Over the last year, the Iraq Air Force has increased the number of
weekly sorties by six-fold. The service contains 51 aircraft, none of them
fighter-jets, Middle East Newsline reported.
"No state or government is truly sovereign unless it can control and
defend its own airspace," Zehner said. "It's a
pretty tall order and it takes time."
In 2008, he said, the U.S.-led coalition plans to expand the
air force to 6,000 Iraqi personnel. He said this would require the formation
of additional air units.
Officials said the air force represented a major step
in the U.S. effort to achieve Iraqi capability to defend against internal
and external threats.
"We will have to stand up some squadrons," Zehner said. "But that's the
Iraqis standing up squadrons and us working to help them on that way."
"You won't have a credible security force until that Iraqi air force is
up and running," Zehner said.
In September 2007, the air force conducted its first independent
reconnaissance mission. The air force has used U.S.- and Jordanian-origin
turboprop light aircraft to protect Iraq's energy infrastructure and supply
reconnaissance to ground troops.
"Their training missions are actual operational missions," Zehner said.
"What better way to train somebody?"
The five-year plan could include the procurement of combat aircraft,
Zehner said. He said any fighter-jet acquisition, which would include
training and infrastructure, would take years.
"We're going to have to start making decisions soon here," Zehner said.
"We're trying to cut through a lot of red tape."