¶ … war is often a result of conflict that arises out of major disagreement. This agreement can vary dramatically, but war does not. It results it massive casualties, deaths, ill will, and economic harm. Those who "win" a war often suffer many of the same consequences as the "loser." War, and in particular, minor battles, are largely influenced by strategy. Strategy and tactics, or lack thereof, can be the difference between victory and defeat. More importantly, proper strategy can help avoid costly bloodshed and casualties. The battle of Wanat is a perfect example of war, and how tactics can determine the outcome. Although one side had superior capabilities, it was the strategy that ultimately prevailed. This document begins with a brief summary and description of the Battle of Wanat. This section is then followed by a detailed analysis of the battle. The document concludes with 4 key lessons that were learned from the battle with particular emphasis placed on strategy. To begin, Wanat is located in northeastern Afghanistan, in the Nuristan Province. The village is located just south of the highest peaks of the Hindu Kush range. This location, as we discuss in the analysis section will become very important as it relates to the overall outcome of the battle. The surrounding area has a modest population of farmers. These farmers are unique to many of their northern counterparts as they farm found exclusively in steep valleys cut by small river courses between the mountains. This awareness of terrain will also play a critical role in the battle of Wanat. This terrain and a lack of all but the most rudimentary infrastructure have historically marked the province as remote and primitive even by Afghanistan's standards (Jaffe, 2009). This has created a relatively low quality of life for the inhabitants in the area. This low quality of life makes them particular susceptive to insurgent invasion. Insurgents, typically by force, use the low standard of life in the area to their advantage. By burning the surrounding farms, insurgents often eliminate the only food source available to the inhabitants. With no available food, the insurgents then force many of the men and young male children to join their terrorist activities. Others often provide poor inhabitants with money and clothing to entice them to join. Many do, as they see no hope of gaining the needed clothing by other economic means.

Within Nuristan and Konar provinces, the Waygal River flows south from the Hindu Kush Mountains for 20 miles until it joins the Pech River at Nangalam. The Pech River, in turn, flows into the larger Konar River at Asadabad. These rivers, over time have eroded the mountainside creating vast cavers and hiding areas known only to the inhabitants of the area. The region is spectacularly rugged and divided into numerous small river valleys separated by steep mountain ridges, many in excess of 10,000 feet. All of the valleys near Wanat, are rocky, deep, narrow, and steep-sided, most of them are classic examples of geological V-shaped valleys.

Now, the armed groups that have opposed Coalition operations in Afghanistan are a diverse collection of organizations many of which are tied to specific regions of the country. Remember that Wanat is a very small village surrounded by many disparate organizations. In fact, the village is exposed by nearly 360 degrees of open mountainside. American forces were thus needed to help protect the surrounding areas from insurgent invasion. A number of U.S. troops in the country were increased to help facilitate this protection. Small units, such as reinforced platoons, were positioned in and among the towns and cities to better protect the population. Unfortunately, as will be noted in the analysis section, this change resulted in an immediate and notable increase in U.S. casualties. In addition, American troops were in the area to help nationals conduct a full spectrum of operations to disrupt insurgent forces. They also wanted to help develop Afghanistan national security capability, and support the growth of the region. Through American involvement in Wanat, the aim was to provide a stable and secure means to accomplish this task (Jalali, 2001).

American forces set up an outpost within the region. Combat Outpost, (from henceforth referred to as COP) Kahler was a small, remote outpost in northeast Afghanistan adjacent to the village of Wanat. Both the outpost and the unit were relatively small. 48 U.S. soldiers and 24 Afghanistan National Army (ANA) soldiers and their three U.S. Marine Corps advisors manned the outpost (.

On July 13, 2008 the outpost was attacked by a significantly larger number of Taliban insurgent forces (Junger, 2010). This forces use unique techniques to both surprise and confuse the allied...

The principle techniques used were that of stealth, camouflage, communications discipline, and rapid movement. Further compounding the issue was the use of these techniques over extremely rough mountainous terrain to establish positions close to the COP's perimeter. In fact, the insurgents were so close, that engagement was often 50 meters or less. Insurgent fire was particular accurate and rapid. This confused the allied forces that were not able to mount countermeasures for an attack. AAF forces fired in very quick and methodical fashion. Military personnel during the battle noted that deadly combinations of RPG rockets and machine gun rounds were used extensively.
The battle lasted 9 hours. The insurgent opening volley was particularly devastating as it targeted long-range surveillance and engagement equipment designed to locate insurgents (Quinlivan, 1995). These weapons included the truck mounted TOW missile system, the ground mounted machine guns at the OP, and the ground mounted mortars at the main position. By destroying these longer ranged weapons, the insurgents were better able to infiltrate the COP without fear of retaliation. The vehicle mounted machine guns and grenade launchers, although under intense fire, survived. Both items provided the basis for the American defense in the early phases of the battle. The battle ended due to Apache attack helicopters and B-1 bombers providing air support. However, many of the U.S. casualties occurred during the early engagement period.

Analysis

The battle was particularly troublesome for allied forces. Specifically, the enemy was on the high ground overlooking the COP. This provided the enemy with clear vision, unencumbered by buildings or structures. This terrain advantage was particularly appealing considering that the U.S. troops were not familiar with the area. As a result, they were unable to mount the appropriate counterattack on the enemy. The analysis also reveals that he location of the COP was particularly burdensome. It had almost 360 degrees of open exposure to enemy forces. This combined with the lack of surveillance equipment created an ideal opening for the enemy. Specifically, insurgent activities created a number of signatures that might have been detected and exploited with better surveillance capabilities. However, the U.S. troops lacked the appropriate equipment. Countermeasures were also difficult to mount due to lack of firepower. As noted above, much of the U.S. Troop long-range weaponry was destroyed in the initial attack. This resulted in the allied forces inability to mount appropriate measures to counter the enemy. This issue was compounded by the fact that the COP did not have the needed surveillance equipment.

Lessons learned

Small unit was deployed to Wanat had not yet completed its defensive position. A 30 to 40% reduction in casualties would have resulted from the improvement of a fully operational outpost. This was particularly important considering the terrain considerations of the surrounding area. This is first major lesson learned regarding the battle of Wanat. Many of the allied forces were simply caught unprepared. To solve this particularly problem experts suggest that small units develop a controlled cratering charge that will ultimately facilitate preparation of defensive positions. This is particular important where collateral damage is a large concern. The defensive positions produced by these cratering charges serve two purposes. They first take advantage of the natural protective qualities of the natural terrain. Second, they reduce the need for heavy earth moving equipment that may be cumbersome and convoluted.

In addition about half of the enemy engagement occurred near the COP location. Much of the machine gun and RPG fire occurred within 50 meters. Some engagement occurred with 10 meters of allied forces. As noted above, the primary mission was to provide security and reassurance to residents with the village of Wanat. The problem is inherent within the location of Wanat with respect to enemy forces. The village had nearly 360 degrees of open exposure to high ground. In addition, the surround area was very restrictive from the American Military perspective, due primarily to high buildings, mosques and terrain. Ultimately, this combination of exposure and lack of visibility created massive amounts of dead space within the area (Natonski, 2010). This dead space provided ample protection for enemy forces, as they were able to camouflage themselves within the surrounding terrain. Therefore a large takeaway from this battle is the ability to reduce surrounding dead space in the area. To accomplish this task, the COP should have more robust inorganic sensors, more capabilities with organic sensors…