Bøger af Matt Matthews

Forward by Dr. William G. Robertson: The Combat Studies Institute (CSI) is pleased to present its latest publication in the Occasional Paper Series, "We Have Not Learned How to Wage War There" The Soviet Approach in Afghanistan,1979-1989, by Mr. Matt Matthews. For this work, Mr. Matthews collected a wide variety of sources on the subject, many of them of primary accounts, and used these materials to provide an overview of the evolution of the Soviet operational approach in Afghanistan between 1979 and 1989. This Soviet experience offers a number of useful insights for American military professionals who are, as of this writing, conducting operations in Afghanistan. Mr. Matthews begins his study by examining the Soviets'; planning for its invasion of Afghanistan and initial goals for that campaign. The author then looks closely at how the Soviets adapted their tactics and organization to meet the committed and resilient insurgent threat that emerged to do battle against Soviet forces. Despite conventional interpretations of this campaign in Afghanistan which emphasize the rigidity of Soviet methods, Matthews'; study suggests that the Soviets were flexible in their overall approach. The Soviet government did, for example, launch nation-building initiatives that would look familiar to American military officers who served in Afghanistan in the first decade of the 21st century. These efforts, however, were seriously hindered by a Soviet military culture that opposed a more comprehensive campaign to foster a popular central Afghan government. Matthews concludes his study by examining Soviet operations to extract their forces from Afghanistan while nonetheless leaving a viable, if not popular, Afghan government in place.

During Operation Phantom Fury (Al Fajr) in November 2004, the combined-joint assault to retake the Iraqi city of Fallujah, Colonel Michael Shupp commanded Marine Regimental Combat Team 1. In this interview, focusing squarely on the battle itself - which he calls "one of the most decisive urban victories our nation has ever seen" - he provides excellent details and deep insights into the planning, the task organization and the daily, even hourly, conduct of the operation, as well as his experiences and working relationships with Iraqi security forces and with 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment (Task Force 2-7), an Army unit attached to RCT-1 specifically for Phantom Fury. About the battle itself, Shupp said: "We all had our plan, and we expected the battle to go a certain way, but every one of us accepts the fact that things are going to change. None of us, however, expected it would change this quickly. None of us expected the fighting to be this desperate for these buildings." Shupp was also enthusiastic in his praise of 2-7. "These guys are fighters," he said. "These are the best soldiers I've ever seen in my life, and I'll tell you it was just an honor to have them with us." What's more, he added, "We could not have had that success if it wasn't for that Army battalion: their mortars, their maintenance, their fighting capability inside that city. I think they felt the same way, that they could have never cleared those buildings unless they had Marine infantry with them to go in and do it." "I think there was such a sense of camaraderie and reliance on each other," Shupp concluded. "We had to take care of our brothers, we had to get through this, and I think that's what allowed us to have the success we had and the small number of casualties we actually had for it."

The leader of 2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, Task Force 2-2 Infantry in Fallujah during Operation Phantom Fury (Al Fajr), Staff Sergeant David Bellavia was recommended for the Medal of Honor, nominated for the Distinguished Service Cross and received the Silver Star for his actions on 10 November 2004 in which he "single handedly saved three squads of his platoon that night, risking his own life by allowing them to break contact and reorganize. He then entered and cleared an insurgent strongpoint, killing four insurgents and mortally wounding another." In this interview, focusing on the entirety of his Phantom Fury experiences and on the intense room-to-room, at times hand-to-hand, combat that characterized that one night in particular, Bellavia offers the ultimate on-the-ground insider's story of this seminal urban operation, which culminated, he said, in Task Force 2-2 combining to put "a lot of pure evil permanently out of business." As perceptive and introspective as it is raw and action-packed, Bellavia's account touches on everything from doctrinal, training and technology recommendations to his warm recollections of his 2-2 comrades: from the battalion commander who, "if you beat in the face with a shovel his expression wouldn't change" and the company commander who was "the most honorable man I have ever met in my life" to the countless soldiers and NCOs who helped make his service "the greatest experience in my life." "War is horrific and ghastly" Bellavia readily admitted. "There are ghoulish images that we all endure and it's impossible to not be changed forever. But only in the midst of the worst mankind can produce can you truly see the beauty of human nature: self sacrifice, true honor, unprecedented loyalty - all the Army values displayed in person. When you have the chance to serve your nation with men and women you trust and love; when leaders two tax brackets above your pay grade carry rifles on the field next to you; and when you see your peers take bullets for you - that environment" he concluded, "would motivate the most ardent anti-victory opponent of this conflict."

Sergeant First Class Brandon Knicely served as company master gunner for Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry during the battle for Fallujah in November 2004. In this capacity, Knicely also functioned as the company commander's gunner. Recalling his company commander, Captain Sean Sims, he says, "Captain Sims was a very confident and great leader. If he was discouraged about anything, he never showed it to any of us. He was always a happy-go-lucky guy no matter what we were doing....We were under a lot of enemy fire and he would just smile and let his platoon leaders do their jobs. He didn't micromanage but when he had to put pressure on them, he would." He says there was a problem with a line charge when an initial breach into Fallujah was made, and that just as their company's attack began, his Bradley started having power problems and the company commander was forced to switch vehicles in mid-stride. Aside from his frustration, Knicely states, "Thank God for the maintenance guys. They kept analyzing and troubleshooting all night. They wouldn't stop working on it until they got it fixed and we rolled out as soon as they were done." In the course of fighting through Fallujah, he notes one insurgent fighter he dubbed the "Iraqi Rambo" who seemingly would not die despite the company's best efforts. He also describes a female combat camera operator trying to capture these efforts on film, saying, "I don't who it was but she was crazier than hell." He explains that, with one exception, they did not use TOW missiles and their 25 millimeter ammunition was mostly high explosive. He describes the wrenching experience of losing the company executive officer and the company commander on successive days of the battle. "Our company was hit pretty hard but soldiers are soldiers and each and every one of us knows that if we die, we do so knowing that we believe in what we do" says Knicely. "It was definitely hard but our company grew a lot stronger. It was the best company I've ever seen in the Army." He closes his interview by stating that everyone in a company needs to know the basics of everyone else's specialty to be well prepared for a fight.

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