“These are not the droids we’re looking for . . .” Part III. Crossing a red line may not get a military response, but messing with a logistics hub does.

Why did Apache attack helicopters enter the battle in Iraq last week?  While not exactly up close and personal, deploying an attack helicopter is materially different from using an attack aircraft to drop smart bombs from 10,000 feet.  Apaches are Army weapons, and the Army doesn’t fight air wars.

Apaches are used in ground combat, so using an attack helicopter means you are involved in ground combat.  An attack helicopter provides close air support for ground troops.  With an Apache, close means close.

A lawyer may be able to construct a precise argument to say that there is a big difference between US combat boots being on the ground 500 feet behind the battle, and five hundred feet above the battle, but I’m not sure I can see the difference.

If you’re taking direct fire from enemy small arms 500 feet away, you’re involved in ground combat. No matter how Washington spins it, there is no way around the fact that American troops are now direct participants in ground combat. 

So, why have we quietly shifted our posture in the ISIS conflict?  To me, that’s the interesting issue.

According to Fox News, on Sunday, October 12, Gen. Martin Dempsey, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, told ABC’s “This Week” that Apache helicopters were for the first time called in to stop the extremists’ “straight shot to the [Baghdad International] airport.”  Said Dempsey, “We were not going to allow that to happen,” acknowledging the risk of using low-flying helicopters instead of fighter jets. “We need that airport.”

CNN also reported on the same interview.  “Offering what appeared to be previously unreported details, Gen. Martin Dempsey told ABC's ‘This Week’ that the United States had to risk bringing in low-flying attack helicopters to keep ISIS at bay.  ‘The tool that was immediately available was the Apache [helicopter]. The risk of operating in a hostile environment is there constantly,’ the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.”

We have a huge Embassy in Baghdad, and we need access to that airport.  It seems that we’ve stepped into a ground combat role to protect the lifeline to that Embassy, and nobody seems to have noticed.

Move along folks, nothing to see here.