More than most U.S. military actions since the end of the Cold War, Operation Enduring Freedom has been cloaked in a justifiable shroud of operational secrecy. So great has been the desire of the Bush administration to protect the details of this war that at one point only eight members of Congress were being briefed on daily intelligence and operations. This occurred after leaks to The Washington Post threatened to reveal sensitive details of the ongoing operations against the Taliban and the Al Qaeda terrorist organization. Nevertheless, many U.S. forces fighting in and over Afghanistan have been identified in unclassified and open sources. What follows is an estimate of the forces engaged as of 15 October.
Naval Forces
Two U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups and an amphibious ready group along with their escorting surface ships and submarines have been conducting air and missile strike operations from the Arabian Sea. In addition, several Royal Navy nuclear submarines have been supporting Enduring Freedom by launching their own BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles at targets in Afghanistan. The early forces include the following:
- Enterprise Battle Group—Cruiser Destroyer Group 12, Enterprise (CVN-65), and Philippine Sea (CG-58), with elements of Destroyer Squadron 7 (DesRon 7—John Paul Jones [DDG-53]), DesRon 15 (O'Brien [DD-975]), and DesRon 18 (McFaul [DDG-74]). Carrier Air Wing 8 is embarked on board the Enterprise, with VF-14 and VF-41 (F-14As), VFA-15 and VFA-87 (FIA-l8Cs), VAQ-141 (EA-6Bs), VAW-124 (E-2Cs), VS-24 (S-3Bs), HS-3 (HH-60Hs/SH-60Bs), and a VRC-40 detachment. Also attached is the attack submarine Providence (SSN-719) armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles.
- Carl Vinson Battle Group—Recently arrived from the West Coast, this group is built around Carrier Group 3—the Carl Vinson (CVN-70) with elements of Cruiser Destroyer Squadron 9, including the Antietam (CG-54), Princeton (CG-59), O'Kane (DDG-77), and Ingraham (FFG-61). Carrier Air Wing 11 is embarked, with VF-213 (F-14Ds), VFA-22 and VFA-94 (FIA-18Cs), VFA-97 (F/A-18As), VAQ-135 (EA-6Bs), VAW-117 (E-2Cs), VS-29 (S-3Bs), HS-6 (HH-60Hs/SH-60Bs), and a VRC-30 detachment. The attack submarine Key West (SSN-722) armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles also is attached.
- Peleliu Amphibious Ready Group—Amphibious Squadron 1, made up of the Peleliu (LHA-5), Comstock (LSD-45), and Dubuque (LPD-8) with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) (MEU[SOC]) embarked. The 15th MEU(SOC) is composed of Battalion Landing Team 1/1, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM) 163 (Reinforced), and MEU Service Support Group 15. HMM-163 (Reinforced) is made up of CH-46E, CH-53E, AH-1W, and UH-IN helicopters and AV-8B fighter-bombers, and can be further reinforced with land-based KC-130 tanker/transports.
- Royal Navy Submarines—The nuclear attack submarines Superb (S-109), Trafalgar (S-107), and Triumph (S-93) are operating in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and Arabian Sea. Reports have Trafalgar and Triumph operating in the Arabian Sea with the U.S. carrier battle and amphibious ready groups, with one or both firing Tomahawks on the first day of hostilities.
As of 15 October, 65 BGM-109 Tomahawks had been fired from U.S. and British warships and submarines, including the Philippine Sea and John Paul Jones. At the same time, F-14 and F/A-18 fighter-bombers have been attacking around the clock, using a variety of guided and unguided munitions on Taliban and Al Qaeda targets in Afghanistan. They have been greatly helped in these efforts by land-based Air Force tankers, which have augmented the limited numbers of carrier-based S-3Bs loaded with refueling stores.
As operations continue, additional coalition naval forces are gathering, including battle groups built around the Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-74) and Kitty Hawk (CV-63) and an amphibious ready group centered on the Bataan (LHD-6). The Royal Navy also has a growing presence in the Gulf of Oman, including the Illustrious battle group, the Fearless amphibious group with a Royal Marine Commando embarked, and a minehunting group built around the Inverness. France and Canada have committed to deploying surface ships to the area, and other countries will probably add their own units to the growing naval presence in the region.
Air Forces
Along with the Navy, the U.S Air Force has been a major player in Enduring Freedom with the largest use of heavy bombers since Desert Storm in 1991. The known land-based air units engaged are:
- 509th Bomb Wing—B-2A Spirit heavy bombers have been flying nonstop from Whiteman Air Force Base (AFB), Missouri. Armed with up to 16 GPS-guided weapons (GBU-31 and GBU-- 32 joint direct attack munitions [JDAMS], along with GBU-36 and GBU-37 GAM precision-guided munitions), pairs of B-2s have been flying Great Circle shuttle bombing missions to the region, stopping to refuel, rearm, and rest their crews before returning home.
- 28th Bomb Wing and 366th Wing—Two squadrons of B-IB supersonic bombers have been conducting strike operations against targets in Afghanistan. Operating from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, B-IBs of the 34th Bomb Squadron (assigned to the 366th Wing at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho) and another squadron from the 28th Bomb Wing (at Ellesworth AFB, South Dakota) have been delivering JDAMS, CBU-87/89/97 cluster bombs and Mk 82 500-pound iron bombs.
- 2nd Bomb Wing—The B-52s of the 2nd Bomb Wing (based at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana) have been carrying a variety of weapons to targets in Afghanistan. Their payloads have included JDAMS, and CBU 87/89/97, and they also are capable of delivering the AGM-86C CALCM.
- 60th and/or 305th Air Mobility Wings—Supporting bomber operations at Diego Garcia are a number of KC-IA Extender tanker and transport aircraft, drawn from the 60th and 305th Air Mobility Wings at Travis AFB, California, and McGuire AFB, New Jersey, respectively. The largest and most capable tanker in the world today, the KC-IOs can pass fuel to any U.S. or allied aircraft.
- 347th Airlift Wing—Flying the C-17A Globemaster III, the 437th has deployed to Ramstein AFB in Germany from their home base at Charleston AFB, South Carolina. In addition to moving a variety of units, equipment, and supplies to the region, they have been charged with dropping humanitarian relief supplies to refugees in Afghanistan. As of 12 October, they had delivered almost 200,000 daily rations along with medical supplies, leaflets, and other equipment.
In addition, allied air units have made a number of more discreet deployments. These probably include the following:
- 16th Special Operations Wing—Reports of activity by aircraft and personnel of the 16th Special Operations Wing (based at Hurlburt Field, Florida) have become quite prevalent. Aircraft deployed probably include AC-130U Spectre gunships, MC-130E/H Combat Talon tankers/transports, as well as MH53J/M Pave Low III helicopters. Their missions likely will include insertion, support, and extraction of special operations units, combat search and rescue, and airborne tanker support.
- 193rd Special Operations Wing—Assigned to the Pennsylvania Air National Guard in Harrisburg, the 193rd operates the EC-130J Commando Solo psychological warfare aircraft. The EC- I 30J is the only aircraft capable of both live and taped television and radio broadcasts in a combat environment, and apparently already has been active in Afghanistan.
- 347th Rescue Wing—Assigned the critical mission of combat search and rescue, the 347th (based at Moody AFB, Georgia) likely will deploy the HC-130 tanker transport, along with the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter.
- 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment—The 160th Nightstalkers provide covert penetration and transport support to Army special operations forces (SOF) other units as required. Based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the Nightstalkers fly the AH6 Little Bird, MH-60K/L Blackhawk, and MH-47D/E Chinook, configured with special mission equipment such as inflight refueling probes, crew armor, thermal/night imaging sensors, and 7.62-mm Gatling mini guns.
In addition to the units mentioned, hundreds of other aircraft and their supporting personnel have been flowing into the region. Some are providing direct support to the Enduring Freedom strike and humanitarian operations, while others are tasked with force protection, logistical, and presence missions.
Special Operations Forces
Since the 11 September attack, it has been clear that much of the direct action in Enduring Freedom would involve special operations forces. Along with the airborne SOF previously mentioned, several others have likely been deployed to the region. These include:
- 5th Special Forces Group (5th SFG)—Assigned as the primary SOF unit for the Central Command, 5th SFG is home based at Fort Campbell, with a forward operating location at Camp Doha in Kuwait. Its detachments probably were among the first coalition units on the ground in the region after the bombings, likely conducting reconnaissance, direct action (raids), and training of anti-Taliban insurgent forces.
- 75th Ranger Regiment—Flagged as elite shock troops, the 75th Rangers (home based at Fort Benning, Georgia) are the largest and most powerful ground unit in the SOF arsenal. Able to insert and attack in units from platoon to regimental size, the 75th is the likely base unit for any force used to raid enemy facilities or forces in the region.
- Detachment Delta—Assigned the critical antiterrorism mission, Detachment Delta (known as Delta Force) is capable of hostage rescue, direct action, and retrieval/seizure of hostile personnel. Delta detachments likely would team with elements from the 75th Rangers should they raid into denied territory.
- U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC)—Along with supplying the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, 5th SFG, 75th Rangers, and Delta, this headquarters also controls civil affairs and psychological operations units that will be critical to any long-term solution to the regional problems inherent to and the end-state desired of Enduring Freedom.
- 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment—The British SAS apparently is conducting similar missions to those of both the 5th SFG and Delta.
The nature of SOF operations likely will keep what they do—and even some of the units involved—in Enduring Freedom very discreet for some time. Undoubtedly, the Navy's Sea-Air-Land (SEAL) teams and their special boat units also could see action in other theaters, though the land-locked nature of Afghanistan might minimize their participation.
Ground Forces
While Afghanistan is an unlikely battlefield for large formations of coalition ground forces, there is a need for some units to help with force protection, humanitarian relief, and other duties. So far, the only major deployment of such forces has been a battalion task force of about 1,000 troops from the 10th Mountain Division to Uzbekistan. Based at Fort Drum, New York, the 10th Mountain is a light infantry formation with specialized training in mountain warfare and alpine operations.
Intelligence Collection Assets
Supporting all of the mentioned units is a vast array of intelligence collection assets. These include:
- 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing—Operating from Beale AFB, California, the 9th flies the U-2 spy plane.
- 55th Wing—Based at Offutt AFB, Nebraska, the 55th operates the RC-135 Rivet Joint communications/signals intelligence collection aircraft.
- 57th Wing—The 11th and 15th Squadrons of the 57th Wing normally are based at Indian Spring, Nevada. They operate the RQ-1A Predator reconnaissance UAV, which has been observed in action over Kabul and other locations in Afghanistan.
- 93rd Air Control Wing—Based at Warner-Robbins AFB, Georgia, the 93rd flies the E-8C JSTARS ground surveillance aircraft.
- 355th Wing-Based at Davis—Monthan AFB, Arizona, the 365th operates two squadrons (the 41st and 43rd) of the EC130E/IH Compass Call electronic warfare aircraft.
- 552nd Air Control Wing—Operating out of Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, the 552nd operates the E-3B/C airborne warning and control aircraft.
- VQ-1/2—Based at Naval Air Stations Whidbey Island, Washington, and Rota, Spain, respectively, these two units operate the EP-3E Aries II signals/communications intelligence aircraft.
- Royal Air Force (RAF)—Though there has been no public announcement, it is likely that the RAF is supporting Enduring Freedom with their own force of reconnaissance/surveillance aircraft, based on Nimrod and Canberra airframes.
John D. Gresham is the researcher and co-author of seven books with Tom Clancy, including Submarine, Fighter Wing, Marine, Carrier, and Special Forces.