

Retired Army Brigadier General David Grange is back with us today from Illinois.

Good to see you, General. Good afternoon to you.

BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE, MILITARY ANALYST, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Same to you, Bill.

HEMMER: I want to talk about this "Washington Post" article that came out today. Thomas Ricks (ph) wrote it. He calls into question the possibility that very little or useful information may actually be coming from these drones. We've been led to believe that these were basically eyes and ears from 8,000 miles away. Curious to get your reaction on this report.

GRANGE: Well these drones, these unmanned aerial vehicles, are a great asset for intelligence collection and real-time information of the battlefield as it's relayed to different tactical operating centers. However, it doesn't solve all the questions that one needs to conduct combat operations. What happens is because of the altitude of the asset, as you're looking down, as you focus or try to get a clear picture of a certain area, you have a soda (ph) straw effect and you lose peripheral vision or just awareness of the surrounding area.

So what you look at is only as good as what you direct the drone to focus on. And that depends on the quality of the operator, what information the operator has given.

HEMMER: There's also a suggestion that -- from Tampa in central command -- this might be a way to micromanage the war and the conflict on the ground. That's the suggestion in the report, anyway. Do you agree with that point? Is it valid?

GRANGE: That can happen. What can happen is, through video conference center or any type of relayed pictures of a battlefield, there could be tendency, and there has been in the past over the last several years and operations, that you can get micromanagement of a ground commander's operation. And it's very important that commanders understand their echelonment (ph) of direction on any operation and should doing that.

And it also sometimes keeps commanders from going to the front where their presence may be needed. So you have to be careful to balance that capability.

HEMMER: Yeah, the article and Thomas Ricks points out it can be both a blessing and a curse on the ground there. That technology is still new in this area and you have to think that it will be enhanced in the months and years to come.

Let's shift our focus now to southeastern Afghanistan. We have been talking all week about the possibility that U.S. troops may go into Pakistan. We're told that won't happen. If it does not happen at this point or some point in the future, is that a mistake, strategy on the ground to hunt and track down al Qaeda fighters?

GRANGE: Well I believe it would be very difficult for U.S. forces to go into Pakistan unless you have a lot of support through President Musharraf and the Pakistani army. However, you don't want a situation to develop like we experienced in Vietnam, along the Laotian and Cambodian, or even North Vietnamese border, when we were trying to fight that war. Borders are a weak point, a vulnerability of any combat operation. And the enemy will work that scene -- will work that border to his advantage.

And so you can't let that be a supporting factor for an adversary. And so something must be done about the sanctuary across that border.

HEMMER: General, thanks. David Grange with us today from Illinois. I appreciate it, we'll talk again.

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