“Operation Swarmer” With Col Michael Steele.Usaace. Ncoa.

Operation Valhalla was an operation that was conducted in Operation Iraqi Freedom by US Army Special Forces in order to train the Iraqi Army Special Forces unit in order combat the insurgency that was seen in the Iraqi operations that were common occurrence. What had ensued during Operation Valhalla, the two Special Forces Unit (both US Army SF and Iraqi SF) had taken the fight to Jaish Al Mahdi, in order to stop the terror group conducting actions of murder and terror within the area of operations. What had occurred during this engagement was an overwhelming fight that resulted in the defeat of Jaish Al-Mahdi as well as recovering a hostage. This was a success for the two SF units, but what occurred after a media battle or intention to use Information Operations in order to discredit these units. (Dauber 2009, pg. 1-2)

Prove of the Marine Corps new efforts at warfare would pay off, but with great losses, in the Pacific campaigns, such as Peleliu, Iwo Jim, and Okinawa. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, led to the largest deployment of Marines forces since WWII, which consisted of 24 infantry battalions, and 40 squadrons, which totaled to a number of about 95,000 Marines in the Persian Gulf region, as a part of Operation Desert Shield, which began in August of 1990 to January 1991. It has been known as the “100 Hour War” because “by the morning of Feb. 28, 100 hours after the ground war began, the Iraqi army was no longer a threat.”(www.globalsecurity.org ) Most of the fighting that had been going on between the US military and enemy forces, after 9/11 has been in Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as the Global War on Terrorism “One of the key strategies of Operation Iraqi Freedom during 2003 was the capture of Iraq’s capital, Baghdad. A convoy of thirty thousand Marines advanced five hundred miles from the border of Kuwait in just ten days. On April 9, 2003, Marines secured the center of Baghdad. That same day, Coalition forces declared an end to the dictator’s rule.” (www.marines.com )

Colonel (Col) Michael Steele’s resolute beliefs regarding how to prepare his unit for combat and his bravado demeanor commanded respect from other bemused military officers. While serving as Commanding Officer (CO), 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, Col Steele aggressively cultivated a command climate focused on three core principles: personal protection, precision, and lethality. Although these three core principles narrowly aligned with the Army's "Soldier's Creed", Col Steele’s principles did not reinforce the Army’s individual and organizational core values. 3rd Brigade’s disassociated ethical subculture fostered a toxic environment which compromised both subordinate commanders' and individual soldiers' moral standards to various extents. Col Steele’s vague guidance concerning proper ethical behavior during the execution of high stress Counter-Insurgency (COIN) missions resulted in subordinates failing to conduct kinetic operations in accordance with established Army ethical standards. The military establishment shall remember May 09, 2006 as the day the revered "Rakkasans" failed to personify the unit's motto of "Ne Desit Virtus," meaning "Let Valor Not Fail". For on this day, four soldiers assigned to Charlie Company, known to the “Rakkasans” as the "Kill Company", murdered eight unarmed Iraqi citizens during Operation Iron Triangle. These four soldiers failed to understand the nature and consequences of their iniquities as they could no longer distinguish

Operations Desert Shield/Storm took place during the Gulf War, which was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of more than 30 nations mandated by the United Nations, led by the United States commanded by General Norman Schwarzkopf, who conducted one of the greatest military campaigns of all times that resulted with the coalition victory. The name Operation Desert Shield was for the operation leading to the built up of troops and defense of Saudi Arabia and Operation Desert Storm for the combat phase to liberate Kuwait. This war included more than 500.000 United States troops, dominated by technological superiority that definitely favored the coalition forces. The use of missiles, guided bombs and invisible plane made easy to destroy Iraqi ground targets, being so the first war in history to use the air power to defeat ground forces. The commander of this operation General Schwarzkopf was a consolidated leader with great experience in war and diplomacy, who had extend knowledge of the Middle East since the childhood. General Schwarzkopf ability to use the principles of mission command led the coalition into the desired end state, which was the defense of Saudi Arabia and liberation of Kuwait. General Norman Schwarzkopf successfully utilized mission command principles within Operation Desert Storm/Shield by creating a shared understanding, building cohesive teams through mutual trust, provide a clear commander’s intent, and accept a prudent risk, which played a

not have officers assigned to gangs on either a full-time or part-time basis. Their conclusions underscored the necessity for rapid, multi-agency, coordinated responses to control illegal gang activities (Torres, S. 1998). Operation Blue Rag, a program developed in San Diego, California, focused on the city 's black street gangs, while Operation Red Rag, implemented the following year, targeted "Blood" or Piru gangs. They were both federally funded through the Urban Street Gang Drug Trafficking Enforcement Demonstration Project. The goal of both programs was to reduce violence in the community by sending dangerous gang members to prison on charges stemming from their involvement with cocaine (Davidson et al., 1991) (Torres, S. 1998).

Michael Durant is a notable former 160th Black Hawk pilot. He is most recognized for his role in Operation Gothic Serpent, in Mogadishu, Somalia. During this operation his helicopter was one of two that were shot down with RPG’s, and he was the only survivor, who, consequently was taken captive by the Somali warlord. Mr. Durant’s career has spanned decades with the Regiment, even after retirement as the owner of a consultant firm specializing in special operations aviation. Steven Hartov is both an American and Israeli Army veteran, who has co-authored two books on the 160th with Mr. Durant. Mr. Hartov was the former editor in chief of “Special Operations Report,” and his writings are on the recommended reading list of the Army War College.

The troops were divided into two great combat regiments, Regimental Combat Team 1 with 3rd Battalion/ 1st Marines, 3rd Battalion/5th marines, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion, 4th and 23rd Seabees and the US Army 2nd Battalion /7th Cavalry. The other regiment, the Regimental Combat Team 7 included the 1st Battalion/ 8th marine, 1st Battalion /8th Marines and the US Army 2nd Battalion/ 2nd Infantry. Assisting in the assault 2000 Iraqi soldiers were incorporated, and with the order to surround the city to avoid bandits escape, the task was assigned to the 1st Battalion of the British 850 regiment, all supported by air raids and heavy artillery strikes over the city.

In the beginning of the article we are given a visual of a country in economic ruin as Ronald Reagan begins his presidency. James Davidson Hunter wrote the article to give readers a greater insight, from a seemingly unbiased and constructive viewpoint. Throughout history each American era has been consumed by different ideals and viewpoints. These viewpoints can either bring a nation together or destroy them. Different groups have affected different decisions. A president's job is to remain objective and to listen to the citizens as well as make some hard decisions that are in their best interests. Many groups have been and will continue to be affected, “It is this face - the face of a pervasive anxiety about the future - that seeks some modicum of control in the “culture wars” (page 3).

On September 11, 2001 one of the most well-known tragedies occurred. A series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda targeting the World Trade Center, The Pentagon, Shanksville and Manhattan created a disarray within the United States. U.S. intelligence agencies stepped up to investigate the 9/11 attack; therefore, in 2003 former President George W. Bush announced that Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) was in commence. By implementing this order many were called to the line of duty which immensely depended upon the capabilities of the Air Defense Artillery (ADA). ADA Soldiers were deployed to Southwest Asia where eventually ADA proved through their perseverance and dominance that they were a force

(FM3-0) Because of the minimal operational environment information, General Petraeus tasked Colonel Joe Anderson and the 2nd Brigade to do reconnaissance and report in detail. On Sunday, 20 April 2003, Colonel Anderson arrived at the Mosul airfield. There he found a small element of Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit and some Special Forces. (ref book) Each group had vastly different views of the city. The people of Mosul were not pleased with the Marines: On Tuesday, 15 April 2003, a massive riot had broken out after Mishaan al Jabouri announced himself mayor of Mosul, and while conducting riot control, the Marines killed 17 Iraqis, making conditions unstable in Mosul and leaving the Marines on high alert.

The brand new mission that involved the 1-502nd Infantry regiment was not only a hostile, but a confusing one in the least. In 2005, the 502nd Infantry Regiment was flung out to the 330-square mile region in Southern Baghdad known as the “Triangle of Death,” homing one of the most dangerous insurgency in the country. This area was the focal battleground between the Sunnis and Shi’ites as well as the central grounds for terrorists to ferry men, weapons, and money into the capital (Frederickson 113). The 502nd Regiment was assigned to the task of root out insurgent strongholds, promote social and municipal revival, and to train the local Iraqi Army battalions into a competent fighting force,

The first battle in Fallujah during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) is known as Operation Vigilant Resolve. This battle is regarded as one of the biggest single defeats that the United States Military has suffered throughout all its campaigns during OIF. The United States and international media outlets exploited this defeat, which in turn, bolstered Al Qaeda recruiting in Fallujah. This offensive failure and retreat was backed by a huge public outcry for troop withdrawal and successful exploitation of recruiting propaganda by the insurgents.

At Coalition airfields and on board Coalition warships all across the Gulf region, the first hours after midnight 17 January were marked by activity with a new sense of urgency. The initial attack packages marshalled south of the Iraqi and Jordanian early warning and ground control intercept (GCI) coverage. By employing modern stealth capabilities the coalition forces intended on targeting a specific Iraqi radar dish, which would, unless destroyed, alert Iraqi air defence of the impending assault. The entire coalition attack armada moved north, comprising of hundreds of aircraft from many different nations and services, proceeded into hostile airspace at 2:10 am, Baghdad time . Eight US Army AH-64 Apache helicopters led by two US Air ForceMH-53 Pave Low helicopters destroyed Iraqi radar sites near the Iraqi-Saudi Arabian border which could have warned Iraq of an impending attack, hence providing the coalition forces with an initial advantage. Shortly after the operation was authorised and the initial assaults on airfields in Western Iraq begun. These airfields were targeted on the basis that they were the quintessential first response of the Iraqi army and by effectively destroying them the coalition forces hoped to obtain the advantage with air superiority. Coupled with the assault on these specific airfields, a large US led squadron began to bomb the Iraqi city of Baghdad , which was to act as a diversion, which resulted in the small Iraqi air forces currently deployed to return to Baghdad in an effort to counter the coalition bombing campaign. These attacks were met with little resistance, which can be attributed to the successful planning and delivery of Phase. 1 can be attributed to the coalition forces ability to effectively survey

led air offensive hit Iraq’s air defenses, it was moving swiftly on to its communications networks, weapons plants, oil refineries and even more. The coalition effort as mention above was known as the Operation Desert Storm, which had benefited from the latest military technology, including Stealth bombers the objective of which was to win the war in the air and minimize combat on the ground as much as possible. According to the peace terms that Hussein subsequently accepted, Iraq would recognize Kuwait’s sovereignty and get rid of all its weapons of mass destruction which would include nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. In all, an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 Iraqi forces were killed, in comparison with only 300 coalition troops

At the end of Operation Vigilant Resolve, the Marines withdrew from the city and handed over security responsibilities to the Fallujah Brigade. The Fallujah Brigade was an Iraqi solution to the Fallujah problem, composed of former Iraqi soldiers and locally recruited men. Major General Jassim Mohammed Saleh who was immediately replaced by General Muhammad Latif, a former Iraqi Army Intelligence officer, originally led the brigade. The security responsibilities included provisions for the surrender of heavy weapons by the insurgents and stipulated that the Fallujah Brigade would initiate investigations murderers and mutilators of the Blackwater employees. The insurgents and terrorists expand through the city,