How did this happen?

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After a long movement, Alpha Company was taken out of the valley in a planned exfiltration, replacing exhausted troops with fresh ones, in this case Rangers from Bravo Company. However, the men from B/co were dropped off at the same point as Alpha Company, meaning that they had to walk six hours through the Afghan summer heat just to the starting point to begin their part of the mission.

Just two kilometers into the movement, they B/co Rangers were hit with their first heat casualty, a 18E (Special Forces Communications Sergeant) attached to the Ranger element. The Rangers were engaged again and again by the enemy, who had dug into spider holes and other fighting positions, knowing that the American Special Operations soldiers were inbound. During the course of the mission, it is estimated that there were approximately 75 enemy killed in action (EKIA), but the heat casualties were piling up.
The Rangers quickly drained their Camelbaks of water and had to continue fighting and moving while their Afghan partner force slept and hid behind trees. When the coalition airdropped a water re-supply, they dumped it into an open field, the surrounding area infested with ISIS linked Taliban. Due to the amount of gunfire, the Rangers could not risk running across the open field and taking casualties.
One by one, the Rangers went down from heat exhaustion, their leadership element apparently unable to plan for what they should have known would be an extremely strenuous operation in July. In the end, only five men were left standing in the entire platoon. Even the snipers, who usually travel lighter than other Rangers, went down as heat casualties. Even the platoon sergeant, a veteran Ranger with a dozen deployments under his belt, went down.

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The Military Times and others have reported on the incident, and the Rangers losing sensitive equipment, but without any context. Photos emerged on Twitter showing a military ID card belonging to Specialist Ryan Larson, one of the young Rangers on the mission. His ID, and other equipment to including a radio, rocket launcher, plate carriers, an American flag, 5.56 magazines, medical gear, and much more, were captured by the enemy after the operation. The loss of the ID card allowed the enemy to claim a propaganda victory by stating that they had captured Larson, a claim that is completely false.
The reality is that Ranger Larson went down as a heat casualty, had to have his gear and clothing stripped down, and was stuck with multiple IV’s in a last-ditch effort to keep the severely overheated and dehydrated soldier alive. He wasn’t the only one in that situation, and in the mad scramble under combat conditions, gear got left behind. The loss of Larson’s ID card is particularly damning because ten years ago the Ranger Regiment stopped carrying ID cards and dog tags on objectives simply because they are a massive personal security (PERSEC) violation if they get left behind.

With some Rangers so desperate that they were drinking IV bags orally, and only five Rangers still combat effective, the Bravo Company element was finally evacuated.
Why a movement to contact mission turned into such a travesty is being hotly debated behind the scenes, and a number of Ranger officers are expected to lose their jobs over the multitude of failures and poor planning. Some are blaming decreased standards at the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP) and also pointing out that because Abram’s Charter suddenly being strictly enforced (which states that seasoned Rangers have to rotate to the conventional Army, de facto kicking them out of the Regiment) which leaves too many junior squad leaders and team leaders in the ranks who don’t have enough combat experience.

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The concept of infiltrating multiple elements, one right after the other as the first becomes exhausted and replacing them with fresh soldiers, is a key element to a relentless pursuit of the enemy. The theory behind it is sound, but the fact that B/co was infiltrated into the same starting point as A/co, forcing them to walk six hours to their real start point negates the entire concept of the operation. Likewise, it is criminally negligent that officers failed to plan for hot weather in the Afghan summer and come up with a suitable re-supply plan for water and ammunition.

The 75th Ranger Regiment leadership is reported to be ashamed and embarrassed over the entire episode, which hit the mainstream media, and makes the Rangers look like anything but the badasses that they see themselves as. Selection standards aside, heat casualties can hit any soldier, any time, especially in this climate. The real problem with the mission was not a lack of stamina but rather a lack of planning that is sure to sting the Regiment for many months to come.

>>30924218
>warning the enemy before attacking
wew lad that's advenced stupid

What was the name of this operation?

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>>30924218
>>30924238
>>30924261
>>30924268

source on any of this?

>>30924311
https://sofrep.com/60959/isis-afghanistan-claims-confiscated-sensitive-u-s-military-equipment/

http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/war-on-is/2016/08/06/isis-afghanistan-claims-have-confiscated-us-military-gear-id-cards/88341478/

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/08/07/isis-claims-to-have-captured-trove-u-s-military-gear.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/08/08/u-s-military-equipment-captured-by-the-islamic-state-might-have-come-from-special-operations-forces/

>>30924406

Thanks

Well shit that's just fucking crazy.

What's crazier is none of this is on the mainstream media at all, but it sounds like a pretty big fuckin deal.

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>>30924218
>>30924238
>>30924261
>>30924268
>jesus...
thanks for the info joel
>>30924566
indeed

Jesus Christ, also how does ISIS/Taliban get its water? Are they just drinking from streams and shit when out and about or do they have some sort of resupply system.

>>30924218
>letting your enemy know you're coming

I'm assuming some pussy higher-up had the pamphlets dropped.

>>30924600

Yeah great question. How come they are able to operate in these conditions but our guys aren't?

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>>30924600
The Rangers seem to be their resupply system.

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>>30924620

>>30924607
Because they've lived there for generations, and they don't wear 80-100lbs of extra kit. They just slap on their flipflops and man-jammies, grab their rifle and go take shots at people.

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>broadcast your plan to the enemy
>gee, its almost like they knew we were coming or something

Meanwhile operation overlord, operation neptuneneptune, and related operations were the most incredible use of deception and secrecy in military history.

How do you think it would have went if we dropped pamphlets on Normandy, France informing the French civilians when and where we attacking?

Fucking faggot ass politically correct Harvard schoolboys planning military offensives makes me sick.

>After a long movement, Alpha Company was taken out of the valley in a planned exfiltration, replacing exhausted troops with fresh ones, in this case Rangers from Bravo Company. However, the men from B/co were dropped off at the same point as Alpha Company, meaning that they had to walk six hours through the Afghan summer heat just to the starting point to begin their part of the mission.

What exactly does this mean? If they are replacing A/co, wouldn't they obviously start where they left off?

>>30924650
Coup now!

>>30924675
They were meant to be dropped where Alpha was being picked up, but instead they were dropped where Alpha was originally inserted

>>30924566
Why would you want a military failure and enemy propaganda victory to be in mainstream news?

>>30924218
> We will never get to wage complete unrestrained total war in the western fashion ever again.

Feels pretty fucking bad man. People have forgotten why they feared.

>>30924566
They're covering it up because it's a huge propaganda victory, and reinforces a political candidate's message.

Of course they won't report this shit. But we can.

>>30924644
All they have to carry are their man-jams, their rifles, some ammo, and their canteens. They also can prep stockpiles since its home turf.

We're the ones wandering around in heavy kit.

>>30924694

That seems like a huge fuckup. Why wouldn't they just call the birds back and fly them over?

Sorry if I sound totally ignorant, it's because I am.

>>30924731
I don't know for sure if thats what happened thats just the way i interpreted it, but I agree if that was the case it would of been easier to just fly them to the correct spot

>>30924731
Also ignorant, but, maybe fuel?
Aircraft only have a certain range they can go, it might not have been feasible to call the birds back if they only had enough fuel for their given mission.

why don't we deploy them with quads or some form of mobility enhancement hell even a mountain bike could help.

>>30924751

Yeah but again, surely it would be faster/better for the mission if B/co stayed put, birds flew back to base, refueld, flew back out to pick them up and go from there, yeah?

>>30924751
if the aircraft didn't have the range maybe the mission shouldn't have been done, it's not like it's ww2 where the entire world is at stake

>>30924279
you can thank the bleeding heart liberals who cry anytime a civilian is killed for the shit practices and RoE.

>Rangers fucking up
Nothing new
>Out of shape Rangers
Jesus

>>30924731
This most likely >>30924751
Sure the guys from bravo were probably bitching about being in the wrong spot right away, but even if there was the fuel to put it right immediately (there probably was) the first thing would be to get that approved up the chain of command. Given that this whole thing seems like a poorly planned shitshow there probably wasn't anyone right there at the other end of a radio to give that order, and by the time someone could make that decision the choppers were already well on their way back/too low on fuel to carry it out anyway.

>>30924771
Much of the terrain is utter shit for any kind of vehicle, even quads are little use when you're fucking around moving on goat tracks. It would also be additional assets to airlift in/out and could well end up being far more of a liability than an asset. Having to keep some guys babysitting vehicles whilst others are moving onwards whilst constantly engaged could very easily end up with isolated elements being left behind.

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>>30924261
>also pointing out that because Abram’s Charter suddenly being strictly enforced (which states that seasoned Rangers have to rotate to the conventional Army, de facto kicking them out of the Regiment)
What kind of retard bullshit is this. Why the fuck would you send highly trained and experienced guys back to the conventional force instead of keeping them around at the very least as selection cadre?

>>30924738
Are you army?

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>>30924859

I'm CIA

>>30924859
I got medically discharged my 8th week of infantry OSUT so no.

>>30924820
this piqued my interest too, but i guess the objective is to spread ranger skills/know-how, ethos, etc throughout the rest of the army

>>30924814
what about trial bikes http://www.hondatrailbikes.com/index2.html

>>30924566
Hmmm I wonder why we would cover this up?

Looks like some BS images. All that gear looks like junk that was hoarded. No way rangers would be using old as fuck STANNAGs. Those kneepads look like the bootleg shit they sell at bazaars. Also, where are the images of the bodies? They always parade the dead so why not this time? CACs get lost all the time.

>>30924218
What is all this pasta from? I can't find the original article.

>>30924650
>waaah!
>our soldiers did the same thing they've been doing almost since the war started
>and even though it was clearly the officers in charge of planning and logistics that fucked this up
>I'm going to act like it's Obummer's fault cause "hurr libruls!"
The average Trump voter folks, pure feels over facts.

>>30925089
i don't know if this is b8 but you obviously didn't read the thread you fuckin cunt
>>30925210
articles posted in the thread

>>30924941
>but i guess the objective is to spread ranger skills/know-how, ethos, etc throughout the rest of the army
That would be my assumption as well.

>>30924820
>>30925253

basically
>>30924941

Sorry if I get long winded but here goes.

The idea behind the charter is to spread the experience of Ranger leaders throughout line units that are hemorrhaging their own experienced guys. A team leader from Regiment is more experienced and better than 99% of his counterparts in the regular army. Also realize its not uncommon now to see slick sleeve squad leaders (and even fucking platoon sergeants) standing in formations. Its an attempt to keep the "peace time" army from reverting to being led by inexperienced and out of touch with reality NCO's who's only experience is NTC rotations. Basically delaying the inevitable.

>>30925005
Bro come on.

>>30925235
Thats right, #imahillarymissilenow

>>30924406
I'm not seeing any of those sources with the story you posted, where's the source for that?

>>30925252
None of the urls in this thread list contain any of what was posted.

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>>30925338
https://sofrep.com/60959/isis-afghanistan-claims-confiscated-sensitive-u-s-military-equipment

You just need an account to see it all, so I copy and pasted it for you guys. author is Jack Murphy ex ranger and SF pic related.

>>30925357
>https://sofrep.com/60959/isis-afghanistan-claims-confiscated-sensitive-u-s-military-equipment
Thank you.

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the selous scouts knew how to operate for the weather conditions

Congratulations ISIS, you lost 75+ men to capture a rocket launcher, two backpacks, a few radios, four 40mm grenades, three smoke grenades, one frag, twelve STANAG mags, one SCAR mag, two knee pads, some bandages, gloves, a pair of ballistic glasses, and a CAC card.
A total of about $8,000> worth of gear.

Poor Larson won't be able to check his email about the upcoming battalion family picnic at 1300 next Friday and will likely miss it.

A staggering loss for the US

>>30924238
How does someone go into combat with their ID card on them? Should I take pictures of my family and write down the addresses of all my loved ones and keep that on me in combat too?

>>30925443
>the selous scouts knew how to operate for the weather conditions

They didn't carry shitloads of electronic devices that need a ton of batteries.

>>30925460
>>Congratulations ISIS, you lost 75+ men to capture
>a few radios

Strategically worth it.

>>30925460
its not a big victory for ISIS but its a huge fuckup for the rangers especially the ID part

>>30924644
and they are letting us come to them, while they rest in some shade

>>30924566
It was on CNN 2 hours ago

Isn't there protocol or something about destroying everything?

>>30925535
Fill changes daily, that radio is useless.

>>30925460
>Poor Larson won't be able to check his email about the upcoming battalion family picnic at 1300 next Friday and will likely miss it.

kek

>>30925522
im sure socom has units that can go in light but obviously command fucked up for this mission

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>>30924218
17th STS TACPfag here, a lot of this is outright wrong and a lot of information is missing as well. The whole thing was fucked from the top down at the onset.

>>30924566
It's literally front page news that ISIS captured a bunch of Ranger gear

>>30925538
Nah dude CAC cards are secure as fuck. Not to mention those certs are now getting fed to the NSA so that whoever tries to use them will get immediately tracked.

>>30924218
>>30924238
>>30924261
>>30924268
At first I thought it was tl;dr megabait

But then

>>30925685
Then enlighten us.

>>30925535
It's a Pyrrhic victory. The radio fill codes change on a daily basis, and they probably will just dump those serials and issue new ones.

ISIS won a fucking ID card lol

Shit like this is why I got out of the Army.

The longer I was in I began to notice that we (enlisted) put our lives in the hands of the officer equivalent to privates and then we expect them to be intelligent enough to lead us.

FUCK that.

>>30925963
>Posting information pertaining to TF operation on 4chan.
Going to decline on that one senpai. You can wait for it to trickle out, which it will, eventually.

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>>30925235
Just because it's been done the entire conflict doesn't mean it was ever a good idea to begin with.

>>30925005
>t. William Lind

So pardon my idiocy, but how come the battle rattle is so heavy? I get that plates and ammo are heavy, but that cant be the only thing weighing the soldiers down. Isn't there a lightweight/minimalist kit for exactly this kind of situation? Cant they leave the fancy toys at home?

>>30926591
That's probably what they had, so it was just pretty heavy instead of fucking stupidly heavy.

>>30925685
>17th STS TACP
pics or it didn't happen

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>>30926816
>or it didn't happen
Like you not making it through OSUT

Anyways, training pic but whatever.

>>30926954
How about you buckle your god damn chin strap John wayne mother fucker

>>30926177
Then maybe don't chime in in the first place you fuck

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>>30926954
>Like you not making it through OSUT
Shots fired

>>30927003
Cry more faggot, I don't have to post sensitive information to say that what was posted isn't close to being true or the whole picture.

>>30924650
That's not the same thing. That was against a formal government fighting force. This is who ever feels like picking up a gun that particular day.

>>30926954
Well you got me there gg for coming through with pics tho

>>30926649
This

Anyone who has backpacked knows that even 30-50 lbs on your back makes five miles feel like fifteen, and that when you are moving you want nothing but a sleeveless shirt to keep cool , and that you don't want anything in your pockets or in your hands other than maybe trekking poles.

Soldiers are wearing heavy body armor covering most of their torso and they have rifles in their hands, and they are in super hot weather.

Any amount of gear that allows them to do their job is going to fucking suck.

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>>30924268
>The real problem with the mission was not a lack of stamina but rather a lack of planning that is sure to sting the Regiment for many months to come.

Hear hear! I'm going to personally bitchslap anyone that tries to blame this on the rangers. The human body tolerates the heat they experienced only as long as it is supplied with water. If their chain of command failed to supply them with water, they were doomed to fail, not a personal failure of theirs, but 100% of CoC.

>>30924600

>>30924644
>>30924721
>>30925549
Ding, ding, motherfucking ding.

>>30925357
Thanks man.

>>30925460
Yeah and as a result of this great 'victory' their morale went through the roof. The rest of the fighters will be going home to their villages telling all the kids the great story of how, though it was difficult and many men were martyred, they took on the very best that Satan can send, the invading cyborgs from the USA, with their armor and their advanced weapons and their drones that blow up entire neighborhoods without warning, they took these fearsome monsters on, dared them to come for them, lay in wait... and sent them packing.

And the villagers will listen in rapt awe. They know this kid, and they know when he lies, when he's sincere. He's sincere. They are impressed.

That'll get them 250 new recruits to replace the 75 that died, easy.

If you think we won this one you have no clue how this one works buddy.

>>30925235
Objective fact: Purposely misspelling words does not make you smarter, and also is not an argument.