Chat with Gen. Perry Smith

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

May 6, 1999 / 6:20 PM EDT / CBS

On May 5, 1999, CBS News and the AOL audience chatted with CBS News military consultant Perry Smith, who is a retired Air Force Major General, about the crisis over Kosovo and the downed Apache helicopter.

Audience question: Regarding yesterday's crash of the Apache helicopter in Albania, what kind of training exercises was it going through?

General Smith: It was doing low-altitude training at night, and apparently ran into some kind of a cable or wire. It is the second training accident with the Apache in Albania in the last ten days.

Audience question: Is it true that, since the accident, all Apache helicopters have been grounded?

General Smith: No, the Apaches have not been grounded; however, the Commander will have a short safety stand down to review with his pilots the training procedures and training hazards.

Audience question: What was the purpose in announcing to the world about sending the helicopters over to Kosovo?

General Smith: The purpose was to reinforce the decision by General Clark, the NATO commander, that the air war would be [emphasized].

Audience question: Where do we stand right now from an escalation as in Vietnam? Is this not a similar scenario?

General Smith: There are some similarities between the war over Serbia and the air war over North Vietnam. However, there has been no bombing pause and the air war has escalated, and the country of Serbia is smaller than North Vietnam. Also, weapons are much better and much more accurate.

Audience question: What is your position on the U.S. sending ground troops?

General Smith: I feel that NATO, including the U.S., should bring ground troops into Kosovo after the air campaign so we can show the Serbian military in Kosovo that they would not be able to [mount] a major defense of the province.

Audience question: What kind of state is the Serbian military in these days?

General Smith: The Serb military has been hammered by air power for six weeks. Their command and control systems have been seriously damaged, their airplanes and air fields largely destroyed; however, they still have the ability to conduct ethnic cleansing throughout Kosovo.

Audience question: What is the chance of the U.S. participating in a ground war versus a negotiated settlement in which the NATO/U.S. and the Serbs can both declare victory? Which seems more likely?

General Smith: In my judgment, the most likely result of this war will be a military victory by NATO, rather than negotiated settlement. I think Milosevic will not seriously negotiate the independence of Kosovo.

Audience question: Do you think the release of the POWs is an indication that negotiations could work for other purposes?

General Smith: No, I do not think so, because Milosevic is predicting his position has not fundamentally changed on solutions for Kosovo.

Audience question: Are the problems being encountered with the Apache due to the run-down of the general maintenance and repair accounts of the armed forces today? Is it like the situation during the Carter administration?

General Smith: The Apache crashings have apparently both been the result of pilot error. It is not a maintenance problem. The air crews of the Apache are about ready to go into combat and are doing very realistic low-level training in the mountains of Albania.

Audience question: It may seem strange for some to learn that soldiers died during training, but it's actually more common than we'd expect, isn't it?

General Smith: Yes, in the course of every year, the U.S. military, including the Air Force, Navy, Marines and Army lose about 100 aircraft per year in training accidents. In addition, somewhere around 100 soldiers, airmen, sailors or marines are killed in training accidents every year. This is a result of high-stress combat training and, in many cases, at very low altitudes.

Audience question: Do you think Milosevic really cares about how many Serbians are killed?

General Smith: Milosevic does not care very much at all about the Kosovar Albanians. However, he does care about the ethnic Serbians. However, his greatest concern is to maintain power and control of Yugoslavia.

Audience question: I have heard that the Apache helicopters can be easily taken out by soldiers with portable weapons. Is this true?

General Smith: No, it is not true, because the Apaches have many defense systems that make it difficult for a soldier on the ground to shoot down an Apache. However, I would expect that there will be a few Apaches which will either be shot up or shot down in the next couple of months.

Audience question: Do you feel the Russians have ulterior motives in the Kosovo crisis?

General Smith: The Russians are very concerned about what NATO is doing in Yugoslavia, for many reasons. First, they have a close affinity with the Orthodox Christians of Serbia; second, they fear NATO might be inclined [to] use force if there is a civil war in Russia.

Audience question: I understand that the Apaches' mission wato intensify the air campaign. Is it likely that we will be supporting KLA units in the area?

General Smith: Yes, I think it quite likely that NATO air power will provide support to the KLA.

Audience question: What is the NATO exit strategy?

General Smith: In my judgment, NATO's exit strategy is the continuation of the air campaign until such time as the Serbian military in Kosovo is so decimated that the NATO forces can move into Kosovo without serious opposition. This will probably take another two months.

Audience question: Is it true that the Serbs are getting military weapons and aircraft support from Russia and China?

General Smith: No, because of the embargo the Serbs are getting very little support from anybody, especially in the last six weeks.

Audience question: Is there concern about our ground troops, should they be brought in, being outnumbered by the Serbian Army (which I last heard had 100,000 troops on the ground)?

General Smith: I don't think the issue is numbers; when the NATO troops go in, the Serbian military will be out of gasoline, out of ideas, out of eardrums, and will not be able to put up a defense against the NATO forces.

Audience question: Are we refraining from use of the Apaches for fear of loss? Is it a question of further suppression of air defenses?

General Smith: Yes, the Apaches have not yet been used because the Serbians still have a modest air defense capability in Kosovo; but they will be used.