Operation Phantom Thunder Hits Iraqi Insurgent Strongholds

Army, Aug 2007

Bolstered by completion of the five-brigade combat team troop surge, Multi-National Corps-Iraq (MNC-I) unleashed a multipronged offensive against al Qaeda and Sunni insurgent bastions outside Baghdad. Begun in mid-June and continuing well into July, Operation Phantom Thunder-the overall MNC-I operation-struck insurgent strongholds outside the capital, where many hardcore insurgents and terrorist cells had fled and found refuge during U.S. clearing operations conducted to secure Baghdad in the previous months. Officials said that about half of the city's neighborhoods were declared under control of U.S. units and Iraqi security Forces elements operating from several dozen combat outposts and joint security stations established since the troop surge began.

Multi-National Division (MND)Baghdad, under the 1st Cavalry Division; MND-North, under the 25th Infantry Division (Light); and MNDCentral, under the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized), sent reinforced brigade combat teams to clear and gain control in restive Sunni enclaves along the Tigris River north and northwest of Baghdad and against other Sunni hotbeds south and southwest of the city. Operations under Phantom Thunder include Marne Torch, 3rd Infantry Division; Iron Blitz, 1st Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 1st Cavalry Division; Commando Eagle, 2nd BCT, 10th Mountain Division (Light); and Arrowhead Ripper, 3rd BCT (Stryker), 2nd Infantry Division.

In a month of heavy contact, American soldiers on the ground, supported by helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, killed more than 160 insurgents and al Qaeda terrorists and detained many more while uncovering scores of weapon caches, improvised explosive device factories and prison, torture and execution facilities.

American losses, however, were significant, as June became one of the highest casualty months since the invasion.

Noting that Phantom Thunder's gains had been significant, officials said that participation by Iraqi security Forces in some areas had been less than anticipated and that many insurgent and al Qaeda fighters had again escaped to take refuge in other areas.

Officials added that Iraqi civilians were providing more information to help Coalition forces find insurgents, and some former tribal militias were actively helping American troops to rid their areas of al Qaeda and foreign fighters. It also was noted that further evidence of Iranian support for the Iraqi insurgency had been uncovered.

Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, U.S. forces working with NATO allies and the Afghan army also participated in significant offensive operations called Operation Adalat and Operation Maiwand, killing several hundred Taliban fighters in the eastern and southern provinces.

Soldiers Pick Best Inventions. The Army has awarded the top 10 Army inventions for 2006, recognizing new technologies that increase soldier safety and improve mission effectiveness. Winning selections were made by soldiers assigned to the Army's active duty divisions and the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command using three criteria: impact on Army capabilities, potential benefits outside the Army and inventiveness. Most of the inventions have already been fielded.

The winners are:

* Blowtorch counter-improvised explosive device (IED) system (U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.) is a vehiclemounted system that detonates IEDs at safe distances.

* Integrated robotic explosive detection system (U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center, Redstone Arsenal, Ala.) is a remotely operated system that incorporates an explosive trace detector with a robotic platform.

* Plastic shaped charge assembly for remote destruction of buried IEDs (U.S. Army Armament, Research, Development and Engineering Center, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ.) is a remote emplacement charge that destroys known or suspected ordnance with a higher degree of accuracy than similar devices currently in use; it features a low-fragmentation plastic housing that minimizes collateral damage.

* Humvee crew extraction D-ring (U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center, Redstone Arsenal, Ala.) is a Dring device that allows jammed or damaged Humvee doors to be pulled open for crew extraction.

* M1114 Humvee interim fragrnent kit 5 (U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.) is an improved armor kit for Humvees.

* Remote urban monitoring system (U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center, Fort Belvoir, Va.) combines emerging technologies in wireless local area network technology, night-vision cameras and unattended ground sensors to provide verification and eliminate false alarms.

* Constant Hawk (U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.) is a surveillance system that uses an electro-optic payload to collect intelligence and identify areas that require additional surveillance by other assets.

* OmniSense unattended ground sensor system (U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.) is an unattended ground sensor system that detects and classifies personnel and vehicles for use in perimeter defense.