Iraq War troop surge of 2007

In January of 2007, President George W. Bush announced a new campaign strategy on the war against terror. The surge was a way forward to a more unified, democratic federation that can sustain, govern, and defend itself in future generations. His plan involved the deployment of 28,000 additional U.S. troops to the Anbar Province and Baghdad Area of Influence (AOI). The AOI strategy was based on six essential elements that derived from a proposal meeting with senior Iraqi officials; let the Iraqis lead, help Iraqis protect the population, isolate extremists, create space for political progress, diversify political and economic efforts, and situate the strategy in a regional approach (Mansoor 2013). The rapid deployment of five additional Brigades, in support of surge operations, spanned over a five-month period, from January to May of 2007. The implementation of tour extensions took effect in order to facilitate a shared understanding between presently deployed Brigades and the influx of the allotted 28,000 additional U.S. troops. These additional troops would later support Operation Phantom Thunder, Operation Phantom Strike, and Operation Phantom Phoenix. Surge operations, commanded under the authority of General David Petraeus, acted utilizing the concept of Counterinsurgency (COIN). General Petraeus…

In January 1991 the 54th and 317th received orders to deploy to Southwest Asia to take part in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm as part of Task Force 1-41 (R. Brewer, 1NOV10). Task Force 1-41 was the first coalition force to breach the Saudi Arabian border on the 15th of February, and conduct ground combat operations in Iraq. During the entire ground campaign Task Force 1-41 including Company D, 9th Engineer Battalion and Company D, 317th Engineer Battalion, travelled over 200…

Before General David Petraeus was brought into command of the Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNF-I), the War on Iraq seemed to be heading south. By the time President George W. Bush announced the surge policy in 2007, Iraq appeared to be slipping steadily towards chaos. Enemy attacks were growing in both number and sophistication. Something needed to be changed and fast. On January 10, 2007, President George W. Bush embraced a major tactical shift on the war in Iraq when he declared that the…

Field Manuel 3-24 was put into practice when the US’s commitment to COIN was confirmed in 2007 when US President George W. Bush announced “The New Way Forward”, or the infamous “surge” of troops in Iraq by 30 000 soldiers to protect civilians and occupy new positions in 4GW. Under the objective of providing security for civilians and building democracy and government infrastructure (as studied in Biddle, Friedman and Shapiro), the main goal of COIN was focused on protecting civilian populations…

Eighteen months of critical prewar planning by CENTCOM set the stage for Operation Iraq Freedom to be the most impressive contemporary military campaign. “This military operation intended to strike a major blow at terrorism by overthrowing Saddam Hussein, destroy Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, and impose a pro American style government in the Arab world.” However, postwar planning by CENTCOM started only a couple of months prior to the start of the war, which demonstrates the lack of…

In the book, “Duty, Memoirs of a Secretary of State”, former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates describes his experiences as Secretary of State while serving for two Presidential Administrations from 2006-2011. This Paper will analyze former Secretary of Defense, Robert M. Gates, as a strategic leader in two specific areas: his ability to build consensus and unite the Military and Congress with a unifying strategic approach to the war in Iraq during his first year (2006-2007) under President…

Bush started making the case for an infiltration of Iraq in 2002."Iraq continues to flaunt its hostility toward America and to support terror," he said, adding that “states like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger.” Bush launched the war on March 19, 2003, noting in a televised address that “helping Iraqis achieve a united, stable and free…

The Iraq War was a devastating war. It began on March 19th, 2003 and didn’t end until nearly 9 years after its start. This war took a huge toll on all the states that were involved, causing many fatalities on both sides and brought about many changes, both good and bad. But the question is, was it a necessary war? Was there good enough reasons to wage war with Iraq and were the consequences worth it? To answer that one must first understand what happened throughout the war. It was March 19th,…

favor of a sustained American military presence in Iraq. Tracking the evolution of the anti-withdrawal stance from 2006 through 2011, the articles present a united assessment of the situation on the ground that remains remarkably consistent over time. All of these authors contend, to some degree, that any apparent progress toward a secure Iraqi state and stable political environment is probably illusory and likely fragile if it indeed exists, and that the premature departure of a stabilizing…

I Introduction When evaluating U.S. campaign planning for OIF from 2002 to 2007 against current doctrine, it is arguable that notwithstanding micromanagement from Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and his deputies, the Joint Force commander and his subordinates put together a sufficient operational plan for phases I through III of the campaign. However, the glaring omission of realistic planning for phase IV post-combat stabilization operations set the stage for an explosion of insurgent and…