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Toppling the Taliban: Air-Ground Operations in Afghanistan, October Toppling the Taliban Air-Ground Operations in Afghanistan, October 2001–June 2002 Walter L. Perry, David Kassing C O R P O R A T I O N For more information on this publication, visit www.rand.org/t/rr381 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Perry, Walter L., author. | Kassing, David, author. Title: Toppling the Taliban : air-ground operations in Afghanistan, October 2001/June 2002 / Walter L. Perry, David Kassing. Other titles: Air-ground operations in Afghanistan, October 2001/June 2002 Description: Santa Monica, CA : RAND, [2015] | Includes bibliographical references. Identifiers: LCCN 2015044123 (print) | LCCN 2015044164 (ebook) | ISBN 9780833082657 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9780833086822 (ebook) | ISBN 9780833086839 (epub) | ISBN 9780833086846 ( prc) Subjects: LCSH: Operation Enduring Freedom, 2001- | Afghan War, 2001---Campaigns. | Afghan War, 2001---Aerial operations, American. | Postwar reconstruction—Afghanistan. Classification: LCC DS371.412 .P47 2015 (print) | LCC DS371.412 (ebook) | DDC 958.104/742—dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015044123 Published by the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif. © Copyright 2015 RAND Corporation R® is a registered trademark. Cover photo by SFC Fred Gurwell, U.S. Army Limited Print and Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.html. The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. Support RAND Make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at www.rand.org/giving/contribute www.rand.org Preface Toppling the Taliban reports the results of an analysis of Army operations in Afghani- stan between October 2001 and June 2002. It discusses strategy, planning, and orga- nization for Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF); examines Army operations; reports on deployment and logistics issues; describes coalition operations; and considers civil- military operations. Although the main focus is on the Army, attention is also given to other aspects of the joint fight. No modern war can be explained or understood from the perspective of a single Service; OEF is no exception. The analysis is based on review of contemporary records and interviews with key participants in OEF in Central Asia. Research began in April 2002 and was com- pleted in December 2003. This report, which is based on unclassified source material only, presents a summary of a larger work that drew from both classified and unclas- sified sources; both were submitted as drafts in May 2006. Since the research was completed and recommendations formulated several years ago, the situation is likely to have changed—some recommendations might already have been implemented, in whole or in part, while events that occurred after December 2003 might alter some of the conclusions and recommendations. Nevertheless, the report’s recommendations are provided as they were originally formulated. This work will interest those involved in organizing, training, and equipping mil- itary capabilities for planning, operating, deploying, and supporting joint and coali- tion operations. The report also includes analyses of such topics as special operations forces contributions, surveillance and reconnaissance, strategic mobility, air support operations, and others. This research was cosponsored by the Army G-3 and G-8 Deputy Chiefs of Staff and was conducted in the RAND Arroyo Center’s Strategy, Doctrine, and Resources Program. The RAND Arroyo Center, part of the RAND Corporation, is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the United States Army. iii Contents Preface ................................................................................................. iii Figures and Tables ................................................................................... ix Summary .............................................................................................. xi Acknowledgments ............................................................................... xxvii Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations ......................................................... xxix CHAPTER ONE Introduction ...........................................................................................1 A Different Kind of War for U.S. Forces ............................................................2 Other Military Demands of the War on Terrorism ................................................4 Homeland Security ..................................................................................5 Force Protection ......................................................................................5 The War on Terrorism Outside Central Asia .....................................................5 Meeting the Manpower Requirements ..............................................................5 The Area of Operations ................................................................................6 About This Report .....................................................................................7 Purpose ................................................................................................9 Organization of This Report .......................................................................9 CHAPTER TWO Laying the Groundwork ........................................................................... 11 The Strategic Context ................................................................................ 12 Building and Managing the Coalition ............................................................ 13 The Coalition ....................................................................................... 14 Indigenous Partners ................................................................................ 16 Joint and Covert Forces ........................................................................... 16 Technology ............................................................................................ 16 Humanitarian Operations and Reconstruction ................................................. 17 Pre–September 11 Planning and Operations Against Al Qaeda ............................... 18 Developing the War Plan: September 11–October 6, 2001..................................... 22 War Aims Emerged ................................................................................ 22 v vi Toppling the Taliban Initial Military Planning .......................................................................... 25 Intelligence Community Planning .............................................................. 28 Role of the Allies in Planning .................................................................... 29 Planning at CENTCOM ......................................................................... 29 Guidance to Planners .............................................................................. 31 Component and Supporting Command Planning ............................................ 32 ARCENT Planning ............................................................................... 35 CENTAF Planning ................................................................................ 35 Observations .......................................................................................... 36 Coordination with Coalition Partners .......................................................... 36 Inter-Agency Coordination ...................................................................... 37 Humanitarian Operations ........................................................................ 37 Deliberate Planning ............................................................................... 37 CHAPTER THREE Toppling the Taliban ............................................................................... 39 Command and Control ............................................................................. 39 Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance .................................................. 41 Role of the CIA .................................................................................... 42 Unmanned Aircraft Systems ...................................................................... 42 Intelligence Fusion Centers ....................................................................... 43 Intelligence Failures ............................................................................... 44 Air Operations ....................................................................................... 44 Basing ............................................................................................... 44 Control of Air Assets .............................................................................. 45 The Bombing Campaign .........................................................................
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