ipl-logo

Case Study Operation Anaconda

899 Words4 Pages

Operation Anaconda 's Operational Art and Design
Operation Enduring Freedom and the counter-terrorism campaign set the stage for Operations across Afghanistan. Operation Anaconda was utterly different from all the wars the United States, had fought doctrinally. Operational art and design in conjunction with doctrine enabled leaders to adapt to a constantly changing operating environment. So how operational art and design decided the outcome of Operation Anaconda? "Without operational art war would be a set of disconnected engagements with relative attrition the only measure of success or failure." (Joint Publication 1). When the United States deviated from using doctrine customarily used in campaigns, it proved to be a problem, but the …show more content…

To see how operational design played a factor during Operation Anaconda we have to ask four questions, 1. What is the current environment? 2. What is the desired environment? 3. What is the problem? 4. What is the solution?
What is the current environment? The commanders reported a large concentration of al Qaeda and Taliban forces between the towns of Kowst and Gardez and it appeared that it was the hub of significant enemy activity. What was the desired environment? The coalition forces understood that if they if they wanted to defeat the enemy they would have to mount an offensive which was the reason Operation Anaconda came to be. What is the problem? The problem that the coalition forces encounter was that the vast concentration of the enemy was hiding in caves utilizing the rugged terrain to their advantage, another problem was the underestimated numbers of enemy forces. What is the solution? The solution that the coalition forces adapted was to use UH-60 Apache Helicopters to target some of the caves to flush out the enemy out into the open. The ground forces were set up in the area to prevent the enemy from escaping, but they were not expecting the massive amount of enemy force that they …show more content…

The enemy had two centers of gravity, the Taliban 's strategic center of gravity was the control they had over Kabul, and their leadership, their operational center of gravity were its ground forces since they didn 't have any real military presence outside of that. Al Qaeda 's center of gravity was Osama Bin Laden, and it 's terrorist threat dispersion across the world.
The Shahikot valley was the center of gravity for the Taliban as it was easy to defend due to due to its high ridges that provide caves, crevasses and many locations that the enemy could use to their advantage with firepower to attack the valley floor and access points. The Taliban were tough enemies despite not having a sophisticated conventional Army. The strength of the al Qaeda comes from their high morale, operation security procedures, and

Show More
Related

  • Battle Of Wanat Case Study

    1542 Words  | 7 Pages

    On July 30, 2008, a bloody battle involving Coalition forces took place in the mountainous eastern Afghan province of Nuristan. This was the Battle of Wanat and the devastating amount of Coalition casualties began a vigorous investigation by the United States Army. The village of Wanat, defended by Second Platoon, Chosen Company, Second Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team would fall victim to numerous bad decision made by higher command. Although the men of Chosen Company fought hard, they ended up surrounded, vastly outnumbered, and without any Battalion assets. This paper will argue the reasons for the disastrous outcome of the Battle of Wanat; examining the effective company leadership exploiting effective

    Read More

  • Fort Riviere Mission Command Analysis

    1813 Words  | 8 Pages

    Analyzing the mission command principles and the commanding officer’s actions will also be discussed. Specifically, as it relates to building a cohesive team through mutual trust, providing a clear commander’s intent, and accepting prudent risk. While the battle of Fort Riviere and the resulting occupation of Haiti occurred over a century ago, it provides us with an example of American foreign policy during this period and bares resemblance to future American military

    Read More

  • Operation Anaconda Command Structure

    874 Words  | 4 Pages

    The attack on Shahi Kot valley was broken down into two phases. The first phase codenamed “Hammer”, comprised of the Afghan Forces supported by the SOF teams, would attack from the south and the north. In theory this would worse the enemy would force the enemy to retreat towards the entrance in to the valley in Serhkkhankel, where the U.S. Forces codenamed “Anvil” would be waiting for them. In the first few days, casualties occurred when a U.S. Navy SEAL fell off a chinook helicopter after the helicopter took fire, and had no choice but to land to a farther landing zone.

    Read More

  • Operation Anaconda Battle Analysis

    747 Words  | 3 Pages

    Starting in mid-January to mid-February, there was interest in assaulting the Shahikot Valley in the Paktia province of Afghanistan by employing U.S. ground combat forces as part as an operation due to intelligence reports suggesting that enemy forces, which included al Qaeda and the Taliban where in the stages of reoccupying the area to regroup its forces after its sustaining defeats during the early stages of Operation Enduring Freedom. A debate between intelligence agencies on whether the enemy troops would be on the valley floor or on the hills. Well before the battle, early intelligence estimates, which drew on HUMINT and other sources, claimed that nearly 1,000 al Qaeda and Taliban forces might be present in the Shahikot Valley but then were lowered to about 200 to 300 personnel (Baranick, Binnendijk , Kuglar, 2009). They also concluded that they were mostly living in the valley’s villages, rather than deployed in the surrounding mountains and ridgelines as they thought they would be from the more tactical

    Read More

  • Summary Of A Better War By Lewis Sorley

    756 Words  | 4 Pages

    Abrams also stressed a “one war” concept that put equal emphasis on military operations, improvement of the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces, and pacification – all of which are codependent so that the better we do in one, the more our chance of progress in others (18). The changes in tactics under Abrams, and in the concept of the nature of the war, and even the enemy reaction to battlefield reserves, by no means meant an end to fierce combat, or even to large-scale military operations (138). America’s principal national objective became peace. Abrams policy proved to be better than the policy of attrition. The policy of attrition simply meant, under those circumstances, a very prolonged type of warfare, whereas the U.S. can clear and hold, and keep an area secure, and keep the enemy out.

    Read More

  • Direct Art

    1475 Words  | 6 Pages

    Therefore, he dispatched his 2nd Brigade Commander, Colonel Anderson, to gather as much information as possible, assess the situation, then report back describing the conditions in order for Major General Petraeus to lead, and direct his units in Mosul. This paper explores the aspects he used to lead, direct, and assess the 101st Airborne Division in Mosul. Moreover, how General Petraeus was able to utilize artful

    Read More

  • General Petraeus Case Study

    1353 Words  | 6 Pages

    General Petraeus and his Leadership Approach to Mosul A Leaders Restoration of a Nation Following the invasion of Coalition Forces into Iraq in March of 2003 the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, commanded by Major General David Petraeus, found itself in the Northern Iraqi city of Mosul (Lundberg, 2008). With the invasion complete and capturing of the capitol city of Baghdad accomplished, Major General Petraeus and staff began confronting the issues and concerns of what lay ahead for the duration of the unit’s deployment (Lundberg, 2008). The development and implementation of Major General David Petraeus’ strategy to bring stability to Mosul, Iraq and surrounding areas following the 2003 invasion provides insight into his leadership approach

    Read More

  • Operation Anaconda Research Paper

    486 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Senate trial in the impeachment of Bill Clinton Begins- January 7th, 1999 Bill Clinton was impeached for two reasons perjury and obstruction of justice, he also lied under oath about him having affairs with Monica Lewinsky. George W. Bush is sworn into office- January 20th, 2001 George W. Bush becomes the 43rd President of the United States. He will be the President from January 20th, 2001 to January 20th, 2009. U.S./Afghanistan War: Operation Anaconda ends- March 1st, 2002-March 18th, 2002 Operation Anaconda is a plan CIA officials made to try and destroy Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces.

    Read More

  • Battle Of Wanat Analysis

    811 Words  | 4 Pages

    The battle of Wanat was a major battle during Operation Enduring Freedom. It took place early in the morning of July 13, 2008. Combat Outpost Kayler is the small outpost that was over run at Wanat, in the Waygal district of Afghanistan. The Soldiers of second platoon, Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Combat Team, were the primary forces under attack along with some coalition forces. The conflict originated a few weeks before the battle, when attack helicopters engaged a convoy of Taliban.

    Read More

  • Ground Zero Persuasive Essay On 9/11

    813 Words  | 4 Pages

    invaded Afghanistan after the attacks on September 11th to rid the country of the Taliban regime and to stop Al-Qaeda and its leader. The terroristic group Al-Qaeda set up camps in Afghanistan that indoctrinated and trained over 10,000 to 20,000 men before the fatal attack on America. ("Afghanistan War"). These camps also became bases for weapons and for coordinating terrorist attacks. ("Afghanistan War").

    Read More

  • Battle Of Bunker Hill Battle Analysis

    1128 Words  | 5 Pages

    By definition, “mission command is the exercise of authority and direction by the commander using mission orders to enable disciplined initiative within the commander’s intent to empower agile and adaptive leaders in the conduct of unified land operations,” according to ADRP 5-0. Mission command is about knowing when to change the task to fit the purpose. This paper is intended to analyze the mission command of one side of the battle, focusing on the commander’s role in the operations process. The Battle of Bunker Hill was the most important battle of the American Revolution because of Colonel Prescott’s superior command and control.

    Read More

  • Operation Anaconda Essay

    850 Words  | 4 Pages

    Joint Planning for Operation Anaconda SFC Spurlock, Matthew MLC Class 005-18 Joint Planning for Operation Anaconda Since the beginning of the Global War on Terrorism, there have been numerous battles. One of the most important battles that shaped future joint planning of operations was Operation Anaconda. The outcome of this operation was ultimately successful, however, the original intent from the commanders were not met due to errors in the joint planning process. Joint planning during Operation Anaconda proved ineffective because of inaccurate intelligence about the terrain and weather, the exemption of Air Force and Navy during the initial planning phase, and false assumptions about the enemy. Intelligence Intelligence Preparation

    Read More

  • Essay On The Importance Of Accountability In The Army

    990 Words  | 4 Pages

    These aspects of equipment and record keeping also affect the functional planning of the U.S. Army. Using a wartime scenario, a Commanding Officer needs to know precisely the amount of equipment on hand, including weapons and ammunition, in order to properly plan an operation. Proper planning, in this sense, ensures that the operation is conducted sufficiently and no lives are

    Read More

  • Taliban Influence In The Kite Runner

    811 Words  | 4 Pages

    Taliban’s Influence in Afghani in The Kite Runner Every since September 27, 1996 , the Taliban have started putting fear in the Afghan women and men heart by ruling in horror and terror. When the Taliban took over, Afghanistan became one of the most poorest and most troubled places in the world. In Khaled Hosseini 's novel, The Kite Runner, the Taliban influence on Afghani culture is affected by the Taliban Laws, The Mistreatment of Hazaras and The Mistreatment of women. The Taliban Laws was forced on women and men.

    Read More

  • Operation Husky Case Study

    1550 Words  | 7 Pages

    Beyond Command and Control, the joint functions include intelligence, fires, movement and maneuver, protection, sustainment, and information. As the largest operation in WWII up until that time, Operation Husky was a proving ground for integration of joint function. Given the command and control struggles, it follows that joint integration in Operation Husky was less than optimal, especially because “joint force components have different function-oriented approaches, procedures, and perspectives.” Presented below are examples of how shortcomings in intelligence and movement and maneuver resulted in lost momentum or lost opportunity for the

    Read More

More about Case Study Operation Anaconda

Open Document