ASYMMETRIC WARFARE : US EXPERTISE- 'Operation Southern Spear ' -Gp Capt TP Srivastava

In a fortnight Trump will complete one year of Presidency in his second term. Most cynical political forecaster could not have guessed/predicted that leader of a super power could have made such irrational proclamations and initiated professionally insane actions against sovereign nations. List is too long to mention. US actions in Venezuela is decidedly the most politically notorious act by any nation in the world; even worse than what Hitler did.

The famous phrase ‘Power Corrupts and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely’ was perhaps coined for Trump. But Trump alone cannot be held accountable for such idiosyncracy, which has been demonstrated by nearly all POTUS. For instance one of the most revered US President took one of the most despicable decision as far back as 1944, when 2nd World War was raging. The decision of Franklin Roosevelt related to ‘issuance of an executive order in 1942 ordering incarceration of about 1,20,000 Japanese Americans, two thirds of whom were American citizens, in internment camps despite a secret report from the office of Naval Intelligence stating that it had no evidence that Americans with Japanese ancestry were spying for Japan. Unfortunately the executive order was upheld by US Supreme Court on 18th December, 1944. However 74 years later in 2018 Chief Justice John Roberts said that it was ‘gravely wrong the day it was decided’. Nearer times Bush in 1991 insisted on Op Desert Storm to ‘destroy’ non existing nuclear weapons in Iraq.

USA is the only country in the world, which can be called ‘champion of executing asymmetric wars’. Whether it was nuclear attack on Japan, merely to test the technology or war in Vietnam and Korea or Iraq war.

Wars are invariably weighed in by its financial and human cost. Due to strong public resentment after Korean, Vietnam and Iraq wars, US leadership was reluctant to place ‘American Boots’ in a foreign country. But it never hesitated in carrying out massive strikes using its formidable Air Power from super carriers, which could traverse the globe with impunity.

Currently USA is conducting yet another asymmetric war against alleged drug smugglers. Asymmetry of the war cannot be defined by words alone. Factual details of weapons used, operating costs of platforms involved in anti-drug war will place the issue in clearer perspective. Details mentioned below are from Pentagon report submitted to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth regarding conduct of military operations in the ongoing Operation Southern Spear.

· Operation Southern Spear has claimed 87 ‘enemy combatants’ and 23 vessels without any loss of US soldier.

· According to US estimates the ‘street’ value of cocaine smuggled is around USD 6.25 – 8.75 Billion annually. Most of it is consumed by Americans.

· Most of the vessels destroyed till date are valued at USD 4,00,000 or less.

· The task force employed by USA to destroy these boats comprises of Aircraft Carrier Gerald Ford, Amphibious Assault Ship, Nuclear Powered Submarine and its three escorts. Total cost of Southern Spear fleet is more than USD 40 Billion.

· In addition 83 land based aircraft valued at around USD 2 Billion comprising of most modern platforms are also involved.

· Per hour operating cost of carrier is about USD 3,33,000 or about USD 8 Million per day.

· Per hour operating cost of various platforms viz F-35s, P-8i, Reaper Drone is about USD 75,000 or about USD 0.6 Million per day.

· US forces are using Hell Fire Missiles, AGM-176 Griffins and GBU-39B Small Diameter Bomb. Collective cost of one round of these weapons is about USD 4,00,000. Number of weapons used has not been mentioned in the report.

· Manpower costs involving about 15,000 US Service members has not been included.

· Total Operational Cost of USA is around 5000 times more than what the drug smugglers paid for speed boats, which are being attacked by the most formidable carrier battle group.

· Till date the total cost of speedboats destroyed is less than the one day operating cost of aircraft carrier.

· Each drone used to kill the crew of speed boats is 66,000 times as each crew was reportedly paid USD 500.

· Assuming that US forces use four munitions- two for killing the crew and two for sinking the boat the cost is 320 to 1200 times the cartel cost.

Above facts have been collated by Pentagon, which clearly indicates that Operation Southern Spear is the most expensive counter narcotics mission at least as yet. Asymmetry in use of weapons and weapon platforms has been ‘Achiless Heel’ of US forces be it in Vietnam during Operation Rolling Thunder or 42 day Gulf war in 1991 in which 37 nation Multi National Force led by USA consumed entire stock of cruise missiles.

US forces have repeatedly faced sustainability problem but the decision makers have deliberately failed to call it quits at appropriate time. Few sane voices in administration advised successive POTUS to stop involvement in Vietnam but to no avail. Same trend continues as will be evident from post Venezuela reactions pasted below;

Republicans insisted that Operation Absolute Resolve did not constitute an act of war. "We do not have US armed forces in Venezuela, and we are not occupying that country," said House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Democrats say Trump started a war that will have dire — and perhaps widespread — outcomes. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said they did "not receive any assurances that we would not try to do the same thing in other countries."

· Former Judge Advocate General said “It’s clearly an illegal use of force under the U.N. Charter that is being sold to the American people under the guise of law enforcement of narco-terrorism. We should all be concerned by the President’s increasing number of illegal uses of force in the region. We should not be using the military to engage in regime change and to occupy another country. These actions run contrary to international law and harm our credibility in criticizing our adversaries for the same behavior.”

In spite of the above reactions Trump’s other politically, morally and intellectually insane desires are;

· Annex Greenland from Denmark.

· Make Canada 51st state of USA.

USA leadership has repeatedly failed to accept that weapons supremacy does not ensure global hegemony. For instance USA does not have the moral courage to attack North Korea because North Korea has NUCLEAR TIPPED ICBM capable of striking every US city. Philosphy of Asymmetric War is used only against the nations, which cannot retaliate viz Iraq, Panama, Venezuela etc with Columbia and Mexico in pipeline. If USA had invested the billions of dollars in grooming and educating Americans against the ‘ills’ of drug consumption rather than wasting in destroying speed boats, such actions would not have been required.

Asymmetric use of weapons does not win wars. Drug menace will remain as long as Americans continue to consume the drugs.