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Failing to Adapt, then Adapting

Introduction

Operation Anaconda was a historical military operation that took place in March of 2002 during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. The Concept of Operations (CONOPS) for Operation Anaconda was for the American soldiers and the Afghanistan soldiers to close off escape routes for the Taliban fighters that had survived earlier battles. The operation took place in Shahi-Kot Valley in the mountain terrain under very difficult condition with American soldiers and their Afghanistan allies. The initial plan was a lite three day battle but quickly turned into a seven day battle of intense combat. During day one of the movement, they began taking heavy fire from al-Qaeda and the Taliban from the surrounding hills and mountains. Close air assistance was needed immediately, but it took a few days for the plans to get reinforced and air support up and fully ready. Yes, the battle ended as a victory but at what cost of the many American lives. There were eight that died, and 80 that were wounded. We will talk about how competence, disciplined initiative, and commander’s intent played a big role in the final success of Operation Anaconda.

Competence

Ultimately, Operation Anaconda was successful due to the bravery and heroism of the soldiers on the ground and the airpower from above. The plan was to trap al Qaeda fighters regrouping in the mountains after early events during the war in Afghanistan. The enemies did not surrender, instead they moved to the east of Tora Bora to regather. The Afgan troops working alongside the American troops belong to Commander Zia Lodin. The soldiers had their clear understanding and battle plan that had been approved. They felt confident in the information that had been given to them from the intelligence team, and they were ready to complete the mission. When the operation began and Zia’s men ran into trouble, they abandoned the mission and retreated back to Gardez. The American troops then had to fill in that gap, but did it without thinking twice because the mission had to go on. That is why competence played such a major role in this mission. The soldiers were able to adjust fire, adjust to the mission, be flexible and drive on.

Disciplined Initiative

Discipline initiative is the action that takes place when orders from higher command are not present, or when unforeseen opportunities arise. In Operation Anaconda, that happened a lot throughout the mission but the soldiers were about to adjust. The soldiers were able to adapt to the ever so often changes, mainly when Zia’s team fled the mission. When things began to heat up and unforeseen enemies showed their faces, they did not stick to the plan. What was supposed to be a three day mission turned into a seven day mission, but in the end they were able to secure and finish the mission. The mission changed from the hammer-and-anvil to one that required mass air support, which definitely saved so many American lives and showed how they were able to make the changes in the absence of orders due to the situational changes.

Commander’s Intent

The early part of the war in Afghanistan had shown its weaknesses and also been performed without a joint commander. In the 1980s during the Soviet war, they attempted to take the valley, but were met with so much resistance that they eventually withdrew. They had helicopters and the infantry with them, but the resistance was too strong, and the valley provided to many natural ridges and caves for protection. When the order for Operation Anaconda came down, the presence of the U.S. military was not fully up and running and not fully mature.

Knowing everything that happened back in the 1980s, there should have been more time and intelligence taken before the attack. “In 2002, the U.S. military possessed capabilities, especially modern information networks and precision strike weapons, which surpassed the weaponry fielded by the Soviet Army. But the rugged terrain, high altitude, and cold foggy weather had not changed, thereby making it hard for an attacking force to operate” (Kugler, 2007). There were multiple commanders, whom all had different roles, and also located in many different places working together. That is not the easiest was to command a movement, when you are not on the ground and in the mist of the battle. There is no way to have a true understanding of what is going on and being able to adjust unless you are right there being hands on. They were able to make the adjustments and coordinate with the air strikes and make the changes needed to complete the mission.

Conclusion

In the end, I stand on saying that the overall operation was a success. There was a bigger battle ahead than was anticipated, and more lives were lost than anyone wanted, but the overall military objective was achieved. Valuable lessons were learned from this operation to use for future mission. The main issue was the command structure and not being in align with one another. In the future there only needs to be once commander in charge and on the ground during the mission. He will have the access to delegate task and assign resources when needed. When everyone understands the mission and the desired end goal, working as a team all ties in to competence, discipline initiative and the commanders intent.