Page 222 - Conflitti Militari e Popolazioni Civili - Tomo II

724 XXXIV Congresso della CommIssIone InternazIonale dI storIa mIlItare • CIHm

situational awareness. it reminded Soldiers to tailor their actions according to the mission’s
needs, that everything they undertook had immediate and long-term consequences, and that
they needed to act quickly to seize and retain the initiative. 18
The fourth tenet directed each trooper to “Understand your unit, its capabilities, and constantly
attempt to improve—widen the rumble strips as you go,” reducing the need to slow the
operational tempo. Finally, this guidance reminded leaders that “Trust and confidence in
your subordinates enables initiative—In a counterinsurgency, initiative, speed, agility, and
the ability to seize opportunities are critical.” These five tenets were not sequential steps;
rather they were coterminous. 19
As the squadron patrolled Tall ‘Afar and learned about its new AO, it suffered its first
casualties on 28 April when an improvised explosive device (IED) of six or more 122-mm
artillery rounds exploded against a Stryker, penetrated its hull, and killed four Soldiers. On 1
May, 2d Squadron assumed full responsibility for operations in and around the city, executing
missions designed to develop the squadron’s situational awareness through reconnaissance,
cordons, searches, and raids. As COLD FUSION commenced, 1st Squadron began its
operations along the Syrian border, designed to interdict the flow of foreign fighters and
external support while reconstituting the Iraqi border guards. 20
While 2d Squadron focused on learning its new environment, the squadron, along with
1st Brigade, 3d Iraqi Division secured their lines of communication (LOCs) along MSR

SANTA FE, and the LOC from FOB Sykes by establishing five Iraqi Army patrol bases to
provide overwatch and security. Early on Hickey realized that the squadron’s small number
of scouts was not large enough to execute all of the essential dismounted operations required
in an urban environment. Responding to Hickey’s needs, McMaster requested and received
from TF Freedom and Multinational Corps-Iraq (MNC-I), additional dismounted forces.
MNC-I responded in time for Operation RESTORING RIGHTS, when it detailed the 4th
Police Commando Brigade, a Kurdish Peshmerga infantry battalion, and 2-325th Infantry
from 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division. During this month, insurgents launched 20
IEDs or suicide bomb attacks, 21 mortar or rocket attacks, and 104 attacks with small arms
or rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) against 2d Squadron, residents of the area, and Iraqi
security forces. Most of the attacks took place along MSR SANTA FE and against the city’s
hospital and forces posted to secure it. 21

18 Ibid., 6; Hickey interview.
19 Simmering, 2/3 ACR Actions, 6; Hickey interview.
20 Simmering, 2/3 ACR Actions, 8–9.
21 Ibid; Molinari to Barclay.