According to the Marine Corps Times, the Army “severely reprimanded” two of the three officers cited for negligence after a mishandled mission in eastern Afghanistan resulted in five U.S. deaths, according to a congressman who pushed for the information’s release.
The Army officers were cited for poor planning and oversight of a Sept. 8, 2009, operation in Ganjgal which is a remote village near the Pakistan border. Three Marines and a corpsman were killed on the battlefield after the men in contact were repeatedly denied air and artillery support while pinned down by more than 100 insurgents. A soldier later died of medical complications related to wounds he suffered in the ambush.
A joint Army-Marine Corps investigation deemed three Army officers primarily responsible for the mission’s failures and given reprimands. The Ganjgal investigation, conducted by Army Col. Richard Hooker and Marine Col. James Werth, determined that the “negligent” leadership of three Army officers at nearby Forward Operating Base Joyce contributed “directly to the loss of life which ensued.” The officers refused direct calls for help from U.S. forces on the ground and failed to notify higher commands that they had troops under fire, reported the investigation.
Severely reprimanded?
Many feel that this was a case of dereliction of duty causing the loss of life and should have been sent to courts-martial
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This is a problem of jointness. It’s important for ground forces and close air support units to routinely train together to learn the art of warfare as it should be practiced on the battlfield. This appears to be a case of untrained rear echelon poges in their safe havens not understanding the dire consequences of inaction.
Part of the problem. The other problem is placing men in Ops Centers without combat experience.
tthx, tom
And let us not forget the overriding requirements of “Lawfare,” where support has to be passed through a series of legal decisions, too.
I’m curious as to if there was JAG involvement in the decision making.