(part two)
* Aussie got order from BGen Mattis then had permission to execute from
Prime Minister in 2 1/2 hours. Need to have that kind of responsiveness
in NCA / can't say that.
* "Go after them until they fear us more than they hate us."
* Guidance to operators was that Taliban's first contacts with us should
make them not want a second contact.
* Advice to junior officers: Never say that you own a piece of
Afghanistan.
Just a few Army notes:
* The enemy is as tactically proficient as we are. They are professional
soldiers, even if they don't wear helmets and patches.
They are superior marksmen, not only with rifle and machine
guns but with mortars and RPGs as well. They specifically targeted our
mortar, but not necessarily our leaders (more on that later). They
adapt quickly and change tactics as required. They take notes and
study us.
Yes, some of their caves were as complex as the schematics in the
magazines, with vents for air and to mitigate overpressure effects of
munitions, with carved corridors as wide and tall as your office, with
escape route, with twists and turns to slow enemy assaults, etc.
* Our soldiers are GOOD. A Chechen commander was killed. On his body
was a diary that compared fighting the US with fighting Russians. He
noted that when you take out the Russian leader, the units stops and
mills about, not sure of what to do next. But he added that when you
take out a US leader, somebody always and quickly takes his place with
no loss of momentum. A squad leader goes down, it may be a private that
steps up to the plate before they can iron out the new chain or command.
And the damn thing is that the private knows what the hell he is doing.
When units came under fire immediately after disembarking from a
helicopter, it was not uncommon for two members of squad, without
orders, suppress the enemy and do the buddy team IMT. No need to fret
about the quality of our troops from O-3 on down.
* Yes there was close combat, although just reading news reports gives
the impression that we were in holding positions enduring long range
mortar fire. Our boys chased the Al Qaida and ran them down even with
all of the battle rattle we were carrying. And we did it on their turf,
in their environment. Gotta be in shape to do that. The body armor saved
lives. At the end of the day folks were finding huge bruises on their
bodies, but no holes. Also note that a great percentage of wounds are in
the lower extremities.
(cont)