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CNN Live At Daybreak

America Strikes Back: Pentagon Assesses Effectiveness of Strikes

Aired October 08, 2001 - 07:30   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The Pentagon is trying to determine just how effective the first strikes have been and the question remains what is the next step for the Pentagon?

For that, we turn to CNN military analyst Major General Don Shepperd. Good morning, General Shepperd.

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD (RET.), U.S. AIR FORCE: Good morning, Paula.

ZAHN: So based on what Donald Rumsfeld told us he thinks happened overnight, what is the next step?

SHEPPERD: Well, the next step is today to go to our satellite photos and assess what we call BDA or bomb damage assessment, to see what we really did. Now, what really goes on is we have two or three days of strikes planned that will go on no matter what. But then we'll check what we intended to hit and then we'll see what we have to restrict.

Once we get the air picture taken care of, where we put down the missile defenses and can operate during the day, then we'll go in and go against mobile targets that are used by the Taliban. Fairly standard military procedure is going on here, Paula.

ZAHN: So what is your assessment this morning based on what you heard Secretary Rumsfeld tell me a little bit earlier on this morning?

SHEPPERD: Well, basically it looks to me like we have been very successful in the initial phases. But as Jamie McIntyre said yesterday, this is the beginning of the beginning. And Secretary Rumsfeld is clearly preparing us for a long cooperation.

Remember in the Gulf War, the public did get impatient. We started air strikes. It was a 37 day air campaign and it didn't look like much was happening. And then all of a sudden there was a sudden collapse from within and a massive retreat by the Republican Guard forces.

Perhaps the same thing will happen here. But perhaps it will be stretched out over a much longer period of time by an unsophisticated military. ZAHN: As we go into this next phase, is it more dangerous for crews involved in these attacks?

SHEPPERD: Paula, it's always dangerous. Again, you want to take down the radar guided missile threats so you can operate and you want to take care of the airplanes. That should be fairly easily done in a quick campaign. But after that, you have two other things, the shoulder fired missiles, which are always there, can show up anywhere, any time. And then you have the anti-aircraft artillery, which is what we always lose most airplanes to.

So it's always dangerous when our people are there. Right now it's especially dangerous for the humanitarian drops until those missiles and airplanes are put down.

So this is risky business no matter whether it's today or much later in the campaign.

ZAHN: You just raised the issue of humanitarian drops and I asked Secretary Rumsfeld, because I know air force generals have told me that they think that really complicates the mission. He says it does not. What do you think?

SHEPPERD: Well, I absolutely agree with Secretary Rumsfeld. We have the ability in this case to drop both the humanitarian meals and also do the bombing that we need to do. We're bombing them with bombs and we're bombing them also with food, which is part of the military's strategy here.

The main thing is that you want to stop dropping the food as soon as possible and get it to airports where it can be loaded onto trucks and taken in by the humanitarian organizations.

So this is a temporary emergency measure designed to bring food to people that really are starving with a special meals, especially constructed with the right things -- no meat products, high proteins, the right number of calories, etc.

ZAHN: And you were saying that the next big challenge, of course, is going after these shoulder fired missiles. What risk does that entail for American and British forces?

SHEPPERD: Yes, we won't be going after the shoulder fired missiles because they are man carried and mobile and they can show up anywhere, any time. But we'll be going after the individual pieces of military equipment designed to weaken the Taliban so that the Northern Alliance can operate more effectively against them.

We will put down the air defense systems and then we will go piece by piece against anything such as a vehicle, such as a tank, individual artillery pieces, anti-aircraft artillery. But you're never able to get all of the individual shoulder fired missiles. They'll just be there forever and you have to cope with them.

ZAHN: And you see this campaign going for many years? SHEPPERD: I think when the Secretary said many years, he was talking about the broad campaign. The military operation against Afghanistan, after a few days we're going to be through with the significant targets. And then we'll go against the individual military targets.

But I think the Secretary was talking about the financial war that's going to go on and it's going to go on in many places, not just Afghanistan. There'll be many other things happen over a long period of time. And I think he's absolutely right that it will be many years before we are safe from terrorism worldwide.

ZAHN: General Shepperd, thank you so much for your perspective. We will be checking in with you throughout the morning.

And we're going to take a short break here. On the other side, we're going to bring you up to date on how some countries in Europe are reacting to these attacks. We'll be right back.

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