The Ongoing Lessons of Afghanistan: Warfighting, Intelligence, Force Transformation, and Nation Building

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Ongoing Lessons of Afghanistan: Warfighting, Intelligence, Force Transformation, and Nation Building CSIS_______________________________ Center for Strategic and International Studies 1800 K Street N.W. Washington, DC 20006 (202) 775-3270 [email protected] The Ongoing Lessons of Afghanistan: Warfighting, Intelligence, Force Transformation, and Nation Building Anthony H. Cordesman Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy with Patrick Baetjer May 6, 2004 Cordesman: The Ongoing Lessons of the Afghan Conflict 6/3/04 Page 2 Acknowledgments The author would like to thank Jason Wenner for his work in helping to research and update this report. Cordesman: The Ongoing Lessons of the Afghan Conflict 6/3/04 Page 3 Author’s Note This is a working draft and will be subjected to several revisions before it is published. The author welcomes criticisms, comments, and suggestions. The author would be particularly interested in any additional data related to the Afghan conflict. The author can be contacted via email at [email protected]. The assistant who helped on this project may be contacted at [email protected]. Cordesman: The Ongoing Lessons of the Afghan Conflict 6/3/04 Page 4 Table of Contents I. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................................8 II. THE PRELUDE TO THE CONFLICT: THE US, AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTAN, AL QAIDA, AND THE TALIBAN.................................................................................................................................................................10 THE RISE IN THE TERRORIST THREAT BEFORE “9/11” ...........................................................................................10 THE PRELUDE TO “9/11”........................................................................................................................................12 THE ATTACK ON THE WORLD TRACE CENTER AND THE PENTAGON LEAD TO THE AFGHAN WAR.........................13 THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE US, PAKISTAN, AFGHANISTAN, AL QAIDA, AND THE TALIBAN WAS CHARACTERIZED BY FRUSTRATION, THE USE OF PROXIES, AND THE INABILITY TO CONVINCE PARTIES TO TURN OVER BIN LADEN. FOLLOWING THE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11TH, THE NORTHERN ALLIANCE PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLE IN THE OVERTHROW OF THE TALIBAN, AND SAUDI ARABIA AND PAKISTAN BECAME IMPORTANT PARTNERS IN THE WAR ON TERRORISM AND OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM. ........................................................................................................15 II. SHAPING THE BATTLEFIELD: A UNIQUE WAR WITH UNIQUE INTANGIBLES.........................16 THE UNIQUE CONDITIONS OF WAR DURING THE “CONVENTIONAL” PHASE OF THE CONFLICT ..............................16 THE UNIQUE IMPACT OF INTANGIBLES ..................................................................................................................20 III. THE “CONVENTIONAL PHASE” OF THE CONFLICT: DRAWING LESSONS WITHOUT HARD DATA........................................................................................................................................................................24 DATA ON AIRCRAFT AND MUNITIONS USE.............................................................................................................26 COMPARISONS OF THE AFGHAN AIR EFFORT WITH THE GULF WAR AND AIR CAMPAIGN IN BOSNIA/KOSOVO.......30 COST ESTIMATES FOR THE WAR DURING THE PEAK OF THE FIGHTING AND CUTTING THE COST OF PRECISION STRIKES .................................................................................................................................................................31 Total 6546 ..........................................................................................................................................................32 IV. DRAWING LESSONS FROM THE “CONVENTIONAL PHASE” OF THE CONFLICT: DRIVING THE TALIBAN AND AL QAIDA FROM POWER ............................................................................................34 THE CHANGING NATURE OF JOINT WARFARE AND THE COMBINED ARMS MIX .....................................................34 THE VALUE OF STRIKE RANGE IN POWER PROJECTION..........................................................................................35 “CLOSING THE SENSOR TO SHOOTER LOOP” TO NEAR-REAL TIME: IMPROVED INTELLIGENCE, TARGETING, PRECISION STRIKE, ASSESSMENT AND RE-STRIKE CAPABILITIES...........................................................................37 “ASSET INTEGRATION” AND NEW APPROACHES TO LAND WARFARE....................................................................38 THE IMPACT OF UAVS AND UCAVS .....................................................................................................................39 THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF OTHER PLATFORMS .................................................................................41 Cordesman: The Ongoing Lessons of the Afghan Conflict 6/3/04 Page 5 DEALING WITH MOBILE TARGETS..........................................................................................................................42 THE PROBLEM OF ISR ASSET DENSITY .................................................................................................................43 ISR AND “FRIENDLY FIRE”....................................................................................................................................43 THE DECISION TIME PROBLEM ..............................................................................................................................44 THE PROBLEM OF TARGETING, INTELLIGENCE, AND BATTLE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT ...........................................46 HARD TARGET KILL CAPABILITY...........................................................................................................................48 POWER PROJECTION ..............................................................................................................................................49 THE ROLE OF ALLIED COALITION FORCES .............................................................................................................50 COMMON BASE OPERATIONS.................................................................................................................................60 THE VALUE OF COALITION WARFARE AND MISSION-ORIENTED INTEROPERABILITY .............................................60 RETHINKING THE EMPHASIS ON HIGH COST FORCES AND FORCE IMPROVEMENTS ................................................60 CIVILIAN COVER, COLLATERAL DAMAGE, AND HUMAN RIGHTS AS A WEAPON OF WAR ......................................61 Designing Weapons to Deal with Collateral Damage .....................................................................................66 CBRN WEAPONS AND ATTACKS ...........................................................................................................................68 Al Qaida and the Problem of Proliferation......................................................................................................69 V. THE FORCE TRANSFORMATION IMPACT OF THE “CONVENTIONAL” PHASE OF THE WAR 71 THE “FORCE TRANSFORMATION PDM”.................................................................................................................71 DEFENSE PLANNING GUIDANCE AND FUTURE MILITARY STRATEGY .....................................................................72 AFGHANISTAN AND THE FORCE TRANSFORMATION IMPACT OF THE FY2003 BUDGET ..........................................74 OTHER ADVANCES IN TACTICS AND TECHNOLOGY ...............................................................................................76 MISSION EFFECTIVENESS VERSUS MISSION INTENSITY: THE DUEL BETWEEN OFFENSE AND DEFENSE CONTINUES79 THE MEDIA AND PSYOPS BATTLE..........................................................................................................................80 US MARINE CORPS, THE OSPREY, THE AV-8B, AND NON-LITTORAL WARFARE ..................................................82 THE USE OF CARRIERS AND SURFACE SHIPS AS “BASES” FOR SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES AND LAND OPERATIONS ..........................................................................................................................................................83 TRUE JOINTNESS FOR THE NAVY AND MARINE CORPS ..........................................................................................84 CARRIER OPERATIONS AND AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE..........................................................................................85 CHEAP CRUISE MISSILES AND NAVAL STRIKE POWER ...........................................................................................86 FINDING ADEQUATE ELECTRONIC WARFARE ASSETS............................................................................................86 THE MARINE CORPS, THE LHA-X, LHD-X, THE ARMY, AND MARITIME PRE-POSITIONING..................................86 THE MILITARY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA.....................................................................................................87 US ARMY AND FUTURE COMBAT SYSTEM ............................................................................................................88 SPECIAL, LIGHT, AND AIR ASSAULT FORCES .........................................................................................................89 GLOBAL, REGIONAL, AND THEATER COMMAND....................................................................................................91 COUNTER-PROLIFERATION AND PREEMPTION ........................................................................................................92
Recommended publications
  • Air & Space Power Journal, September-October 2012, Volume
    September–October 2012 Volume 26, No. 5 AFRP 10-1 Senior Leader Perspective Driving towards Success in the Air Force Cyber Mission ❙ 4 Leveraging Our Heritage to Shape Our Future Lt Gen David S. Fadok, USAF Dr. Richard A. Raines Features The Air Force’s Individual Mobilization Augmentee Program ❙ 12 Is the Current Organizational Structure Viable? Col Robin G. Sneed, USAFR Lt Col Robert A. Kilmer, PhD, USA, Retired An Evolution in Intelligence Doctrine ❙ 33 The Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Mission Type Order Capt Jaylan Michael Haley, USAF Joint Targeting and Air Support in Counterinsurgency ❙ 49 How to Move to Mission Command LTC Paul Darling, Alaska Army National Guard Building Partnership Capacity ❙ 65 Operation Harmattan and Beyond Col James H. Drape, USAF Departments 94 ❙ Ira C. Eaker Award Winners 95 ❙ Views An Airman’s Perspective on Mission Command . 95 Col Dale S. Shoupe, USAF, Retired Seeing It Coming: Revitalizing Future Studies in the US Air Force . 109 Col John F. Price Jr., USAF A Misapplied and Overextended Example: Gen J . N . Mattis’s Criticism of Effects-Based Operations . 118 Maj Dag Henriksen, PhD, Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy, US Air Force Research Institute 132 ❙ Historical Highlights Geopolitics versus Geologistics Lt. Col. Harry A. Sachaklian 146 ❙ Ricochets & Replies 154 ❙ Book Reviews Embry-Riddle at War: Aviation Training during World War II . 154 Stephen G. Craft Reviewer: R. Ray Ortensie A Fiery Peace in a Cold War: Bernard Schriever and the Ultimate Weapon . 157 Neil Sheehan Reviewer: Maj Thomas F. Menza, USAF, Retired Khobar Towers: Tragedy and Response . 160 Perry D. Jamieson Reviewer: CAPT Thomas B.
    [Show full text]
  • Freedom Or Theocracy?: Constitutionalism in Afghanistan and Iraq Hannibal Travis
    Northwestern Journal of International Human Rights Volume 3 | Issue 1 Article 4 Spring 2005 Freedom or Theocracy?: Constitutionalism in Afghanistan and Iraq Hannibal Travis Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/njihr Recommended Citation Hannibal Travis, Freedom or Theocracy?: Constitutionalism in Afghanistan and Iraq, 3 Nw. J. Int'l Hum. Rts. 1 (2005). http://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/njihr/vol3/iss1/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Northwestern Journal of International Human Rights by an authorized administrator of Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. Copyright 2005 Northwestern University School of Law Volume 3 (Spring 2005) Northwestern University Journal of International Human Rights FREEDOM OR THEOCRACY?: CONSTITUTIONALISM IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ By Hannibal Travis* “Afghans are victims of the games superpowers once played: their war was once our war, and collectively we bear responsibility.”1 “In the approved version of the [Afghan] constitution, Article 3 was amended to read, ‘In Afghanistan, no law can be contrary to the beliefs and provisions of the sacred religion of Islam.’ … This very significant clause basically gives the official and nonofficial religious leaders in Afghanistan sway over every action that they might deem contrary to their beliefs, which by extension and within the Afghan cultural context, could be regarded as
    [Show full text]
  • Conflict in Afghanistan I
    Conflict in Afghanistan I 92 Number 880 December 2010 Volume Volume 92 Number 880 December 2010 Volume 92 Number 880 December 2010 Part 1: Socio-political and humanitarian environment Interview with Dr Sima Samar Chairperson of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission Afghanistan: an historical and geographical appraisal William Maley Dynamic interplay between religion and armed conflict in Afghanistan Ken Guest Transnational Islamic networks Imtiaz Gul Impunity and insurgency: a deadly combination in Afghanistan Norah Niland The right to counsel as a safeguard of justice in Afghanistan: the contribution of the International Legal Foundation Jennifer Smith, Natalie Rea, and Shabir Ahmad Kamawal State-building in Afghanistan: a case showing the limits? Lucy Morgan Edwards The future of Afghanistan: an Afghan responsibility Conflict I in Afghanistan Taiba Rahim Humanitarian debate: Law, policy, action www.icrc.org/eng/review Conflict in Cambridge Journals Online For further information about this journal please go to the journal web site at: ISSN 1816-3831 http://www.journals.cambridge.org/irc Afghanistan I Editorial Team Editor-in-Chief: Vincent Bernard The Review is printed in English and is Editorial assistant: Michael Siegrist published four times a year, in March, Publication assistant: June, September and December. Claire Franc Abbas Annual selections of articles are also International Review of the Red Cross published on a regional level in Arabic, Aim and scope 19, Avenue de la Paix Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish. The International Review of the Red Cross is a periodical CH - 1202 Geneva, Switzerland published by the ICRC. Its aim is to promote reflection on t +41 22 734 60 01 Published in association with humanitarian law, policy and action in armed conflict and f +41 22 733 20 57 Cambridge University Press.
    [Show full text]
  • The Pulitzer Prizes 2020 Winne
    WINNERS AND FINALISTS 1917 TO PRESENT TABLE OF CONTENTS Excerpts from the Plan of Award ..............................................................2 PULITZER PRIZES IN JOURNALISM Public Service ...........................................................................................6 Reporting ...............................................................................................24 Local Reporting .....................................................................................27 Local Reporting, Edition Time ..............................................................32 Local General or Spot News Reporting ..................................................33 General News Reporting ........................................................................36 Spot News Reporting ............................................................................38 Breaking News Reporting .....................................................................39 Local Reporting, No Edition Time .......................................................45 Local Investigative or Specialized Reporting .........................................47 Investigative Reporting ..........................................................................50 Explanatory Journalism .........................................................................61 Explanatory Reporting ...........................................................................64 Specialized Reporting .............................................................................70
    [Show full text]
  • PSC 370 H Chinese Foreign Policy Autumn 2011 Dr. Paul E. Schroeder
    PSC 370 H Chinese Foreign Policy Autumn 2011 Dr. Paul E. Schroeder POSC 370 H Chinese Foreign Policy Autumn 2011 The rise of China as a world power is evident in the country’s more forward and robust foreign policy. At every turn, the United States must consider China wherever American interests are at stake, be it Korea and Northeast Asia, Indochina and Southeast Asia, India/Pakistan and South Asia, or Afghanistan and Iran in the Middle East. This course describes the key factors that make up Chinese foreign policy, including its cultural tradition of dealing with foreigners, its policy-making institutions, the role of the Chinese military, domestic determinants of foreign policy, and China’s growing involvement in international regimes and issues. The course will examine China’s ever-changing foreign policy strategies, from an aggressive posture to charming its neighbors to its periodic return to a perceived aggressive stance. The course will also examine China’s role in the global economy, including issues involving international trade, currency manipulation, global warming, and China’s role in Africa and elsewhere in the growing global competition for energy resources. Throughout the course we will pay attention to how China’s foreign policy relates to international relations theories and what strategies the United States might use to manage China’s growing role in international affairs. Materials Books for Purchase: Robert G. Sutter: Chinese Foreign Relations, Rowman & Littlefield, 2008. ISBN 0-7425-5537-2 Robert G. Sutter: U.S.-Chinese Relations, Rowman & Littlefield, 2010. ISBN 978-0-7425-6842-6. James Mann: About Face: A History of America's Curious Relationship with China, From Nixon to Clinton, Knopf, 1999.
    [Show full text]
  • Aerosafety World November 2009
    AeroSafety WORLD DOUSING THE FLAMES FedEx’s automatic system CRM FAILURE Black hole approach UPSET TRAINING Airplane beats simulators IASS REPORT 777 power rollback, more TRAGEDY AS INSPIRATION JAPAN Airlines’ safeTY CENTER THE JOURNAL OF FLIGHT SAFETY FOUNDATION NOVEMBER 2009 “Cessna is committed to providing the latest safety information to our customers, and that’s why we provide each new Citation owner with an FSF Aviation Department Tool Kit.” — Will Dirks, VP Flight Operations, Cessna Aircraft Co. afety tools developed through years of FSF aviation safety audits have been conveniently packaged for your flight crews and operations personnel. These tools should be on your minimum equipment list. The FSF Aviation Department Tool Kit is such a valuable resource that Cessna Aircraft Co. provides each new Citation owner with a copy. One look at the contents tells you why. Templates for flight operations, safety and emergency response manuals formatted for easy adaptation Sto your needs. Safety-management resources, including an SOPs template, CFIT risk assessment checklist and approach-and-landing risk awareness guidelines. Principles and guidelines for duty and rest schedul- ing based on NASA research. Additional bonus CDs include the Approach and Landing Accident Reduction Tool Kit; Waterproof Flight Operations (a guide to survival in water landings); Operator’sMEL Flight Safety Handbook; item Turbofan Engine Malfunction Recognition and Response; and Turboprop Engine Malfunction Recognition and Response. Here’s your all-in-one collection of flight safety tools — unbeatable value for cost. FSF member price: US$750 Nonmember price: US$1,000 Quantity discounts available! For more information, contact: Namratha Apparao, + 1 703 739-6700, ext.
    [Show full text]
  • Strange Victory: a Critical Appraisal of Operation Enduring Freedom and the Afghanistan War
    30 JANUARY 2002 RESEARCH MONOGRAPH #6 Strange Victory: A critical appraisal of Operation Enduring Freedom and the Afghanistan war Carl Conetta PROJECT ON DEFENSE ALTERNATIVES COMMONWEALTH INSTITUTE, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS Contents Introduction 3 1. What has Operation Enduring Freedom accomplished? 4 1.1 The fruits of victory 4 1.1.1 Secondary goals 5 1.2 The costs of the war 6 1.2.1 The humanitarian cost of the war 7 1.2.2 Stability costs 7 2. Avoidable costs: the road not taken 9 3. War in search of a strategy 10 3.1 The Taliban become the target 10 3.2 Initial war strategy: split the Taliban 12 3.2.1 Romancing the Taliban 13 3.2.2 Pakistan: between the devil and the red, white, and blue 14 3.3 The first phase of the air campaign: a lever without a fulcrum 15 3.3.1 Strategic bombardment: alienating hearts and minds 15 3.4 A shift in strategy -- unleashing the dogs of war 17 4. A theater redefined 18 4.1 Reshuffling Afghanistan 19 4.2 Regional winners and losers 20 4.3 The structure of post-war Afghan instability 21 4.3.1 The Bonn agreement: nation-building or “cut and paste”? 22 4.3.2 Peacekeepers for Afghanistan: too little, too late 24 4.4 A new game: US and Afghan interests diverge 25 4.4.1 A failure to adjust 26 5. The tunnel at the end of the light 28 5.1 The path charted by Enduring Freedom 28 5.2 The triumph of expediency 29 5.3 The ascendancy of Defense 29 5.4 Realism redux 31 5.5 Bread and bombs 32 5.6 The fog of peace 34 Appendix 1.
    [Show full text]
  • 9065C70cfd3177958525777b
    The FY 1989 Annual Report of the Agency for international DevelaprnentiOHiee of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance was researched. written, and produced by Cynthia Davis, Franca Brilliant, Mario Carnilien, Faye Henderson, Waveriy Jackson, Dennis J. King, Wesley Mossburg, Joseph OYConnor.Kimberly S.C. Vasconez. and Beverly Youmans of tabai Anderson Incorparated. Arlingtot?. Virginia, under contract ntrmber QDC-0800-C-00-8753-00, Office 0%US Agency ior Foreign Disaster Enternatiorr~ai Assistance Development Message from the Director ............................................................................................................................. 6 Summary of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance .............................................................................................. 8 Retrospective Look at OFDA's 25 Years of Operations ................................................................................. 10 OFDA Emergency Response ......................................................................................................................... 15 Prior-Year (FY 1987 and 1988) and Non-Declared Disasters FV 1989 DISASTERS LUROPE Ethiopia Epidemic ................................. ............. 83 Soviet Union Accident ......................................... 20 Gabon Floods .................................... ... .................84 Soviet Union Earthquake .......................................24 Ghana Floods ....................................................... 85 Guinea Bissau Fire .............................................
    [Show full text]
  • Estimated Costs of U.S. Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and of Other Activities Related to the War on Terrorism
    CBO TESTIMONY Statement of Peter Orszag Director Estimated Costs of U.S. Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and of Other Activities Related to the War on Terrorism before the Committee on the Budget U.S. House of Representatives October 24, 2007 This document is embargoed until it is delivered at 10:00 a.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, October 24, 2007. The contents may not be published, transmitted, or otherwise communicated by any print, broadcast, or electronic media before that time. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE SECOND AND D STREETS, S.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20515 Mr. Chairman, Congressman Ryan, and Members of the Committee, I appreciate the invitation to appear before you today to discuss the costs of U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and the government’s activities related to the broader war on terrorism. Those operations and activities have important effects beyond their implications for the federal budget, but my testimony this morning will focus on the narrower issues of the appropriations and obligations to date and the projected costs of the war on terrorism under two different deployment scenarios. Summary At the request of Chairman Spratt, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has totaled the funding provided through fiscal year 2007 for military and diplomatic operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and other activities associated with the war on terrorism, as well as for related costs incurred by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for medical care, disability compensation, and survivors’ benefits. In addition to totaling the funding provided to date, CBO has projected the total cost over the next 10 years of funding operations in support of the war on terrorism under two scenarios specified by the Chairman.
    [Show full text]
  • The Evolution of the Taliban
    Calhoun: The NPS Institutional Archive Theses and Dissertations Thesis Collection 2008-06 The evolution of the Taliban Samples, Christopher A. Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School http://hdl.handle.net/10945/4101 NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS THE EVOLUTION OF THE TALIBAN by Shahid A. Afsar Christopher A. Samples June 2008 Thesis Advisor: Thomas H. Johnson Second Reader: Heather S. Gregg Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED June 2008 Master’s Thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE The Evolution of the Taliban 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 6. AUTHORS Shahid A. Afsar and Christopher A. Samples 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION Naval Postgraduate School REPORT NUMBER Monterey, CA 93943-5000 9. SPONSORING /MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSORING/MONITORING N/A AGENCY REPORT NUMBER 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The views expressed in this thesis are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • World War II at Sea This Page Intentionally Left Blank World War II at Sea
    World War II at Sea This page intentionally left blank World War II at Sea AN ENCYCLOPEDIA Volume I: A–K Dr. Spencer C. Tucker Editor Dr. Paul G. Pierpaoli Jr. Associate Editor Dr. Eric W. Osborne Assistant Editor Vincent P. O’Hara Assistant Editor Copyright 2012 by ABC-CLIO, LLC All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data World War II at sea : an encyclopedia / Spencer C. Tucker. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-59884-457-3 (hardcopy : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-59884-458-0 (ebook) 1. World War, 1939–1945—Naval operations— Encyclopedias. I. Tucker, Spencer, 1937– II. Title: World War Two at sea. D770.W66 2011 940.54'503—dc23 2011042142 ISBN: 978-1-59884-457-3 EISBN: 978-1-59884-458-0 15 14 13 12 11 1 2 3 4 5 This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an eBook. Visit www.abc-clio.com for details. ABC-CLIO, LLC 130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911 Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911 This book is printed on acid-free paper Manufactured in the United States of America To Malcolm “Kip” Muir Jr., scholar, gifted teacher, and friend. This page intentionally left blank Contents About the Editor ix Editorial Advisory Board xi List of Entries xiii Preface xxiii Overview xxv Entries A–Z 1 Chronology of Principal Events of World War II at Sea 823 Glossary of World War II Naval Terms 831 Bibliography 839 List of Editors and Contributors 865 Categorical Index 877 Index 889 vii This page intentionally left blank About the Editor Spencer C.
    [Show full text]
  • Operation Anaconda: Playing the War in Afghanistan
    Democratic Communiqué 26, No. 2, Fall 2014, pp. 84-106 Medal of Honor: Operation Anaconda: Playing the War in Afghanistan Tanner Mirrlees This article examines the confluence of the U.S. military and digital capitalism in Medal of Honor: Operation Anaconda (MOHOA), a U.S. war-on-Afghanistan game released for play to the world in 2010. MOHOA’s convergent support for the DOD and digital capitalism’s interests are analyzed in two contexts: industry (ownership, development and marketing) and interactive narrative/play (the game’s war simulation, story and interactive play experience). Following a brief discussion of the military-industrial-communications-entertainment complex and video games, I analyze MOHOA as digital militainment that supports digital capi- talism’s profit-interests and DOD promotional goals. The first section claims MO- HOA is a digital militainment commodity forged by the DOD-digital games com- plex and shows how the game’s ownership, development and advertisements sup- port a symbiotic cross-promotional relationship between Electronic Arts (EA) and the DOD. The second section analyzes how MOHOA’s single player mode simu- lates the “reality” of Operation Anaconda and immerses “virtual-citizen-soldiers” in an interactive story about warfare. Keywords: digital militainment, video games, war simulation, war -play, war in Afghanistan, military-industrial-media-entertainment network Introduction: From the Battlefields of Afghanistan to the Battle-Space of Medal of Honor: Operation Anaconda n March 2002, a little less than half a year following U.S. President George W. Bush’s declaration of a global war on terrorism (GWOT), the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) launched “Operation Anaconda.”1 As part of the U.S.-led and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-supported I“Operation Enduring Freedom,” Operation Anaconda was a two-week long and multi- national war-fighting effort to kill Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters in the Shah-i-Kot Valley and Arma Mountains.2 Operation Anaconda brought together U.S.
    [Show full text]