[Badger52]

From the 2nd page of the online article

Gen. Harrigian’s investigation uncovered what could be considered a tragic comedy of errors.

The Americans wore infrared strobes to identify them as friendly in night operations. The B-1B crew repeatedly told the JTAC on the ground they could not see the strobes at the point of muzzle flashes on the ridge.

In a bizarre mix-up, the crew was trying to see the strobes through the plane’s high-definition “sniper pod,” which did not have the technical ability to see them.

Even worse, one of the pilots reported he could not see strobes using his night vision goggles, the one system on the plane that could see the signal. The trouble was, at a 5-mile orbit, the plane was too far away — outside of the goggles’ maximum range by about 1,000 meters.

Not seeing any strobes, the pilots figured the men positioned on the ridge must be the enemy and dropped the bombs.

“We never saw a strobe,” a B-1B crew member later said.

At no time during the plane’s circling did the crew apparently ask each other why they were not seeing strobes since they were being told that the Americans were wearing the devices.

Making matters worse, the JTAC encountered repeated problems in radio communications with the B-1B yet had no trouble speaking with other aircraft, such as an AC-130 gunship that arrived shortly before the bombing. Experts say the bomber is not suited for such tactical communication in mountainous terrain that rises as high as 12,000 feet.

The JTAC himself made a critical mistake: He told the bomber the Americans were 300 meters away from the ridge line when they were not.

The Times reported Oct. 29 that the JTAC was told on June 1 he had been selected for involuntary discharge. His career was marked by disciplinary problems. The Times learned that when he was interviewed by investigators, he showed a lack of basic knowledge of targeting procedures for close air support.

The Air Force, against stiff resistance in Congress, is attempting to retire the one plane dedicated to close air support — the storied A-10 Warthog. The Air Force has listed the B-1B as one of its replacements.

The A-10 flies lower than the B-1B, its pilots are schooled in the CAS mission, and they always wear night vision goggles at a distance that can see strobe signals.

Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican and the incoming chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said at a press conference that those five soldiers might be alive today if an A-10 had arrived instead of the B-1B.

Sen. Kelly Ayotte, New Hampshire Republican and a committee member, told The Times, “When our ground troops are taking fire from the enemy and call for help, our nation has a responsibility to provide the best possible close air support, and on June 9, 2014, in Afghanistan, our nation failed to do so, and the results were tragic and entirely avoidable.”