Perspectives on the Battle of Wanat: Challenges Facing Small Unit Operations in Afghanistan

Abstract : Combat Outpost (COP) Kahler was a small, remote outpost in northeast Afghanistan adjacent to the village of Wanat in the Nuristan Province, manned by 48 U.S. soldiers and 24 Afghanistan National Army (ANA) soldiers and their 3 U.S. Marine Corps advisors. It was attacked on July 13, 2008, by a significantly larger number of Taliban insurgent forces that used stealth, camouflage, communications discipline, and rapid movement over extremely rough mountainous terrain to establish positions close to the COP's perimeter. The insurgents used coordinated rocket-propelled grenades, small arms and heavy machine gun fire, and mortar barrages to inflict heavy casualties on the outpost. Ultimately, 9 U.S. soldiers were killed and 27 U.S. and 4 ANA soldiers were wounded. The COP was soon thereafter abandoned. Although U.S. soldiers have superior training and technology, are there better ways to protect such small units in the near term? This research was conducted as a rapid response study by RAND Arroyo Center at the request of the Army Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) Office within Army G-8. Its charter is to explore alternatives for improving ongoing small unit operations in Afghanistan. The effort attempts to provide a more hands-on look at the situation that platoon-sized units face in establishing combat outposts (COPs). We use the battle of Wanat as a case study to explore and evaluate a range of alternative technological and corresponding tactical improvements. The research team analyzed this battle in detail using analytic modeling and simulation methods. This paper describes the combat situation as it occurred and identifies the key conditions that the small unit faced. It then discusses what the constructive simulation of the battle suggests and postulates feasible near-term protection, surveillance, and weapons options with the goal of reducing or preventing casualties in similar future situations. This is the first paper in a series of three papers.