Posted on 08/10/2011 6:55:41 AM PDT by Dubya-M-DeesWent2SyriaStupid!
Rangers’ danger, single helicopter among questions
Some in the special operations community are privately criticizing the wisdom of Saturday’s failed rescue mission in Afghanistan, saying commanders should have sent more than the one Chinook helicopter that was shot down, killing 30 American troops, including 23 elite Navy SEALs.
They also questioned whether the quickly assembled mission was necessary to rescue a band of Army Rangers reportedly under fire from Taliban militants.
“I squarely blame whoever planned and authorized the mission for the deaths,” said a Special Forces soldier who served in Afghanistan.
“It was simply uncalled for unless Rangers were being overrun and the ground situation required this much operational risk.”
Special operations sources also told The Washington Times that it would have been better to send two helicopters instead of one to reduce risks.
“The SEALs do seem to like stuffing a lot of valuable guys in one [helicopter],” said a second special operations officer who also served in Afghanistan.
“There may have been an operational reason not to spread them out over two, [but] I just don’t know what that would be.”
They also questioned the type of aircraft dispatched for the mission. The NATO command in Kabul identified the downed helicopter as a Boeing CH-47 Chinook, not the modified version, the MH-47.
The MH-47 Chinook is configured for nighttime missions by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, based at Fort Campbell, Ky.
The Army Times said the Chinook was piloted by a regular Army crew, not aviators from the specially trained 160th.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Lots of questions about this tragedy.
I heard the father of one of the killed SEALs on the radio, and he seemed to indicate that he thought they were setup. He didn’t say it, but... American cooperation at some level seemed to be on the table.
Sounds a little like Mogadish. Anyone?
Must have been on a code 3 response and not enough time to properly stage the transports. Sometimes you have to take
whatever is at hand.
Admittedly, I’m no military expert, but I thought SEALs are not supposed to be involved in regular field battle against regular army? That’s what I don’t get. I thought SEALs are for breaking down doors, marking targets, snatch-and-grab, hostage rescue, etc. Not for this kind of stuff.
Am I wrong?
“There may have been an operational reason not to spread them out over two, [but] I just don’t know what that would be.”
Budget constraints creating logistical constraints? Our troops are being left to dangle during the Xerxes administration. Is this among the examples of how it works out in practice?
Ron Brown comes to mind.........
A retired officer who served with SEALs in Afghanistan said the best practice is to land the Chinook away from the point of battle, but choice spots are not always available in rugged terrain.
“I would be hard-pressed to challenge the commanders’ decision on the ground,” the ex-officer said. “My guess is that the Taliban got a lucky shot off. It happens in war. Unfortunately, when you have 30 guys in one thin-skinned [helicopter] the repercussions can be deadly.”
I've never, ever seen or heard of ST6 being a QRT for a Ranger platoon, that's absurd.
Sounds and feels like Jimmuh Carter II.
Gunner
My 24 year old daughter, who knows even less about military operations than I do (which I know very little) questioned why so many SEALS were in one helicopter. I think it’s a good question.
It was reported in the media FWIW they were rescuing another elite special ops force (The Army Rangers) If you read this article it implies that the Rangers may not of been in need or in dire straits? It is just strange. The best of the best rarely fail but it is war. It is very difficult to comment on; as these things much less the names of the dead and details of Op’s are generally not in the news. With Obama as POTUS they have been.
question...
since support didn’t arrive ...
what happened to the ranger unit that was in trouble?
A strategic asset used in a tactical deployment.
One thing I wasn’t sure of. Did the choppers exfil the SEALS by the same route they engressed? This would be a major break of protocol if so. If not, then, as others here have suspected, one of the Afghan national guys gave them up.
Where’s Leon????
This is all unprecedented. The details and that there were two elite forces involved; should have never been released. Somebody seemed to have screwed up. There was rumors talk articles of Obama pondering back when of funding the taliban.This should have never hit the public but it may be because some heads will roll somewhere. It’s crazy unprecedented all around.
Excellent question that should not even be discussed publically but it is unusual for commandos to speak out.
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