I am a former TOPGUN instructor 21 years removed from active military duty. Last week, at age 54, I received orders to return to TOPGUN. I was asked to speak to TOPGUN's graduating class of fighter pilots about real world air combat. Incidentally, this is the same TOPGUN that was featured in the movie by the same name. My military background includes 170 combat missions flown with Congressman Duke Cunningham - perhaps one of the finest Navy fighter pilots ever. Together we shot down 5 enemy MIG jets over North Vietnam. We were also shot down by a Russian-built surface-to-air missile.

Following are three observations from meeting with the TOPGUN fighter pilots who may be flying combat missions in response to the recent horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

First, the aviators at TOPGUN were just as shocked, and saddened as the rest of us by those terrorist attacks. These normally steely-eyed aviators got just as blurry-eyed as we did when these attacks were discussed. However, I observed an ever-increasing sense of outrage and anger as more information on those responsible for these attacks was revealed. And make no mistake, these aviators fully support thorough preparations prior to the start of any military campaign. Although a modern jet fighter appears to be a graceful, glamorous machine, the jet dogfight itself is nothing more than a vicious, violent brawl to the death. Fighter pilots know that their greatest challenge in flying combat will be dealing with the intense and ever-present tension, anxiety, and stress of combat. Veterans of combat call this the "combat fog" or "not firing on all cylinders." These feelings are normal and manifest themselves initially in an intense and uncontrolled shaking of the body along with a tremendous urge to vomit. A good night's sleep is out of the question and any appetite, with combat pending, is non-existent. These are all normal physiological reactions to real combat. And the only thing we know for certain about real combat is that few of the previous lessons of combat will apply in our next combat. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander during "D" Day and later our 35th President, said it best: "Every war is going to astonish you. For anyone to predict what they are going to use and how they are going to use it exhibits their ignorance of war." There is no greater example of President Eisenhower's advice than the Vietnam War. It was supposed to be a six-month Naval action with land-based advisors also lending assistance. The total involvement of U.S. military personnel was supposed to be under 10,000. What happened was a 9-year, painfully divisive war costing more than $750 billion. It involved more than 3.5 million American troops, the loss of more than 1,000 jet aircraft and more than 58,000 American lives. The North Vietnamese lost more than 2.4 million people: an "exchange ratio" of approximately 40:1. And they were willing to accept this "exchange ratio" indefinitely.

The second point: In order to prepare for the uncertainty of combat, veterans of combat continually stress that our troops will "fight like they train." Therefore train hard and train realistically. You would think an elite squadron like TOPGUN would have the financial support and airplanes necessary to make their training scenarios the best in the world. I am sorry to report, through no fault of the military, that such is not the case. Consider the following:

· Of TOGUN's approximately 14 assigned jet fighters, only 5 or 6 can usually fly at any given time. The rest are down for parts. Those that fly do so only because parts have been removed or "cannibalized" from other aircraft. Cannibalizing a part is widespread throughout military aviation. Without this practice, very few aircraft would ever fly.

· TOPGUN has no dissimilar aircraft for training purposes. They therefore many times fly F-18s against F-18s. This is better than nothing, but not a realistic training environment. Although TOPGUN has been working extremely diligently for almost two years to acquire unassigned F-16s currently in storage, still none of those aircraft have been made available to TOPGUN. This is particularly disturbing when you consider that the Navy formerly had 5 adversary squadrons providing dissimilar air combat training. Today, there is only 1 reserve squadron which provides this invaluable service on a limited basis.

· Navy carriers, which should deploy with a crew of approximately 5,500, actually deploy with a crew of about 5,000. Many times crewmembers have to "crossdeck" from one ship to another to meet manning levels for deployments. These 8 months deployed - 2 months home - 8 months deployed place constant strain on military families.

· Women in the military - a tricky issue in the past - are doing a fine job on board Navy ships. Our carriers couldn't deploy today without the 500-700 women who serve so bravely and admirably. (TOPGUN also graduated their first female aviator last week. She did a great job and quickly earned everyone's respect.)

· An alarming number of men and women who maintain these $40M jets qualify for food stamps. Somehow that just doesn't seem right, particularly in view of the military challenges now facing our country.

To deal with the above, our aviators are encouraged to articulate what they need for combat, but to always prepare for combat with what they have. However, this blatant neglect of our airplanes, equipment, and people has been underway for some time. Admiral John Nathman, Cdr., Naval Air Force Pacific Fleet, at his August, 2000 Change of Command, said: "The fact is that we have reached such a low level of training that it will soon be impossible to meet the expectations of this nation in executing our operational tasks and completing the mission." There is no greater injustice a politician can inflict upon the citizens he/she serves than to take our most valued asset - our youth - and send them into combat with poor equipment and poor training. Yet that is just what has happened. Although these comments are centered around Naval aviation, every branch of the service has equally severe personnel and equipment shortages.

The final point involves a question asked by the fighter pilots at TOPGUN: "How will we do in combat?" And make no mistake - this is the key question all of our citizens and military are asking today. Before the question can be answered though, consider the following. Our way of life and our country are under terrorist attack by a vicious, determined band of well-organized and financed extremists. They are not going to just disappear. They're here to stay and we must deal with them if life as we know it is to continue. The terrorists have this view of us: a people who are rich, self-centered, greedy, and lacking the will to persevere. Our war on terrorism is not going to be won by airplanes and troops alone. The war is going to ultimately be won by you, the American people. Our first step, if we are serious about this, is to let our politicians know what we expect them to provide our military. Then our youth - our sons and daughters - will be better equipped and trained prior to going into combat. Let's go back now and answer the question: How will we do in combat? It's the same answer for our citizens as for our military. In the words of Oliver Wendall Holmes, "What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us is of little importance with what lies within us." If we take real action on the aforementioned points and have the will to support our leaders from start to finish, we'll do just fine.

Bill Driscoll, one of America's most highly decorated Naval Flight Officers is a professional speaker who can be contacted at Bill@willydricoll.com

Bill Driscoll
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Solana Beach, CA 92075-1727

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bill@willydriscoll.com

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