http://www.defenselink.mil/news/May1999/t05031999_t0503asd.html DoD News Briefing Monday, May 3, 1999 - 2:00 p.m. Presenter: Mr. Kenneth H. Bacon, ASD PA …… Q: General, there's been some concern raised in Europe about the possibility of A-10s using the depleted uranium munitions, especially when they go after the armor. Are we using any of these munitions now against the... Major General Wald: Yes. And the 30mm on the A-10. I think it's almost -- I've heard that question a lot, and I've been thinking about it. I've been around the A-10s for a long time. I know that I see the munitions handlers put these bullets in the aircraft, holding on to them for 20 years, so they've done a lot of scientific studies on these things, and there doesn't seem to be a problem. So I don't think there's a problem at all with that, and it hasn't been a problem for any of us, so it's kind of old news. Q: What kind of damage (inaudible)? Major General Wald: From what I understand, he had some engine problems and a little bit of external damage to the aircraft. Q: (inaudible) obviously, and landed safely? Major General Wald: Yes, that's right. Q: Can I ask a question about Iraq, just following up there? Why did the statement issued by Operation NORTHERN WATCH, EUCOM, [say] that that site in a civilian area was not bombed? In fact it was attacked, but what's the point of saying it wasn't bombed? Mr. Bacon: It says here that they responded by firing missiles in the first paragraph. In the second paragraph, it says they didn't use bombs. Q: What's the distinction there? Mr. Bacon: I'm not sure there is a distinction. There's a distinction -- I mean there clearly is some level of distinction between missiles and bombs, but I explained to you what happened. They were targeted; they were illuminated; they fired a HARM and also an AGM-130 (sic) [no AGM-130 was fired at this site], and then they pulled off the attack, and they didn't come in with other bombs after that. Q: The implication is that they did the immediate reaction to a SAM launching, which is launch an AGM -- I'm sorry, a HARM -- and possibly other things, but then when it came to do a followup strike on a location you now knew was a SAM, when they looked at it and saw that it was a civilian area, they didn't do it. Mr. Bacon: What they knew was that there was a radar installation there. That's what they, obviously with the HARM, what they were shooting at, because it follows the radar beam. Q: They did attack it, right? Mr. Bacon: Yes, they did. And it says they attacked it with missiles. Q: Would you say this release misrepresents what happened? Mr. Bacon: I don't think so. I think the release says that they attacked, that they were threatened, and they responded with missiles. In the second paragraph it says they didn't drop bombs. I
assume that reflects the truth here. There is a distinction between missiles and bombs. Major General Wald: Actually, it's overly accurate. Q:...didn't drop bombs. They didn't do other things as well. But in the context in which that's written it appears to suggest that they did not attack that site in the civilian area. Mr. Bacon: Let me just read what it says here, okay? It says that "aircraft were targeted by Iraq radar and fired upon by Iraqi surface-to-air missiles. Responding in self-defense, U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles and F-16CJ Falcons fired AGM-88" -- which is the HARM - "and the AGM-130 missiles at surface-to-air missile sites north of Mosul." Then they went on to say that in addition, F-16C Falcons dropped BGU-12 laser- guided bombs on one of the surface-to-air missile sites. In the second paragraph it says that when they discovered that -- two Iraqi surface-to-air missiles were launched against coalition aircraft from a site located in a civilian town. It says they did not target this site with bombs. That's what it says. Q: Was a HARM or were HARMs fired at that site... Mr. Bacon: Yes, a HARM missile was fired at that site. Q: The delineation that is, this site was struck, but it was not struck with bombs. It was struck with HARM missiles. Mr. Bacon: I have to say that this is dancing on the head of a pin. Q: Well... Mr. Bacon: This release says in the first paragraph that missiles were fired in self-defense... Q:...and if we're now supposed to differentiate between a site being struck with bombs and missiles and we need to ask these questions separately, then that should be clear. Mr. Bacon: If you guys want to bloviate about this release, you can do it all you want, but the fact is it admits that we fired missiles; it says we did not drop bombs in one respect, and I think there's nothing more to say about this than we've talked about... Q:...appear to you when you read this release, was it clear to you that this other site was struck with HARM missiles, because it said it wasn't struck with bombs? Mr. Bacon: I think that there's one thing you have to know about this release and one thing you have to know about the incident -- that Iraqi air defense systems targeted our planes and we responded in self defense. That's the story. Q: I want to make sure that I understand General Wald on one point. The DU shells. Have the A-10s actually been firing them in addition to simply carrying them? Major General Wald: Yes. ……
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