The USMC in Helmand (merged thread)

[Firn]

Moderator's Note copied here from another thread

I'm hearing rumblings of heliborne assaults being used to support shaping operations for the attack to clear mission of Marjah.

Those would have good utility for avoiding IED-sewn areas on the way to key terrain objectives, and there's good reason to trust the inserted force can sustain itself relative to the threat until a more deliberate clearance mission can be executed to get to the maneuver elements. They'd seal off ratlines by establishing a traffic control/vehicle checkpoint, or total barrier plan.

The coalition should have been able to mass enough ressources to implement this approach and to make it hopefully work. As we already discussed in this thread, great parts of the territory should facilitate the use of inserted elements, be it observation or fighting/blocking forces.

We will see how this works out well.


Firn

[jcustis]

Moderator's Note copied here from another thread

The coalition should have been able to mass enough ressources to implement this approach and to make it hopefully work. As we already discussed in this thread, great parts of the territory should facilitate the use of inserted elements, be it observation or fighting/blocking forces.

We will see how this works out well.


Firn

One likelihood is that even though several aircraft were massed, many of them were reserved for mass casualty CASEVAC. They would be tagged for missions in the shaping phases, but reserved once things kicked off.

There are still operations occurring in other parts of the area of operations, so the number of MEDEVAC aircraft remains a finite entity. Assets might merely be located further forward, but the number available remain the same.