|
October 6, 2008
"Winning the Peace: The Requirement for
Full-Spectrum Military Operations"
Task Force Baghdad, 1st Cavalry Division, Operation Iraqi Freedom II
Speaker: Will Hagood
Baghdad, Iraq, a city about the size of Chicago in
population density, and Austin, Texas, in landmass, divided through the center
by the Tigris River, is, like many overpopulated yet underdeveloped cities,
subdivided into neighborhoods with distinct demographic divergences, reliant on
a social system of governance based on tribal and religious affiliations, and
interconnected by modern lines of communications and technology. Mass
migration of the population to Baghdad, coupled with the inability to keep
abreast of basic city services relative to growth, neglect by Saddam
Hussein, and the gray period following initial coalition combat
operations, caused discontent to erupt. Moreover, these conditions
created advantageous conditions ripe for fundamentalist ideologue
recruitment.
In 2004, Multi-National Division-Baghdad (MND-B), Task
Force Baghdad, centered in and around Baghdad, focused its
operational campaign plan on moving incrementally and cumulatively toward
decisively accomplishing the ultimate goal of shifting Baghdad away from
instability and a fertile recruiting ground for insurgents, to a thriving
modern city encompassing one-third of Iraq's population. Baghdad had to
be secure not only in its sense of self-preservation, but its economic future
had to be led by a legitimate government that radiated democratic ideals across
Iraq.
To achieve the Commander's intent, MND-B maintained
orientation on an operational campaign plan balanced across five integrated
conceptual lines of operations (LOOs). Each LOO was tied to a robust
Information Operations capability (equating to a sixth LOO).
These six LOOs were 1) Conduct Combat Operations, 2)
Train & Employ Iraqi Security Forces, 3) Restore/Improve Essential Basic
City Services, 4) Promote Governance, 5) Promote Economic Pluralism and 6)
Conduct Full Spectrum Information Operations.
Colonel (R) Will Hagood's presentation examines
Task Force Baghdad's approach and methodology in implementing full-spectrum
operations to achieve the ultimate goal of shifting Baghdad away from
instability and a fertile recruiting ground for insurgents. COL
Hagood, will discuss the challenges that Task Force Baghdad faced,
and particularly the engineering challenges associated with
restoring essential city services for the 6 million Iraqi people residing
in Baghdad. Presentation highlights will include: the "point of
penetration" for the 1st Cavalry Division and the coalition; the Iraqi Election
of 30 January 2005; Synchronizing the battle space to "win the
peace;" Breeding
Insurgents; Water-Wastewater-Electricity-Solid Waste-Everywhere and
Nowhere; and Rebuilding the decrepit infrastructure of Shia-dominated Sadr
City, a 6 by 8-kilometer overpopulated slum located on the northeast corner of
Baghdad.
|
