Observing the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit Offensive

In early April, red tape was holding back the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. It was reported the hangup was caused by "disagreements and coordination problems high within the international military command." A week later the news from the 24th MEU was that a roadside bomb hit a convoy, killing 2 and injuring 2.

Ten days later the Marines were finally given the green light. According to Defense News, in a dawn attack on April 29th, the Marines stormed the provincial capital of Gamsir (sometimes spelt "Garmser"). The action started on Tuesday, with the troops securing routes into the town in the south of Helmand province. Helmand province, a British controlled area of Afghanistan, is the world's largest opium producing region and the region is infested with insurgent activity. The Guardian noted the deployment to southern Helmand province is the first major US operation in the area since late 2001, when US soldiers touched down at a remote airstrip in southern Helmand.

Todays news of the 23th MEU activity comes from the International Herald Tribune, which has additional information of the region.

Most of the 33,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan operate in the east, along the border with Pakistan, but the 7,500 British troops in Helmand and 2,500 Canadian troops in neighboring Kandahar province have not proved a large enough force to tame the south. The British have a small outpost on Garmser's northern tip, NATO has no presence south of that.

IHT notes the Marines are opening convoy roads to the south and will not be in the region long, meaning since this has been reported, the Marines have already moved. We really like the reporting in the IHT, the article does a good job of highlighting the unique capabilities the Marines have brought with them to Afghanistan, and notes some tactical differences between Afghanistan and Iraq. Unlike the British and Canadian forces in the region, the Marines bring with them their own dedicated air power. Unlike Iraq, the Marines are able to utilize more deadly artillery and mortars in the wide open areas due to the lack of sprawling civilians they dealt with in Iraq.

Defense of the Realm has some excellent analysis of the 24th MEUs early activities, and concludes with an interesting point.

The news of this success, which has eluded British forces, comes a day after The Daily Telegraph published details of a downbeat confidential Foreign and Commonwealth Office paper, which listed “a catalogue of problems and weaknesses in Western attempts to stabilise the country.”

In a list of "critical areas to fill", the paper claimed that Nato still needed three infantry battalions, more helicopters, more aircraft and more training teams to help the Afghan army. Intriguingly, it also raises concerns about the situation after November, when the US Marines currently engaged in the Garmsir operation are to be withdrawn from the south.

That latter concern is presumably now less pressing. The presumption had been - without any evidence to support it - that the assault on Garmsir would have been held over until 16 Air Assault Brigade was fully in place, to give the publicity-hungry Paras a chance of the glory, of which they had been deprived by the capture of Musa Qala by 52 Infantry Brigade last December.

With the US Marines declining to wait, they now have the opportunity to pacify the region and, it is anticipated, to push the Taleban back to the Pakistan border in Helmand, assisting the control of Taleban infiltration at the border.

Opportunity being the key word, we believe it is still very early and premature to assume success. Early signs are good, and we do see something new here very worthy of observing in detail, as the Marines allow.

We observe the shift of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, a veteran force of seasoned Marines well schooled in counter-insurgency that brings a unique air-ground synchronized firepower capability to a new theater of war, as an interesting development in the war in Afghanistan. While it is true Army units have served in both places, most units that rotate into Afghanistan are very similar to units that rotate out. Marines are different, everything is mobile, CAS is integrated, but in addition to the Marine close air support units, the same Air Force and Navy air support that supports the Army is available as well.

With the Marines kicking down the door, it raises a lot of opportunity to do some good work in rooting out the region when the British 16 Air Assault Brigade is fully in place. While we don't know if that is indeed the plan of action here, the Marines are very efficient killers, and if the 16 Air Assault Brigade (or some other force) is providing on the spot counter-insurgency behind the Marines, keeping logistics trains open as they push all the way to the south, Helmand province could be a place to keep an eye on.

Many recently have suggested counter-insurgency will not work in Afghanistan. Michael Yon highlighted this article in Spectator as one example, which claims the only way out is to talk to the Taleban. We default to the professionals for developing strategies in Afghanistan, but we get the impression the Marines have a different strategy. We are looking forward to seeing what they can do with this small Afghanistan surge.

Photo: David Guttenfelder / The Associated Press