Table of contents for Weapon of choice : U.S. Army Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan / Charles H. Briscoe ... [et al.].


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Contents
Chapter											 Page
		Figures	v
		Introduction	xi
	1.	Prelude to Terror	1
	2.	Awakening the Giant	33
		"Subdue Without Fighting": JPOTF, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida	47
		Developing the SOF Campaign at SOCCENT, Tampa, Florida	50
		Top Draft Choices: 10th SFG, Fort Carson, CO, and 7th SFG, Fort Bragg, NC	51
		5th SFG = CJSOTF-North, Fort Campbell, Kentucky	52
		Standing Up JSOTFs in Tampa and Fort Campbell	54
		Committed to Middle East Exercises	57
		3rd SFG Prepares for the Horn of Africa at Fort Bragg	58
		Thinking Ahead: Senior Liaison Officers for Resistance Leaders	59
		CA to Islamabad, Pakistan	60
		Of Vital Importance: PSYOP	62
		Site Coordination With the Uzbeks at Karshi Khanabad	64
		Uncorking the Bottled Airlift	66
		All Credit Cards Accepted at K2 Gas Stations	68
		Air Campaigns and CSAR Go Hand in Hand	68
		Making Camp Freedom a Fully Operational Base: K2, Uzbekistan	70
Northern Air Campaign CSAR = MH-47Es	71
Building Camp Freedom at Double Time	72
The Universal Morale Booster at K2-Hot Food	73
Special Forces: CSAR Personnel Recovery and UW Preparations	74
Real Estate and Security at K2	74
Task Force Dagger = JSOTF-North at K2	74
Hot-Wiring the Snake: Rearranging JSOTF-North Communications	75
Building the JOC Inside the Snake: TF Dagger's JOC	77
Staff "Battle Captain": The Combat Operations "Pulse Monitor"	78
Different Intelligence Concerns for Air Planners	78
JSOTF-North Growing Pains at K2	79
We Don't Fail	80
DAPs Set the Stage for UW in Afghanistan	82
3.	Toppling the Taliban in Afghanistan, 19 October-17 December 2001	93
Jumping Into the Dark: Seizing Rhino, 19 October 2001	109
Tactical PSYOP for Rhino	112
Showing American Power	114
"Look, We Have to Get the Special Forces Teams Into Afghanistan!"	116
On Horseback With Dostum	121
ODA 595 Begins Bombing Taliban Defenses	124
Aerial Resupply From the Receiver	128
Aerial Resupply by SOCEUR	128
A "Bump" and Missile in the Abyss	131
500 Afghans Can Die, But Not One American Can Be Injured	132
AAA = A Bad Night in the Hindu Kush	133
Getting a Handle on the Air Threat	137
Fostering Faith and Providing Solace	137
AAA Payback Time	138
Bastogne in Afghanistan	139
Little Birds of Prey	140
Chapter											 Page
High Desert Rat Patrol	141
The Great Communications Terminus	143
Resupply From 10,000 Feet	145
PSYOP = Hard, Steady Work	146
A Supportive Populace	148
Getting PSYOP on the Ground in Afghanistan	150
Have Tools Will Travel	150
Mr. President	152
A Significant Meeting With an Unusual Man	153
The Battle of Tarin Kowt	154
SOCCENT to Mazar-e-Sharif	157
Al-Qaeda Uprising-Qala-i-Jangi-24-29 November	158
ODA 583 Meets Gul Agha Sherzai	164
The Fight at Tahk-Te-Pol	166
Fighting at Arghastan Bridge	169
Plans Versus Reality	170
The Karzai Way to Kandahar	172
Charge to the Airport and Back Again	173
Attacking the Arghendab Bridge With Karzai	175
Who Dares, Wins	177
Death From Above	179
Another Reaction to Kandahar's Fall	181
CA and Humanitarian Relief	182
CATs on the Ground	185
Tactical PSYOP to Mazar-e-Sharif	186
Emergency Casualty Evacuation at K2	186
4.	The Campaign in Transition, 8 December 2001-28 February 2002	201
Old Glory Flies Again in Kabul	209
Tora Bora	211
One Army	214
The Answer is Out There	217
A New Twist on an Old Idea	218
Chokepoint	223
"60 Minutes II"	225
High-Altitude Rescue of a Marine CH-53	227
Taking Down al-Qaeda at the Mir Wais Hospital	230
The Raid at Hazer Qadam	233
SR Eyes on Target	239
From EMT to Special Forces Force Multiplier	241
Politics, War, and Rapport	245
GTMO Bound	249
CA Liaison Work	248
DCU or Mufti?	249
CJSOTF-West	252
End of Mission-Aerial Resupply in Afghanistan	253
"We're Going for Sure This Time"	254
Be Prepared for SSE	255
Native Pashto and Dari Speaker Seeking PSYOP Assignment	257
PSYOP Efforts	258
Keep on Trucking	259
Rescue at 10,000 Feet	260
Date Drop at Khowst	262
Chapter											 Page
ODA 394: The Next Mission	264
5.	The New War	275
Entering the Valley	282
Field-Expedient Triage	285
Disaster and Frustration	285
Combat Multipliers	287
D-Day ANACONDA From the Viewpoint of Force Multipliers	288
ARSOF in Direct Support	291
On Again-Off Again	292
With the Aussies	294
Forty-Five Seconds Too Long	295
Never Leave a Fallen Comrade	300
Against All Odds	302
Joining the Fight on Takur Ghar	309
ODA 394 Climbs the "Whale"	319
Integrating Civil Affairs	327
Ambush at 80 Knots	330
Trail of Caches	332
Establishing CJSOTF-Afghanistan	335
Communications at Bagram	337
High Desert Automation Management	338
"Good Morrrrning, Afghannnnistan"	339
A Disaster Provides a Catalyst	342
The Communications Handoff	343
Better Communications	344
CJSOTF-Afghanistan and the Joint Air Component	344
CJSOTF-Afghanistan and "Zulu Time"	345
Command Guidance and VTCs	346
Rebuilding the Kabul Military Academy	347
Another View of the Kabul Military Academy Task	348
"Chiclets" and PSYOP Teams in Kandahar	350
Their Lucky Day	353
Dealing With Cryptographic Compromise	355
Caves and Graves	356
Vietnam-Style A Camp at Orgun-e	357
A National Army for Afghanistan	358
Observations and Reflections	369
Preparation for War	370
Driving the Taliban From Power: ARSOF in the Supported Role	376
Transition and Combat Operations	383
The CJSOTF-Afghanistan Era Begins	389
About the Contributors	
Acknowledgments	
Glossary	
Figures
Page
Chapter 1
1.	Regional Map and Selected Cities in the Country	1
2.	Regional Location Map and Neighboring Countries	3
3.	Jimmy Carter	11
4.	Soviet Tank Carcass	12
5.	Abandoned MiG at Mazar	15
6.	Hamid Karzai	18
7.	Afghan Children	20
8.	Madeleine Albright	22
9.	Bill Richardson	22
10.	William Cohen	24
11.	GEN Henry Shelton	24
12.	George Tenet	26
Chapter 2
1.	Extensive Mountainous Terrain	34
2.	Pakistan Government Building	35
3.	Tribal Factions, Regions, and Leaders	36
4.	Map Depicting the Ethnic and Linguistic Diversity of Afghanistan	37
5.	BG McClure, COL Volckmann, and COL Aaron Bank	39
6.	Defense Secretary Rumsfeld Names the Operational Efforts	40
7.	LTG Bryan D. Brown Encourages Soldiers	42
8.	Helicopter View of Karshi Kanabad (K2) Air Base, Uzbekistan	45
9.	The 528th Support Battalion Kept the Water Flowing	45
10.	The 112th Signal Battalion Established the JSOTF-North Communications Links	45
11.	The 528th Support Battalion Soldiers Prepared for Base Camp Construction	45
12.	C-17 Globemaster III Taking Off From K2 to Make Humanitarian Food Drops	46
13.	Commando Solo Airborne Broadcasting Platform	46
14.	"Drive Out the Foreign Terrorists" Leaflet Dropped During the Air Campaign	46
15.	75th Rangers Night Parachute Assault on Objective Rhino	47
16.	MH-47E Helicopters Taxi for Preflight Checks and Night Missions	47
17.	160th SOAR-Loaded and Ready for Night Operations	47
18.	Resistance is Futile; Assistance Works Better	48
19.	"Reassurance" Leaflets in Multiple Languages	48
20.	Leaflet Messages Directed at the Civilian Population	49
21.	Leaflet Appealing to Afghan Nationalism	50
22.	4th POG Printing Presses Regularly Operated Overtime	50
23.	SOCCENT initially Prepared Dividing Afghanistan Geographically	54
24.	Afghanistan	55
25.	LAN Connectivity to the K2 "Snake"	56
26.	Amman, Jordan	58
27.	The Central Command's Horn of Africa Region	59
28.	COL Mulholland Gives U.S. Air Force GEN Myers an Operational Update at K2	59
29.	Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command	60
30.	Islamabad in Relation to Afghanistan	61
31.	PSYOP Themes Centered on Accepting Coalition Assistance	63
32.	Karshi Kanabad (K2), Uzbekistan	64
33.	K2, Uzbekistan	65
34.	Uzbeck Guards-The Bottom of the Bureaucratic Ladder	66
35.	C-17 Globemaster III Backlog of Equipment and Materiel	67
Page
36.	160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR)	67
37.	Refueling Every "Friendly" Involved in the Global War on Terrorism	68
38.	Night Stalker View of the C-130P Trailing Refuel Lines and Probe Basket	69
39.	Trail Aircraft View of MH-47E Refueling	69
40.	MH-47E Hooked up for Refueling	69
41.	112th Signal Battalion Satellite Antennas	70
42.	Contract Mi-17 Helicopters Coming in to Refuel at K2	70
43.	MH-47E Hooked Up for Refueling	70
44.	MH-60L DAPs	71
45.	Aircraft Maintenance Was a Crucial Factor for Success	71
46.	528th SOSB Initial Logistics Chaos	72
47.	Fuel Distribution Was Critical	72
48.	COL Frank Kisner and COL Mulholland	75
49.	TF Dagger Logo	75
50.	The Support Battalion Needs Communications Links to Provide Support	76
51.	112th Signal Battalion Communicators "Get the Message"	76
52.	Dry for the Moment	77
53.	JSOTF-North Commander COL Mulholland With Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld	80
54.Antennas, Power, and Cabling Installed First	81
55.	Initial Connections of Signal Links to K2	81
56.	MH-60L DAP Shows Operating Post Major Challenges	82
57.	Identifying the Good Guys From the Bad Guys	84
58.	Preflight Check and Attaching Glint Tape to Identify "Friendlies"	84
Chapter 3
1.	LTG Bryan D. Brown, USASOC Commander	93
2.	Kabul, Afghanistan's National Capital	94
3.	General Abdul Rahsid Dostum	95
4.	An MC-130P Tanker Was a Major Refueling Task	96
5.	A View of an Impacting Smart Bomb	97
6.	General Shariff and Supporters	97
7.	75th Rangers Combat Parachute Assault on Objective Rhino	98
8.	Soviet-Made Mi-17 Utility Helicopter	99
9.	An MH-47 Deploying Defense Maneuvers	100
10.	Ismail Khan	101
11.	Special Forces Teams Use Satellite Links for Communications	101
12.	Employing a Laser Designator to Mark Targets	101
13.	Lethal AH-6 Little Bird Conducts Night Raids	103
14.	Loading Nonstandard Tactical Vehicles Aboard an MH-47E	104
15.	U.S. Air Force AC-130 Spectre Gunship Firing at Night	105
16.	Company D, 109th Maintenance Battalion, Kentucky Army National Guard	106
17.	Hamid Karzai Poses With Special Forces Soldiers	107
18.	Regional Locator Off the Coast of Oman	108
19.	Masirah Airfield	108
20.	Should Scroll of the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment	110
21.	Preparing to Do What Must Be Done	110
22.	75th Rangers Prepare for an Airborne Assault	111
23.	75th Ranger Calling Card	112
24.	U.S. Navy P-3 Orion Aircraft	115
25.	75th Rangers Rehearsing a Fast Rope Infiltration	117
26.	Patriotism Abounds at All Hours	118
27.	High-Mountain Terrain Obstructed the Route	118
Page
28.	An MH-47E Clearing the "Bear" at Night	119
29.	Dostum Travels in a More Traditional Way	122
30.	Pack Mules and Rucksacks-A Good Combination for ODA 595	122
31.	Mobility Issues Were Overcome by an Old-Fashioned Solution	123
32.	ODA 595's Second Echelon Moves to Link Up With Dostum's Main Body of Fighters	123
33.	American Special Forces Soldier Adapts to Short Afghan Stirrups	124
34.	Hard Life is Evident on the Face of a Middle-Aged Afghan Man	125
35.	A JDAM Explodes Too Far to be Effective	126
36.	Western Versus Cordura Saddles	127
37.	GEN Holland and BG Fuller With COL Mulholland	128
38.	Units Worked Very Long Hours to Support Initial Resupply Demands	129
39.	Bodyguards fro the Special Forces Team	133
40.	General Dostum Sharing a Meal With Special Forces Personnel	135
41.	An AH-47E Deploying Flares During a AAA Threat	135
42.	Night Stalker Crew Chief	136
43.	75th Rangers Conducting Long-Range Armed Reconnaissance	139
44.	75th Rangers Awaiting MC-130s for a Helicopter Raid Mission	140
45.	An AH-6 Little Bird Armed for Night Raids	141
46.	75th Ranger "Hide Site"	142
47.	75th Ranger Night Movement Under NVGs	142
48.	Unexpected, But Welcomed, Resupply Bundles	145
49.	Dual-Language Reward Leaflet and Final Translation Version	146
50.	The Modular Print System (MPS)	146
51.	CA Personnel Issue Transistor Radios to Afghans	147
52.	4th POG Radio Broadcast Leaflet With Frequencies	148
53.	Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean	149
54.	The 109th Maintenance Battalion (AVIM) Provided Quality Aviation Maintenance	151
55.	Hamid Karzai	152
56.	Afghan Leader With a PSYOP Leaflet	152
57.	Preparations Under Way to Reestablish Control Over the Prison	159
58.	AC-130 20mm Gatling Guns (Vulcan)	163
59.	Gul Agha Sherzai	164
60.	Location and Importance	167
61.	Deploying Forces	167
62.	Battle of the Arghastan Bridge	169
63.	One of the Major Objectives of the Southern Offensive	170
64.	Training New Karzai "Recruits" for Combat	172
65.	A U.S. Air Force A-10 Warthog CAS Aircraft	173
66.	Actions at the Arghendab Bridge	175
67.	The Kandahar Welcoming Committee	178
68.	A Mission-Ready JDAM	179
69.	JDAM Components	180
70.	President George W. Bush	181
71.	President Bush and Hamid Karzai	181
72.	Inventory Accountability Was Constant for Army CATs	183
73.	Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command	184
74.	A Casualty Evacuation Kit on a CH-47 Chinook	186
75.	CA Always Fostering Goodwill and Demonstrating Compassion	187
Chapter 4
1.	American Colors Unfurled at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul	201
2.	Preparing for al-Qaeda	202
Page
3.	Under New Management	203
4.	Sand Table for DA SSE Raid Preparations	203
5.	Afghan Children	205
6.	Camp Abel Motor Pool in Bagram	206
7.	Post-Mission Discussions Among ARSOF Personnel	208
8.	Kabul Sprawl and Majestic Mountains	210
9.	U.S. Embassy Milestones and a Solemn Ceremony	210
10.	Leaders in the North Are Anxious to Get Started	211
11.	Afghan Military Forces (AMF) Begin Training	212
12.	Mobile Cave Operations	212
13.	The 19th SFG Flash With Special Forces Crest	215
14.	A 5/19th SFG Soldier Establishing Communications	215
15.	The 112th Signal Battalion Successfully Improvised at Bagram Air Base	218
16.	Bamian Buddah Site After 11 March 2001 Taliban Destruction	219
17.	Hospital Conditions Inside	220
18.	A Typical Classroom in a Bamian School	221
19.	CATs Examine the Condition of a Community Well	221
20.	Impromptu "Contract Negotiations" With Village Leaders	222
21.	Salang Tunnel Impressions	222
22.	Friendship Bridge	223
23.	CA Making Friends and Influencing People in the Bamian Region	223
24.	Ground Mobility Vehicles Ready for Action	234
25.	A/1/5 SFG Uses an "Up" Armed HMMWV	235
26.	Detainees Captured at Hazer Qadam	238
27.	PSYOP Leaflet Warning About Unexploded Ordnance	242
28.	PSYOP Loudspeaker HMMWVs Traveling in Pairs	243
29.	Broadcasting Music Outside an Afghan Village	243
30.	People Long Remember the Good Others Do for Them	244
31.	Blending Into the Environment in Pakistan	250
32.	Airdropped Bundles Created Logistics Challenges for the Teams	253
33.	MC-130Ps Fly a "Race Track" to Remain Available for Refueling	261
34.	Recruiting "Runway Maintenance Specialists" From the Local Population	264
Chapter 5
1.	Organized Movement Was the "First Step" in Building a National Army	275
2.	Equipment Issue is the First, and Sometimes Last, Official Act for Some Army Recruits	276
3.	ANA Officers' Course Begins at Kabul Military Academy	279
4.	Terrain Models for Officer Tactical Training	280
5.	Focused View of Paktia Province	280
6.	Bagram Air base Becomes the "Center of the Universe"	281
7.	Coalition View of Operation ANACONDA	284
8.	Millions of 4th POG Leaflets Disappeared From the Shah-i-Khot	292
9.	Apache AH-64 Attack Helicopter	293
10.	Two-Gear Landing Zones Became Routine for 160th SOAR MH-47E Pilots	295
11.	Objective Remington Map in the Shah-i-Khot Valley	296
12.	Babulkhel Damage Assessment	296
13.	Serkhankhal Aftermath	296
14.	The Impossible Becomes Inevitable	299
15.	The Unlikely Becomes Fact	299
16.	Mountains and "Whales"	315
17.	Typical Special Forces Base Camp Area in Afghanistan	319
18.	General Haidar at Rest	322
Page
19.	General Haidar on the Move	322
20.	Humanitarian Aid Arrives	328
21.	Good Wells are Vital to Life in Afghanistan	329
22.	Destroyed DshK Antiaircraft Weapon System in the Shah-i-Khot Valley	333
23.	Cave Caches Produced a Surprising Variety of Items	333
24.	Cave Caches Were Commonly Uncovered in Sweeps of Shah-i-Khot Valley	334
25.	SOMS-B Broadcasts the News	340
26.	The "Scope of Work" Was Immense	348
27.	Local Leaders Help Decide What Comes Next	350
28.	One of America's Favorite Pastimes Appeals to Others as Well	351
29.	Deliveries Were Always a Significant Priority	352
30.	Special Forces Medics Conduct Triage	354
31.	Special Forces Medics Stabilize Life Signs	354




Library of Congress Subject Headings for this publication: Afghanistan History 2001-United States, Army, Special Forces History 21st century