In January of 2007, President George W. Bush announced a new campaign strategy on the war against terror. The surge was a way forward to a more unified, democratic federation that can sustain, govern, and defend itself in future generations. His plan involved the deployment of 28,000 additional U.S. troops to the Anbar Province and Baghdad Area of Influence (AOI). The AOI strategy was based on six essential elements that derived from a proposal meeting with senior Iraqi officials; let the Iraqis lead, help Iraqis protect the population, isolate extremists, create space for political progress, diversify political and economic efforts, and situate the strategy in a regional approach (Mansoor 2013). The rapid deployment of five additional Brigades, in support of surge operations, spanned over a five-month period, from January to May of 2007. The implementation of tour extensions took effect in order to facilitate a shared understanding between presently deployed Brigades and the influx of the allotted 28,000 additional U.S. troops. These additional troops would later support Operation Phantom Thunder, Operation Phantom Strike, and Operation Phantom Phoenix. Surge operations, commanded under the authority of General David Petraeus, acted utilizing the concept of Counterinsurgency (COIN). General Petraeus used lessons learned during his command of the 101st Airborne Division and applied them to the COIN concept. The concept of COIN was to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi population. The strategy was to protect the people of Iraq as opposed to killing insurgents that were operating in the region. The majority of surge troops, located within the city of Baghdad, worked with Iraqi security forces in Joint Security Stations as opposed to geographical segregation on Forward Operating Bases, in order to build relationships with host nation military members. The long-term presence of familiar U.S. leadership within the city of Baghdad and the Anbar Province was critical in linking partnerships to facilitate a stable and authoritative host nation military footprint. U.S.
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troops collaborated with host nation forces and launched the first surge operation, known as Operation Phantom Thunder. Together, they planned and executed raids and attacks on Baghdad 's northern and southern most boundaries, decimating over 700 Sunni and Al-Qaida insurgents and destroying over 50 high-profile weapons caches. Additionally, the well-organized opposition of the Mahdi Army accepted defeat as Iraqi Special Forces conducted raids near Sadr City, resulting in the capture of a top-priority insurgent leader, which enabled the gathering of critical intelligence that inevitably led to the fall of insurgent strongholds. Operation Phantom Thunder officially ended on 14 August 2007. At this time the U.S. led operation resulted in the Iraqi military’s regained control of key provinces in Diyala and Anbar. Operation Phantom Thunder had effectively set the stage for the following operation, Operation Phantom Strike. On 15 August 2007, Operation Phantom Strike had begun. The idea behind this operation was to disrupt, find, and finish the fleeing terrorists that once sought safe-haven in the city of Baghdad. The terrorists attempted to relocate inside of outlying cities in an effort to gain control of key terrain, enabling Shia militants to acquire a tactical advantage over U.S. led Iraqi Security Force operations. The first sub-operation of Operation Phantom Strike was Operation Marne Husky. During this time, I was a Systems Supervisor in the Armament Platoon of the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, enduring a 15-month deployment to Baghdad International Airport. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Paul V. Marnon, our mission was to provide Close Air Support (CAS) while targeting the insurgency that fled to the Tigris River valley. We supported an unsurpassable amount of air assault operations that resulted in the capture of over 70 high-profile intelligence objectives, ending the operation on 7 January 2008. Operation Phantom Phoenix was the offensive, launched on 8 January 2008, which capitalized on the overwhelming success of the two previously mentioned operations. The objective of Operation Phantom Phoenix was to locate the last few hundred insurgents that had fled to what remained part of the uncontrolled portion of the Nineveh Province. The final portion of the operation would include the anticipated stability operations that would follow in the years to come. Notable
troops collaborated with host nation forces and launched the first surge operation, known as Operation Phantom Thunder. Together, they planned and executed raids and attacks on Baghdad 's northern and southern most boundaries, decimating over 700 Sunni and Al-Qaida insurgents and destroying over 50 high-profile weapons caches. Additionally, the well-organized opposition of the Mahdi Army accepted defeat as Iraqi Special Forces conducted raids near Sadr City, resulting in the capture of a top-priority insurgent leader, which enabled the gathering of critical intelligence that inevitably led to the fall of insurgent strongholds. Operation Phantom Thunder officially ended on 14 August 2007. At this time the U.S. led operation resulted in the Iraqi military’s regained control of key provinces in Diyala and Anbar. Operation Phantom Thunder had effectively set the stage for the following operation, Operation Phantom Strike. On 15 August 2007, Operation Phantom Strike had begun. The idea behind this operation was to disrupt, find, and finish the fleeing terrorists that once sought safe-haven in the city of Baghdad. The terrorists attempted to relocate inside of outlying cities in an effort to gain control of key terrain, enabling Shia militants to acquire a tactical advantage over U.S. led Iraqi Security Force operations. The first sub-operation of Operation Phantom Strike was Operation Marne Husky. During this time, I was a Systems Supervisor in the Armament Platoon of the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, enduring a 15-month deployment to Baghdad International Airport. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Paul V. Marnon, our mission was to provide Close Air Support (CAS) while targeting the insurgency that fled to the Tigris River valley. We supported an unsurpassable amount of air assault operations that resulted in the capture of over 70 high-profile intelligence objectives, ending the operation on 7 January 2008. Operation Phantom Phoenix was the offensive, launched on 8 January 2008, which capitalized on the overwhelming success of the two previously mentioned operations. The objective of Operation Phantom Phoenix was to locate the last few hundred insurgents that had fled to what remained part of the uncontrolled portion of the Nineveh Province. The final portion of the operation would include the anticipated stability operations that would follow in the years to come. Notable