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Operation Anaconda Case Study
Operation Anaconda Case Study
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Command Structure of Operation Anaconda The command structure in the early stages of Operation Enduring Freedom evolved, rapidly changed, and contributed to the lessons learned that shaped the command structure model for both post Operation Anaconda Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. This evolution however, did not come without a price. More specifically frustrations with inefficiencies and confusion created by the multiple dislocated command structures during Operation Anaconda. Furthermore, due to a lack of authority over assets and key role players, competing commands hindered efficiency and effectiveness during Operation Anaconda. Command Structure and locations before Operation Anaconda In the early stages of Operation Enduring
Freedom the command structure matured slowly with dislocated commands and a limited U.S. presence in Afghanistan. Operations in Afghanistan were led by General Franks the CENTCOM (MacDill, AFB, FL) Commander. General Franks Commanded over Army LTG Paul Mikolashek the Coalition Forces Land Component Commander (CFLCC and CFLCC (FWD) (Kuwait/Uzbekistan), and Air Force Lt Gen Michael Moseley the Coalition Air Forces Component Commander (CFACC) (Prince Sultan Air Base (PSAB)(Saudi Arabia) (Kugler R. , 2007). Also operating in, or providing support to the AO under CENTCOM Authority at the time are the: Joint Forces Special Operations Component Commander (Qatar), Joint Forces Maritime Component Commander (Bahrain), Joint Special Operations Task Force North (JSOTF-N) (Uzbekistan), and Joint Special Operations Task Force South (JSOTF-S) (Kandahar) (Fleri, Howard, Hukill, & Thomas, 2003). Command Structure during Operation Anaconda During Operation Anaconda the majority of U.S. Forces were commanded by MG Franklin L. Hagenbeck the 10th Mountain, Combined Joint Task Force Mountain and Operation Anaconda Commander. However, not under the control of MG Hagenbeck were the SOF partnered Afghanistan forces, additional SOF and additional governmental agencies who reported directly to the Secretary of Defense, and the air component that remained under the CFACC (Kugler, Baranick, & Binnendijk, 2009).
The war in Afghanistan sparked numerous operations conducted by the U.S. military and its coalition forces. One of the most influential operation until today was Operation Anaconda. Fought in the Shahi-Kot Valley during early march 2002, it was the largest American battle since the Gulf War, and their first high altitude battle ever encounter. The goal of the Operation Anaconda was to eradicate the remaining Taliban and al Qaeda foothold within the eastern region of Afghanistan. Although, originally intended to last three days, Operation Anaconda lasted seventeen days instead, with seven days of intense battle. The U.S. operation Commander, Major General Franklin Hagenbeck, schemed the “hammer and anvil” plan in order to achieve his objective. However, this plan
The book Black Hearts by Jim Frederick is an in-depth narrative about the 1st platoon, Bravo Company 1-502nd Infantry 101st Airborne Division deployed to Iraq in 2005. The leadership failures documented in this book range all the way from the general officer level down to the lowest private. LT general Ricardo Sanchez failed to understand the climate his command group was entering as they were deployed into Iraq. From then on the entire leadership failures continued to compound upon each other with improper time to plan. It is customary to have a six month lead time to have a proper battle hand off when preparing to take over an AO from another unit. To compound this problem, the entire time the 502nd was in pre-deployment training, they were preparing for the rigors of urban combat. In reality, they were given six weeks to recon their new area of responsibility and were going to a countryside crafted by the heavens for guerilla warfare. As Colonel Ebel said in the book, “It is not going to be an easy road. They are not even sure of what they have in the area. It just feels bad. We can expect a real fight.”
The second part of the novel starts with being asked to take on a new case known as Operation Black Biscuit. The idea of this case was to make an attempt at successfully infiltrating the Hells Angels. Jay meets his new team, a long time friend, William “Timmy” Long, an ex-biker now informant, “Pops”, and a confidential informant named Rudy Kramer. When Jay takes on this new case, he becomes even more separated from his family. This makes me feel disgust because Jay’s family had given so much to him for him to give very minimal in return. Not being able to spend time with family is one of the worst things in the world and Jay becomes so set on becoming a Hells Angel and living the life of Jay “Bird” Davis, that he forgets that outside of work he is still Jay Dobyns.
The mission command philosophy helps commanders counter the uncertainty of operations by reducing the amount of certainty needed to act. Commanders can build teams and achieve their final goals through adapting the six principles of mission command to warfighting situation. I analyzed and compared the performance of General Sherman and General Hampton in four of six mission command principles.
The purpose of this paper is to perform a mission command analysis of the Battle of Gettysburg, honing in on Pickett’s Charge. The Battle of Gettysburg took place on July 1st through July 3rd in 1863 in the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The belligerents were the Army of the Potomac, led by MG George G. Meade and the Army of Northern Virginia, led by GEN Robert E. Lee. The goal is to analyze the decisions of GEN Lee using the six mission command principles described in the Army Doctrine Publication 6-0 and then assess the outcome of those decisions.
As the incoming brigade commander, LTC (P) Owens, I see the critical leadership problem facing the 4th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) is the inability or unwillingness of Colonel Cutler to lead and manage change effectively. In initial talks with Col Cutler and in reviewing the brigade’s historical unit status reports, the 4th ABCT performed as well as can be expected in Afghanistan, but as the onion was peeled back there are numerous organizational issues that were brought to the surface while I walked around and listened to the soldiers of the 4th ABCT, in addition to reviewing the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) report. One of the most formidable tasks of a leader is to improve the organization while simultaneously accomplishing
Mission command is the commander's use of authority and direction to empower adaptive leaders in the conduct of unified land operations. It helps subordinates exercise disciplined initiative when operating within their commander’s intent. To facilitate effective mission command, commanders must accomplish four consecutive stages of the operations process. They must thoroughly understand the problem, visualize a solution that achieves a desired end state, and then accurately describe this visualization in order to direct the organization. Commanders continually lead and assess their organizations and provide input and influence to their subordinates and staff.
Introduction Operation Anaconda was the first major joint combat operation against the war on terror that the US was committed to winning. This operation would test our military’s readiness for joint operations against a hardened and willing adversary. The primary mission was to kill/capture Taliban/Al Qaeda forces occupying towns and villages in the vicinity of Shahi Khot in order to gain control of the valley.1 The US needed the towns, villages, mountains, and more importantly, the intricate and hard to access caves cleared of enemy fighters. Units participating in the operation included elements of the 101st Airborne Division, 10th Mountain Division, Special Operations Forces (SOF), and Coalition forces from seven nations including Afghanistan.2 With so many different nations fighting along with our own branches of military, it would test our ability to conduct joint operations on multiple levels. History On September 11, 2001, Osama Bin Laden decided to “wake the sleeping giant.”
The performance of Major General Ambrose E. Burnside at the helm of the Army of the Potomac can be characterized as less than stellar. His failures to understand, describe, lead, and assess during the Battle of Fredericksburg ultimately led to his army’s defeat and the death of tens of thousands of Federal soldiers. The fate of the mission and our soldiers rely on our ability to conduct mission command activities. It is essential we learn from the grave mistakes of the commanders of the past and become prepared to carry out these activities when we are called to do
The United States launched an operation known as Operation Desert Shield, also known as the Persian Gulf War, in August of 1990 in response to Saddam Hussein’s order to the Iraqi forces to take over Kuwait. President George Herbert Walker Bush made the decision to send American troops to Saudi Arabia to form an international coalition that would eventually turn into an operation known as Operation Desert Storm. The United States Army had not witnessed an event of such international and Homefront importation since the Cold War.
Black Hearts is a great example of the reality on how severe bad leadership skills can ripple throughout a unit and impact its overall mission. This book serves as a guide for future leaders of America and will set the examples of what not to do in leadership positions. The lessons we can take from these soldiers can help us as potential leaders to become more competent and effective. The fact that this book focused on the hardships, poor decisions and sound judgment of the soldiers it helped emphasize on what was not the best choice of action and leaves a moment for you as the audience to think how you would of done it better. So right or wrong there was a lesson to be learned and the book did a good job including the reader. This book puts you in the shoes of a small group of soldiers from the 502nd Infantry Regiment and gives you an up close and personal take on the experience of the soldiers, from the bottom of the the ranks all the way up to the commander. 502nd Bravo Company 1st platoon deployed in the fall of 2005 into one of the most dangerous battle zones in Iraq known as the “Triangle of Death”. Thrown into the heartland of a growing insurgency, with undefined goals and a shortage of manpower, Bravo Company began piling up casualties at an alarming rate. They suffered many losses, as well as mental anguish. Because of the long and tragic deployment, a collapse in leadership began to unfold causing one of the most tragic, brutal, and infamous deployments in U.S Army history. There were many reasons that caused the deconstruction of leadership, and eventually, the actions of the soldiers accompanied by the lack of control, lead to the rape and murder of an innocent Iraqi girl and her family. This is a story about character...
Sir, I am honored by the privilege to once again serve in 4th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT). Over of the last 30 days, I had an opportunity to reconnect, and reflect on the current state of the Brigade. The 4th ABCT has a rich history of success and glory. It is my goal to put in place the systems and practices for this great organization to exceed all past and present accomplishments. As a result of my assessment, I identified three areas of focus that will improve our organization: a unit vision, a change in organizational culture and climate, and building organizational teams. I have no doubt that with the implementation of these three areas of focus, I will be the transformational leader that 4th ABCT needs as we prepare for the upcoming National Training Center (NTC) rotation and tackle the task of the Regionally Aligned Forces (RAF) mission.
“If the orders are unclear, it is the fault of the General” “maintain momentum” During the Invasion of Iraq on March 2003 the Americans forces won a swift victory. But what followed in Iraq were anarchy, rebellion, looting and loss of American lives as there was no plan by President George Bush after liberating Iraq. Generals just watched and gave no orders on what course to take as Iraqis looted ammo depots that were later used as IED’s against American soldiers. It was not until 2007 under General Petreaus counter insurgency plan that the violence died down.
The most effective commanders through their leadership build cohesive teams. Mutual trust, shared understanding, and accepting prudent risk serve as just a few principles for mission command. Mutual trust is the foundation of any successful professional relationship that a commander shares with his staff and subordinates. The shared understanding of an operational environment functions, as the basis for the commander to effectively accomplish the mission. While my advice for the commander on what prudent risks to take may create more opportunities rather than accepting defeat. Incorporating the principles of mission command by building cohesive teams through mutual trust, fostering an environment of shared understanding, and accepting prudent risk will make me an effective adviser to the commander, aid the staff during the operations process, and provide an example for Soldiers to emulate.
Operational Design (OD) enables commanders, and their staffs, to solve problems of varying scope and severity at the conceptual level. The elements of OD help provide the framework to guide the operational planning process from understanding the problems sets concerning the operational environment, to shaping coherent and executable courses of actions (COA) for the joint force. In particular, the OD elements of military end state, objectives, and center of gravity (COG), work together to help develop a compelling planning framework by providing the focus of effort towards desired political ends, in which the plan works to achieve. United States (U.S.) historical examples from World War II (WWII) to Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom