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

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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
Figure 129. TF 1-63 AR Abrams tank offloads at Bashur Airfield, IraqBrandon Aird, US Army USAF photoFigure 130. TF 1-63 AR provides security with a Bradley on patrol in Kirkuk231
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The United States Army inOperation
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The Library of Congress Cataloging-
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PrefaceOn Point is a study of Opera
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AcknowledgementsHistorians prefer t
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called him unkind names and questio
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Table of ContentsForeword..........
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Figure 78. 101st Airborne Division
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Figure 147. 101st Airborne Division
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Table of Call Out BoxesThe SIPRNET
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The 8 April Counterattack .........
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Saddam Hussein and the Ba’athists
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Army special operations soldiers, a
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• Information and Knowledge. The
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successful battles and engagements
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timelines at the beginning of each
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Chapter 1Operation DESERT STORM to
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combat. The US Army’s AirLand Bat
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The domestic political landscape in
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was to experiment to anticipate cha
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The authors also attempted to accou
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The SIPRNET RevolutionIn addition t
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efore World War I. 16 The extended
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commanders to consider the battlesp
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presence is not possible. Moreover,
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• The Air Force’s C-17 Globemas
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GAO Report. Military Transformation
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On 20 September 2001, President Geo
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All of these efforts led to a sweep
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NOTES1. General Frederick M. Franks
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Chapter 2Prepare, Mobilize, and Dep
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joint organizations played central
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Figure 10. Key coalition camps and
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CLCC LOG and Title 10 PowerPoint pr
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Figure 17. Tern delivers Army water
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Pre-positioned EquipmentIn Europe d
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allies in the region in providing s
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organization to leverage joint inte
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surprise but allowed a gradual buil
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Figure 24. V Corps objectivesin any
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that supported them, while denying
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Webster and Spider Marks. Marine Br
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V Corps Command Brief, 15 July 2003
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V Corps Command Brief, 15 July 2003
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completing its work in February. BC
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Figure 32. Soldiers posing with a D
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Figure 33. V Corps assault command
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ight thing to do. More than 6,200 s
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defense coordinator (TAAMCOORD), an
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attalion leadership, with the USARE
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The 18th MP Brigade, stationed in M
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and environment of Iraq. They condu
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proper mix of combat, CS, and CSS u
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Given all that can go wrong, the pe
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Jeremiah Johnson, Combat CameraFigu
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opportunities such as a sudden coll
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27. Major General Robert Blackman,
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80. Lieutenant Colonel John Huey, p
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Summary of EventsSaddam Hussein and
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• Breaching the berm at the borde
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humanitarian assistance supplies, w
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Intelligence Supporting Operational
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Moving the start of the ground camp
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Figure 42. PSYOP leaflets distribut
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Igor Paustovski, Combat CameraFigur
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Figure 45. Comparison of Iraqi grou
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to secure the first two primary obj
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Crossing The BermThey are coming to
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Figure 50. 3rd ID border breach sch
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covering forces rapidly and simulta
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After the aborted mission, morale s
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act of passing the change of route
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Figure 54. RRP EXXON and FARP SHELL
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Air Base (An Nasiriyah), seize the
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Figure 58. The 3rd BCT scheme of ma
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also captured more than 200 EPWs, i
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Figure 61. Division Central Collect
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Figure 63. Distance from Objective
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Figure 67. Routes of march north to
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Staff Sergeant Dillard Johnson, 1st
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did not see me and began to fire on
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At 1430 on 23 March, 3rd BCT took c
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During the fighting at As Samawah,
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24. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jay Deh
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FLOYD, Johnson’s platoon fought y
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Army Spec. Joshua Earl,a military p
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April 1, 2003, black smoke rises fr
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US Army photoSgt. 1st Class Anothon
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Chapter 4The March Up-CountryI don
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Figure 74. March up-country sequenc
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working in the LSA and units moving
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Colonel Melvin Frazier, who command
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101st Abn Div AARFigure 78. 101st A
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Courtesy of V CorpsFigure 80. 3rd I
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All of the estimates accurately ass
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decided to break his convoy into tw
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Figure 86. The 507th route of movem
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Figure 87. The 507th Maintenance Co
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With 3rd BCT, 3rd ID securing the l
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However, employing LRS is not a Lon
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the attack on Baghdad. Practically
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Marcone and Grimsley justifiably ex
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Figure 92. Ambush Alley—officiall
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advantage in fighting in the dark.
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Robert Woodward, US ArmyFigure 93.
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Figure 95. Chemical soldiers from t
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all of them. From a broader perspec
Page 235 and 236: While never perfect, the Army and e
Page 237 and 238: Figure 96. 11th AHR attack scheme f
Page 239 and 240: Still, the regiment planned routes
Page 241 and 242: Moreover, with less than half of th
Page 243 and 244: Figure 99. Apache attack helicopter
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Page 247 and 248: AdaptationsFollowing the attack, Ar
Page 249 and 250: PlanningThe planned 101st attack ag
Page 251 and 252: The 2-101st intended to attack the
Page 253 and 254: Figure 104. 101st Airborne Division
Page 255 and 256: Figure 107. 3rd ID’s scheme to en
Page 257 and 258: followed. The third tank, Lieutenan
Page 259 and 260: the division elected to block the e
Page 261 and 262: 3-73-7CAVCAVFightingFightingininAnA
Page 263 and 264: Figure 112. Relief in place of 3-7
Page 265 and 266: enemy as they had at As Samawah. Ar
Page 267 and 268: Figure 114. Lieutenant General Wall
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Page 271 and 272: From 29-30 March, the 82nd conducte
Page 275 and 276: Company at Checkpoint Charlie, subo
Page 277 and 278: towns during the five simultaneous
Page 279 and 280: Figure 124. PSYOP leaflets to minim
Page 281 and 282: The 173rd’s combat capability als
Page 283 and 284: moment. The ground had been plowed
Page 285: The brigade also jumped with a high
Page 289 and 290: NOTES1. Captain Michael Matthews, O
Page 291 and 292: 59. Colonel Rodney Mallette, MTMC,
Page 293 and 294: 133. Oliver.134. Marcone.135. Ibid.
Page 295: 202. Colonel Blair Ross, A Transfor
Page 298 and 299: to Baghdad in the east, and the I M
Page 300 and 301: Figure 133. Objectives in the vicin
Page 302 and 303: crossed a river or entered the maze
Page 304 and 305: three brigade combat teams, 1st BCT
Page 306 and 307: paid off in spades. ThroughoutI’v
Page 308 and 309: Figure 135. Enemy disposition in th
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Page 312 and 313: Figure 140. Sample district council
Page 314 and 315: virtually every type of mission pos
Page 316 and 317: Lieutenant General Wallace on theFi
Page 318 and 319: Figure 144. Objective MURRAYabout I
Page 320 and 321: Figure 145. Enemy and friendly disp
Page 322 and 323: The Approach: Isolating An NajafAft
Page 326 and 327: 130th Engineer BrigadeFigure 149. E
Page 328 and 329: When his battalion attacked into to
Page 330 and 331: The FeintAt 0600, the Thunderbolts
Page 332 and 333: on the way to Al Hillah. Accordingl
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learned from the 3rd ID, SOF troops
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The protracted fighting in As Samaw
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Figure 156. The scheme for the isol
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Launching the AttackHaving rearmed
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IN and the tactical command post—
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Electronic attacks against enemy co
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Figure 164. TF 3-69 AR attacks to s
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The Smoke Mission at Objective PEAC
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Figure 166. 2nd BCT attacks to Obje
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Figure 168. Iraqi tank burning in t
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Accelerating the AttackDuring this
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The ApproachTrue to his word, Grims
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V CorpsFigure 171. Civilian aircraf
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First Lieutenant Mark Schenck, writ
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Essayons: Sergeant First Class Paul
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to one of the road craters at appro
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Figure 177. Platoon leaders of Apac
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Figure 179. The 3rd BCT Objectives
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TF 2-69 Armor, the brigade’s main
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Sanderson led from the front near t
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caught fire and ammunition began to
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NOTES1. Anthony H. Cordesman, The I
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61. Ibid. 2-70 AR; and Lieutenant C
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131. 2nd BCT, 3rd ID, 3. See also L
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Chapter 6Regime Collapse“There ar
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Figure 184. Attack to BaghdadBaghda
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Actions ElsewhereAs the corps’ an
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While some soldiers worked to help
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[of Saddam Hussein] were located. T
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These soldiers collect and process
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As the situation developed during t
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Despite the relative ease of their
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Mason Lowery, US ArmyFigure 190. TF
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Thunder Run of 7 AprilTask: Attack
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warrant. 40 If conditions wereGoing
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they came upon them, passing them o
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Figure 195. TF 1-64 AR movement int
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Figure 197. The 2nd BCT disposition
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dazed. The explosion and fires prod
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Specialist Gates took it it and ran
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Task OrganizationOn the evening bef
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LARRY, and Gator would secure the n
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The Pros from Dover—Special Force
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About the same time as Johnson move
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Rage faced dismounted Republican Gu
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Firing on all Cylinders— —Engin
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Figure 206. The Iraqi counterattack
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Figure 207. The Iraqi counterattack
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Silver Star RecommendationSpecialis
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NOTES1. Anthony H. Cordesman, The I
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Post). This information comes from
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Chapter 7ImplicationsSoldiers, sail
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OIF demonstrated that the COE is no
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from the War in Iraq.” The Russia
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Bank and Gaza provided grist for Ar
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Although urban operations in OIF pr
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Fort Irwin “replicated” the ene
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level did have satellite communicat
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The evidence of OIF does not compel
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Of course, building a doctrine and
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also find ways to achieve interdepe
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Special Forces in ActionOn 20 20 Ap
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Liaison between Army special forces
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Simply stated, operational maneuver
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petroleum, oil, and lubricants (POL
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Logistics SuccessesThere are some g
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Following the incident, the Army la
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Grouping so many capabilities in th
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The efficacy of net-enabled means t
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Information OperationsOperation OIF
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There are some obvious OIF implicat
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Most tactical unit commanders claim
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NOTES1. JFCOM and TRADOC are moving
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Chapter 8TransitionPeace enforcemen
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On Point has not been able to deliv
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I Guess I Made an ImpressionThis fi
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him the opportunity to honor his cl
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NOTES1. General Peter J. Schoomaker
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DESERT STORM as commander of VII Co
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Combined Forces Land Component Comm
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Facilities Engineer Team410th Milit
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244th Theater Aviation Brigade (OPC
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Facilities Engineer Detachment BFor
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Detachment/Marine Light Attack Heli
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Detachment/Marine Aerial Refueler/T
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4th Light Armored Recon Battalion (
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10th Logistics Planning Augmentatio
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315th Tactical PSYOP CoTactical PSY
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Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aerial Veh
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1st Brigade, 4th Infantry DivisionH
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Tactical PSYOP Team 221/362nd Tacti
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Control Ground Station Team 5/5/D/3
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Ground Surveillance Systems Platoon
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Eagle-Intel/Analysis and Control El
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A/326th Engineer BattalionTeam 1/27
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Elements/4th Air Support Operations
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864th Engineer Battalion (-) (Comba
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HHC (-)/22nd Signal Bde17th Signal
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51st Movement Control Detachment (D
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HHC/418th Quartermaster Bn59th Quar
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507th Medical Co (Air Ambulance) (A
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AMC Logistics Support Element FWD -
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381st Military Police Detachment (E
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513th Transportation Co (Medium Tru
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249th Quartermaster Co (Repair Part
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946th Transportation Co (Medium Tru
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Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 2
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Glossary A2C2AAAAAMDCAASLTABC-BLABC
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C1C2C2C2XC2PCC3C4C4ISRC5C6CACACOMCA
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EUCOMEXORDF/AFAFAIOFARPFBCB2FIFFIST
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JLOTSJOEJOPESJRACJRTCJSOTFJSOTF-NOR
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OBJODAODSOEFOHOIFOIF-SGO/OOOTWOPCON
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SOCCESOCCENTSOCOMSOFSOPSPSPACECOMSP
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BibliographyInterviews, Discussions
Page 567 and 568:
Group InterviewsInterview with CFLC
Page 569 and 570:
Dilanian, Ken. “Airborne Jumps In
Page 571 and 572:
Joint Publication 4-01.8. Joint Tac
Page 573 and 574:
• 335th Theater Signal Command•
Page 575:
Lieutenant Colonel David Kolleda.
Page 578 and 579:
103 Military Intelligence Battalion
Page 580 and 581:
603rd Aviation Support Battalion ·
Page 582 and 583:
General, USMC, Chief of Staff, CFLC
Page 584 and 585:
Davis, Wilbur, Staff Sergeant, USA,
Page 586 and 587:
Operations Officer, National Ground
Page 588 and 589:
219, 223, 243, 278, 296, 314, 331,
Page 590 and 591:
198, 284, 315Objective RAMS · 102,
Page 592 and 593:
427, 430, 518Schwartz, Eric ‘Rick
Page 594 and 595:
USS Higgins, Aegis Destroyer · 65,
Page 598:
The United Strates Army in Opera
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