The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Task Force Ranger: Mogadishu, Somalia - (10/3/1993) - Oct. 3rd, 2003

ArmyRanger.com ^ | LTC JD Lock

[MistyCA]

Oh,oh!

[snippy_about_it]

LOL.

It's a good thing. ;)

[Light Speed]

Good points mark.

Several hinge points..or clear failure in power projection...ie..assets were available.

Can we just say.."Overconfidence" in general.

I'm sure the U.S. was aware that some of their so called U.N. 'partners' were betraying them ...some opinions I have read mentioned actually transmissions occuring the day the opps happened..giving Aidid lead time warning..or even confirming intel leaked prior.

Would like to convey a technical/political point track concerning Somalia..one readers here might not be aware of.
Somalia has oil/gas....U.S. oil firms wanted in to work the prospects.
all they needed was a leader who would sign off on the futures..Aidid understood this...and *Baulked.
Basically..the show was scrubbed until Aidid was ousted...Clinton was in a bind..as he sat on the fence.
European money was jealous of possible oil winfall falling into the U.S. lap[other powers too]..it was in their interest to keep things in Somalia chaotic.
Clinton lacked the resolve to take a stand by the U.S. oil giants...playing the safe zone in the U.N. circle.

On this point we may ponder how willing Clinton was to turn things over in Somalia..ie..get rid of Aidid.

So we see there was more going on behind the scenes..its anyones guess as to what efforts were spun to see *something succeed...or fail.

[MistyCA]

Hmmmm. Do you wear much yellow? LOL! Never mind. :)

[SAMWolf]

I remember reading that there was a meeting with Adid or his henchmen where the rangers provided security. Don't remember when this happened but I think it was after other raids to get him but before TF Ranger.

[Darksheare]

I'm in.
I'll recuse myself from commenting on this mission for fear of saying something bannable due to my animosity to Clinton.

In other words, no comment.

[snippy_about_it]

Good afternoon Darksheare. Glad to see you could make it. I understand your "no comment" I felt the same .

[Darksheare]

Thanks.
I served during Clinton's watch and learned to hate him and his husband with a deep and abiding hate.
I could never figure out why half of my unit liked him.

[colorado tanker]

Such a sad, sad tragedy evokes lots of anger.

Me too, Snippy. I got angry all over again when I learned that Al Qaeda was behind this as well as the attacks in Yemen of the hotels used for troops and officials in transit to and from Mogadishu. So Clinton's cut and run from Mog taught Osama that infliciting casualties on the US will get us out of a country - a lesson we've been trying to get him to unlearn ever since. If that man had any sense of shame he wouldn't show himself in public.

[colorado tanker]

Larson is the best. I just saw that he's back in syndication with his classics.

[colorado tanker]

The whole process of adjusting the force on the ground for the changed mission and cirumstances starting in June; i.e. why weren't special ops, armor & arty augmentation added when requested.

That's top on my list. Those spec ops boys should have had US armor and mech backup and either attack helicopters or a Spectre.

My impression from the Afghan and Iraqi campaigns is that command, control and communications issues have largely been solved.

[Darksheare]

I know what you mean.
*Ugh*

[mark502inf]

should have had US armor and mech backup and either attack helicopters or a Spectre. My impression from the Afghan and Iraqi campaigns is that command, control and communications issues have largely been solved.

It sure seems we've gotten a lot better at integrating the special ops & conventional forces--I think Mogadishu was a big wake-up call to the higher level folks in the special ops community--Unity of Command is a principle of war; it applies to everybody.

What a lot of people don't know is that there were plenty of tanks & APCs & attack helos in Mogadishu. Its just that they belonged to coalition forces or the QRF. The TF Ranger leadership had made zero arrangements for support from the coalition guys & very little from the QRF. And when things went wrong, it showed. The best soldiers in the world hung out to dry because of failures in planning, organizing, and structuring the force--the responsibility of senior leadership.

[colorado tanker]

I recall from "Blackhawk Down" that because we didn't have US mech infantry in Mog we got bogged down in negotiating with the UN mech force commander and they didn't want to go until daylight. Don't remember if they didn't have night capability or just didn't want to do it. I wouldn't rely on another nation's forces for my backup unless they were Brits or Aussies.

[snippy_about_it]

I just saw that he's back in syndication with his classics.

No way! Where? His stuff is great! It just might be worth buying a paper now.

[snippy_about_it]

Yep. I can't even think of words allowable here sometimes from being angry. What a POS clinton is and how I wish we never had to see his name anywhere, ever.

[colorado tanker]

I believe I saw it in last Sunday's Denver Post.

[snippy_about_it]

unless they were Brits or Aussies...

or Poles.

:)

[colorado tanker]

LOL! That's right.

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks, I'll have to check around and see if it will only be in Sunday's or where he has been "picked up" at.