Running head: History Essay
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History Essay on Operation Gothic Serpent
Abstract
Operation Gothic Serpent in Oct 1993 in Mogadishu, Somalia has been labeled one of the bloodiest firefights for United States troops. It has also arguably been remembered as one of the U.S. military’s blunders. Although the majority of Americans were disgusted and outraged by the failed operation, it can be used as a tool to study the vital role of NCOs and force readiness.
History Essay on Operation Gothic Serpent
One of the most widely debated issues in American politics is what specific role the United States should take in world crises. Some would argue that it is the US’s responsibility to promote and defend
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Mogadishu was a city in practical ruins from years of civil war. Infrastructure was badly damaged or totally destroyed. Despite living in deplorable conditions, the Somalis fought unpredictably hard to fight off UN and US forces. The majority of the soldiers, albeit very well trained, were very young with little real world experience. Eager to quickly neutralize the enemy and secure the targets, several contingencies were overlooked. Egotism between two very elite forces caused rifts among troops as well. Ground convoys could not reach the downed helicopters. Intelligence sources also greatly underestimated the type and amount of weaponry. Others believed that they would encounter less hostile Somalis that would be more sympathetic to the mission of the UN and US. Forces encountered on the ground fought with veracity. It is arguable that the true nature of the operation from a humanitarian mission to a capture mission made certain resources unavailable to the troops. Furthermore, planners should have taken advantages of available technology and avoided a daytime mission.
As in any battle in history, enlisted personnel play a vital role. NCOs are an integral part in all militaries. By virtue of their rank and assignment, NCOs primary responsibility is training. Secondary to training, responsibilities include maintaining discipline, protecting assets, ensuring
Six raids were conducted during the interval prior using similar tactics and patterns of maneuver. Minimal changes were made to the plan of operations from raid to raid. One of the drawbacks to performing several very similar operations was that Aideed’s forces used the intelligence collected during these raids to better prepare for a fight with the Ranger element. With each progressive raids, Aideed’s forces had identified the use of low circling helicopters and the lack of armored vehicles as the weaknesses of Joint Task Force Ranger. It became clear the week prior to the Battle of Mogadishu that Somalis were capable of shooting down helicopters with RPGS. MG Garrison added rockets to Blackhawks for added firepower. However, he but did not postpone operations while armor or heavier gunships were requested. He also failed to modify raid plans to keep helicopters out of the firing range of
The purpose of this paper is to identify the uses and application of mission command within Operation Anaconda. Operation Anaconda took place in the Shahikot Valley of eastern Afghanistan in early March of 2002. The ground commander selected to lead the operation was Major General (MG) Hagenbeck of the 10th Mountain Division, and for the purpose of this operation, Coalition and Joint Task Force (CJTF) Mountain. Due to the limited number of troops under his command currently available in Afghanistan, MG Hagenbeck was given command in addition to one of his own organic battalions, the 3rd Brigade, 101st Air Assault Division, some Special Operations Force (SOF) units, and Coalition Forces. This paper will identify MG Hagenbeck’s, his staff’s, and higher command’s use of the mission command principles during this operation. The principles of mission command are accept prudent risk, use mission orders, exercise disciplined initiative, provide a clear commander’s intent, create shared understanding, and lastly, build cohesive teams through mutual trust (Mission Command, 2014).
In conclusion, the Marine NCO is to provide guidance, display courage, and influence Marines, young and old. As a Sergeant of Marines I am the liaison between junior Marines and my SNCOs, the Sergeants task is greater than that of any in shaping young Marines. Not only does a Sergeant have to hold himself to the highest standard possible, he must also hold his Marines responsible, because after all he is charged with guiding those Marines not only professionally but also through day to day life. If there is anyone in the Corps you can turn to for advice, guidance, or hard work and determination, it should be the Marine
One point you need to get straight is that although a list of duties can be drawn up describing what is expected of you, it will not tell you how to do your job. For example, one of an NCO 's duties is to enforce standards of military appearance. This means you are responsible for correcting soldiers who wear the uniform improperly and for teaching them the correct standards of appearance. It also means that you should inspect for proper and serviceability, clothing and equipment of your soldiers. Remember that you must set the example first and your soldiers will follow in your footsteps.
In that aspect I believe that if someone is an NCO they should work and live by the NCO creed. The NCO is a soldier that is a well-rounded professional that has the experience and qualifications to lead other soldiers. They must learn the NCO Creed. The NCO creed
Responsibilities of NCO Leadership is showing and leading by example. I failed to lead and show by example by not show up on time after lunch hours. During those times soldiers are showing up on time and looking for guidance and direction for the next task at hand for that day’s mission.
An NCO in my eyes is first most a leader, someone that has his soldiers back, there to protect and defend them, mentor them, and guide them into being NCO's themselves one day. As an NCO you need to be able to share your knowledge with younger soldiers, teach them the ways of the Army, let them not only learn from their mistakes, but from the ones we have made along the way as well. An NCO needs to be able to trust in his soldiers, but more importantly, soldiers need to be able to trust their NCO's. How can a soldier follow us into battle if they cannot trust us with the smaller things? How can a soldier turn to you in confidence with an issue that they have if they can’t even trust you, as an NCO, to have their back about something small
Outstandingly, American Non-commissioned officers have performed commendably in their discharge of their duties worldwide. Every soldier is entitled with NCO who ensures that all soldiers get good and professional training from experienced and qualified experts. NCO is also mandated to identify leaders from soldiers who can effectively perform in small-units. Hence it is very essential for the non commissioned officer to be empowered with knowledge and technique on how to carry out these duties effectively asserts that excellent leaders understand their soldiers' strength and weaknesses Basically, it is the role of non commissioned officer to employ knowledge and skills they have acquired through the many years of service in planning and decision making stages in the Army. In line with this, the US government is taking initiatives to empower the non-commissioned
you must be aware of your actions and always be vigilant and never to lose self accountability. Once you have gained self accountability, you can then start to worry about other people if the task requires it. Accountability does not only happen on the week days but also during your personal time because a lot of what you do or people see you do on your personal time can affect how people view and see you on work time. Also it can also affect how you feel about yourself or how other people feel about you. The next topic i am going to cover is the importance of being accountable as a Non-Commissioned Officer. This is really important because soldiers will always be coming to you for advice, guidance and almost everything they can not do alone. NCO's are the backbone of the military, they relay information from the top of the channels all the way to the bottom. The NCO mindset comes from a lot of honest hard work and working your way up from the bottom, which is why the NCO’s should know most about accountability, and also because they need to have accountability of not only themselves but that of others that are under them. If one domino falls then most of the time they will all fall. so in other words if one person messes up then it could mess up everyone. In some missions this is very bad because if you are in Afghanistan or Iraq then you need to have accountability so that everyone gets home safe and unharmed. The higher that you go in the NCO support
Military duties, responsibilities and integrity is important to the Army. An NCO duties includes taking care of his or her Soldiers and accomplishing the mission. A Soldier’s duty includes obeying orders. Duty and Responsibility is part of the Army values for a reason. I’m accordance with Army regulation Field Manual 7-22.7 covers the duties,responsibilities and authorities of a Non Commissioned Officer.
This paper was written by Dr. Richard L. Kugler from the National Defense University, Center of Technology and National Security. Operation Anaconda was a success, but taught many lessons for modern-era force operations and defense transformation that deserves to be remembered (Kugler, 2007). Even though the battle plan was complex and sophisticated, it was not followed by the Afghan forces, which left US ground troops to do the battle alone. US forces had to replan the battle at a moment's notice.
Throughout history, the United States Government and Armed Forces have learned from devastating mistakes and decisive victories making the US Armed Forces superior to most, if not all, other militaries; however, the Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia throughout Operation Restore Hope, Operation Provide Relief, and the Joint Special Operations Task Force missed the mark on such “lessons learned”. The inadequate intelligence; the ignorance of tactics, techniques, and procedures; and absence of reinforcements cost needless loss of US troops, and crippling a sophisticated, well-equipped military at the hands of an under-equipped militia using irregular warfare tactics. Even 24 years later, the impact resonating still weighs heavily on minds of key leaders in the government along with all echelons of military commanders.
A Noncommissioned Officer's duties are numerous and must be taken seriously. An NCO's duty includes taking care of soldiers, which is your priority. Leaders must know and understand their soldiers well enough to train them as individuals and teams to operate proficiently. This will give them confidence in their ability to perform well under the difficult and demanding conditions of battle. Individual training is the principle duty and responsibility of NCOs. NCOs are responsible to fulfill not only their individual duties, but also to ensure their teams and units are successful. NCOs are accountable for your personal conduct and that of your soldiers. Noncommissioned officers have three types of duties: specified duties, directed duties
According to Army ADP 6-0, 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. Effective mission command can generally be analyzed according to the six principles outlined in ADRP 6-0. The six principles of mission command are: build cohesive teams through mutual trust, create shared understanding, provide a clear commander’s intent, exercise disciplined initiative, use mission orders, and accept prudent risk. This paper provides a brief overview of the Battle of Chickamauga and examines the performance of Confederate General Braxton Bragg during the
Since 1775, the Noncommissioned Officer Corps has distinguished itself through leadership, professionalism, commitment, courage and dedication. It is comprised of trained, adaptable, self-sacrificing professionals who have earned the admiration of both the officer and enlisted ranks. From the time a Soldier enters the Army until the time he or she leaves this profession, the NCO is there every step of the way to guide Soldiers and help them navigate any situation with their professionalism, competence and caring. The NCO Corps is the reason behind our success on the battlefield today and on battlefields of the past.