I readStars and Stripes because one finds telling details in their stories especially about how it is going in Afghanistan. It appears there has been heavy reliance on air strikes. These are not pre-planned bombing missions but it is quite a contrast from Iraq…

As the ferocity of fighting in Afghanistan goes, so does the pace of operations aboard the ship:[USS Enterprise} Steady, sometimes intense, with little letup and two missed port calls since Sept. 2.

In five weeks, aircraft from the ship’s Carrier Air Wing One have dropped more than 90 bombs in support of NATO and coalition ground troops in Afghanistan.

SNIP

No pre-planned strikes have been carried out, Wralstad said. “We’ve been told to go provide close-air support for the guys on the ground.” Targets called in have included vehicles, Taliban safe houses, even Taliban fighters in the open.

90 bombs in Afghanistan compared to this in Iraq…

In June, when the Enterprise was in the Persian Gulf launching sorties into Iraq, “we only dropped three weapons in three weeks,” Wralstad said. “It’s night and day.”

From one pilot, a lieutenant commander…

“I’ve flown in what’s been called combat before. This is the first time I ever dropped in my career.”