On Point: the United States Army in Operation Iraqi ... - Boekje Pienter

The brigade also received two Dragon Eye UAVs shortly before deploying. Developed bythe Marine Corps, the hand-launched Dragon Eye is a very small, very lightweight, user-friendlysystem that provided short-range video capabilities. The Dragon Eye, an essential element ofthe brigade’s direct collection efforts, along with the reporting from unit patrols, human intelligencecollection teams, and long-range reconnaissance teams, allowed the brigade to maintaina relatively accurate and complete picture of what was occurring in the area of operations. 206As the 173rd closed, it prepared for combat operations in the vicinity of Kirkuk andthe neighboring oil fields. Kirkuk is a key northern population center, and the oil fields andassociated oil-production infrastructure to the north and west of the city represent the mostsignificant strategic asset in northern Iraq. Kurdish forces, supported by SOF advisers andcoalition air forces, kept pressure on the Iraqi forces defending Kirkuk and its environs. The173rd supported by executing two artillery raids. Using the 105mm howitzers of D/319th FieldArtillery (Airborne), as well as newly fielded 120mm mortars, the brigade brought Iraqi groundunits on the Green Line under conventional artillery fire for the first time in the war. 207 By theend of the first week in April, pounded by air strikes, continuously probed by the Peshmerga,and facing a growing conventional force to their front, Iraqi Regular Army and RepublicanGuard units began to come apart as their soldiers deserted. 208SustainmentPlacing the 173rd so deep into northern Iraq posed an insurmountable challenge to theIraqi defenders. Placing the 173rd so deep into northern Iraq posed an almost insurmountablechallenge to the Army and Air Force logisticians. With additional combat power comeadditional support requirements. Particularly when augmented by the 1-63 AR, the 173rdrequired continuous logistic support significantly greater than the SOF units to whom theywere attached. Having to provide the support solely via an air bridge would have been almostunsustainable, particularly with the fuel requirements of up to 10,000 gallons per day. Moreover,bulky repair parts added to the difficulty. 209 Fortunately, EUCOM, USAREUR, and US AirForces in Europe (USAFE) all were familiar with the region and so eventually they were ableto negotiate contracts with Turkish companies to deliver fuel into northern Iraq. SOF troops, inconjunction with Kurdish Peshmerga, secured the movement of these shipments into northernIraq. As the 173rd completed closing, it assumed the security mission for the ground convoys,relieving the pressure on the air transport for bringing the fuel. The solution for repair parts wasingeniously simple. Europe-based combat divisions are conveniently based near the RamsteinAerial Port of Embarkation (APOE), only an 8-hour flight from Germany to northern Iraq. Itbecame routine to resupply the 173rd’s heavy forces from sustainment stocks resident withinthe 1st Infantry Division and flown into northern Iraq. In most cases, the time between order andreceipt was less than 24 hours. Unlike the rest of the Army in OIF, the 173rd had a parts systemthat worked. Contract fuel and parts “workarounds” reduced the burden on the air bridge.Although the 173rd played a crucial strategic role by establishing a significant conventionalpresence in northern Iraq, it did not engage in significant combat operations prior to the end ofmajor combat operations. The brigade first saw action when it moved into Kirkuk on 10 April,following the JSOTF-North’s successful efforts to evict the Republican Guard and RegularArmy from the city. Once in Kirkuk, the 173rd was absolutely vital in establishing a secureenvironment for follow-on stability operations.230