Fifth anniversary of Operation Redwing
Michael Murphy and Matt Axelson - two of the fallen warriors from Operation Redwing (Source: MattAxelson.com)
On June 27, 2005, a four-man Navy SEAL sniper watch team set out to conduct a mission in some of the harshest terrain on earth – about 10,000 feet above sea level in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan. Their mission was to locate and gather intelligence on a certain high-ranking Taliban official with known ties to Osama bin-Laden. Once they had eyes on the target, a larger force would then attack, capturing or killing the target. According to their intelligence, the SEALs would be operating amongst as many as 200 enemy fighters.
In the fighting that followed, 11 Navy SEALs and eight Army Task Force 160 aircrew died in the battle. Operation Redwing was the highest loss of life for the Naval Special Warfare Command since the D-Day invasion of Normandy in World War II.
One man survived. Unto the Breach recalls his incredible story.
The team was inserted at night by helicopter into the heavily-forested and mountainous terrain east of Asadabad, a village in the Afghanistan province of Kunar. Intelligence reported that a large group of armed men slipped through a pass in the mountains from Pakistan. The size of the force suggested that there was a valuable target in the area. This area was considered a “hornet’s nest,” a Taliban stronghold that Coalition Forces rarely ventured into. The inhabitants were goat herders and wood cutters, and the Taliban rewarded them for shooting U.S. forces or reporting on their locations.
The clouds were low and heavy rains poured down on the team. They had set up and began observing the area, but could not manage a clear line of sight on the target area. They moved in closer, taking a position about one mile from the village.
Continue reading about the mission here, and buy Marcus Luttrell’s book – I guarantee it will be one of the best you will ever read. Just don’t make the mistake of loaning it out as I did – you won’t get it back. (fortunately it wasn’t signed).
In: Military History · Tagged with: Afghanistan, Operation Redwing
Super Hornet over Kajaki Dam
An F/A-18E Super Hornet flies over the Kajaki Dam reservoir in Afghanistan, May 20, 2010. The aircraft is part of Strike Fighter Squadron 83. The squadron is assigned to the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which is at sea in the Persian Gulf and Middle East regions. U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Cmdr. Ben Stickney
In: Images, Military · Tagged with: Afghanistan, US Navy
Beautiful Afghan landscape
River valley in Logar Province, Afghanistan (Photo by Eric Sutphin, U.S. Army)
In: Images, Military · Tagged with: Afghanistan
Military Mysteriously Cuts Short Top War Correspondent’s Time in Afghanistan
The military has cut short a war correspondent’s embed, and there may be evidence that the decision may have been part of a smear campaign against the writer.
Michael Yon, a former Green Beret, has been covering Iraq and Afghanistan for six years. He has also covered conflicts in Thailand, the Philippines, and Nepal. Following a string of events covered by Yon that cast a negative light on two top NATO commanders, the military decided to terminate Yon’s embed prematurely, citing reasons that didn’t add up.
ISAF’s reason for disembedding Yon was “embed overcrowding.” Yet in an email to Admiral Gregory J. Smith, an ISAF public affairs officer, Yon wrote, “I rarely see journalists. Those journalists I see have been doing drive-by reporting.”
Yon states that he has forwarded to his attorney “compelling evidence” of a smear campaign perpetrated by members of Gen. McChrystal’s staff. He says that the general’s staff have released official statements that are “defamatory and libelous.”
“A writer must be able to spot libel just as a soldier must be able to spot IEDs,” writes Yon. “It’s part of the job. If you can’t spot it, you will get hurt.”
In: Articles, Media, Military · Tagged with: Afghanistan
Leaflet drop in Afghanistan
A UH-60 Blackhawk flies over some scenic landscape while traveling to the location of a leaflet drop in Joghatoe District, Logar Province, Afghanistan, April 23, 2010. The leaflets are informing the people of Joghatoe District of an upcoming radio broadcast. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Russell Gilchrest\Released)
In: Images, Military · Tagged with: Afghanistan
NATO’s proposed ‘Courageous Restraint’ medal – another victory for our enemies
The military’s rules of engagement (ROE) in Afghanistan have become so emasculated that commanders are now considering the creation of a medal awarded for not using lethal force during war.
NATO Commander General Stanley McChrystal is currently reviewing the “Courageous Restraint” medal, which was suggested by British Maj. Gen. Nick Carter following an incident where U.S. soldiers fired on a bus carrying Afghan civilians.
“The idea is being reviewed at Headquarters [International Security Force Afghanistan],” said Lt. Col. Edward Sholtis, the spokesman for Gen. McChrystal. “The idea is consistent with our approach. Our young men and women display remarkable courage every day, including situations where they refrain from using lethal force, even at risk to themselves, in order to prevent possible harm to civilians. … That restraint is an act of discipline and courage not much different than those seen in combat actions.”
However, restraint hasn’t translated into progress on the battlefield. A recent report from the Pentagon revealed that violence in Afghanistan is increasing – up 87% from last year – and that more districts support the Taliban than did six months ago (none of the 92 districts surveyed actively support the Karzai government while 42 are sympathetic to the Taliban).
While our forces build infrastructure, provide medical care, and show restraint on the battlefield, the Taliban acts like barbarians – intimidating, raping, and murdering. Yet when our troops act in self-defense, Afghans gather in protest, chanting “Death to America.”
In April, a bus approached a convoy of engineers in Kandahar City at a high rate of speed, ignoring multiple attempts to get the driver to slow down. Due to poor visibility conditions, and the high threat of vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices in the district, the soldiers opened fire, killing four passengers and wounding 18.
In: Articles, Military · Tagged with: Afghanistan, NATO, Rules of Engagement, Stanley McChrystal
Statistics don’t look good for COIN
Things are going from bad to worse in Afghanistan. How is it possible to conduct a successful counterinsurgency campaign in a country that 1.) doesn’t support it’s own government; 2.) despises foreigners – especially non-Muslims; and 3.) in many cases, prefers the Taliban?
From a post by Juan Cole highlighting the recent Pentagon study on the war in Afghanistan:
NATO is operating in about 100 districts of the country (the vague equivalent of counties).
Number of Afghans in 92 districts (assessed for their relationship to the Federal government) that actively support the government of Hamid Karzai: 0
Number of districts out of 92 that are neutral toward the government: 44
Number of districts sympathetic to the insurgency in March 2010: 48
Number of districts that had been sympathetic to the insurgency in June, 2009: 33
Increase in violent incidents from Feb. 2009 to March 2010: 87 percent.
I support our military – which means I want our troops to have the best equipment, training, leaders, and strategy possible. When we have been fighting in Afghanistan for nearly nine years, and as we see above, our “won-loss record” (regarding the districts referenced above) is 0-48-44, it is past time to consider changing game plans. And by changing plans, I do NOT mean leaving Afghanistan. We have no choice but to fight.
This would never fly in sports, and it sure as hell shouldn’t be the case when lives are being lost.
In: Geopolitics · Tagged with: Afghanistan, counterinsurgency
Congressman calls for hearing on military’s restrictive rules of engagement
[Originally published at The US Report]
A congressman said that Congress should review the military’s rules of engagement in Afghanistan, saying, “They have proved too often to be fatal” to US troops.
Rep. Walter Jones (R – N.C.), whose district includes Camp Lejeune, called for the House Armed Services Committee to hold a hearing on the rules, which families of fallen Marines have called “shameful” and “suicidal.”
When Gen. Stanley McChrystal, US Army, became the Commander of US Forces in Afghanistan in July, he released directives calling for “leaders at all levels to scrutinize and limit the use of force like close-air support against residential compounds and other locations likely to produce civilian casualties.” In addition to limiting air support, the new ROE also limit artillery support and require troops to break contact when civilians are present.
Gen. McChrystal’s efforts to reduce or eliminate noncombatant casualties are undoubtedly well-intentioned, but limiting our forces offers the enemy numerous tactical advantages that they otherwise lacked.
During one battle in September, four Marines, their Navy Corpsman, eight Afghan soldiers, and the unit’s interpreter died when commanders rejected repeated calls for artillery or air support, despite assurances that enemy forces were nowhere near the village. When the team decided to pull back, they requested smoke rounds to mask their withdrawal, but that support wasn’t approved for nearly an hour. Helicopters did appear – two hours after the battle began.
Numerous families have expressed outrage over the military’s rules, including parents of fallen service members. John Bernard, a retired Marine first sergeant and father of fallen Marine Lance Corporal Joshua Bernard calls the rules “murderous.”
In: Military · Tagged with: Afghanistan, Rules of Engagement, Taliban
Military Roundup 9 Apr 2010
Photo of the Day: Drew Brees trains with Marines in Africa
Afghanistan: Taliban release video showing U.S. Prisoner of War Bowe Bergdahl
Multi-million dollar poppy eradication program fails, U.S. troops now focused on Taliban
Air Force special operations CV-22 Osprey crashes in Zabul Province killing four, Taliban claim responsibility
Kyrgyz violence casts uncertainty on U.S. presence at Manas – at least 75 dead, president has fled
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula moves from Yemen to Somalia after Yemeni security forces tighten noose
Obama Bans Islam, Jihad From National Security Strategy Document
Who is America Fighting – Jihadists or Extremists?
Stolen Valor: Coast Guard retiree sentenced to prison, forced to repay fraudulent benefits received for claiming to be a Navy SEAL, wearing decorations he didn’t receive
National Guard: Obama admin ignores Arizona governor’s repeated requests to secure the border
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: Afghanistan, jihad
Military Roundup
Photo of the Day: Spring Training for Leap Frogs
Afghan President Hamid Karzai repeatedly threatens to join the Taliban
North Korea has threatened to stop returning remains of American soldiers killed during the Korean War. JPAC informs me that currently 8,034 Americans are listed as missing from the conflict.
This week in U.S. military history
SEAL 3 Update: Falsification charges have been dropped against two SEALs accused of mistreating an al Qaeda detainee in Iraq.
DADT Update: The Marine Corps Commandant says if Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is repealed, he will not let gay Marines bunk with heterosexual ones.
ROE Update: Gen. McChrystal strikes again – this time limiting night raids, reviewing Rules of Engagement. Developing: It appears that members of Congress think things have gone too far. Congressman Walter Jones (R – N.C.) has called for the House Armed Services Committee to conduct its own hearings on ROE. More on this in further updates.
In: Military Roundup · Tagged with: Afghanistan, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Rules of Engagement, SEAL 3
