I am sure that there are episodes like this starting with the Revolution. Slightly over 50 years ago my hospital in Viet Nam was the recipient of the remains of two platoons that had been taken out in a mission that had never been reported to higher authorities. They were led into an ambush and cut up. As the mission had not been reported, it was not in the calculation of expected casualties and there was not blood available from Saigon.Fortunately we were able to draw blood from local troops, but there was no way to test it for the more obvious infections.
Another day with the US Army.
5
As an Ex SNCO of RAAF (Thailand, South Vietnam and malaysia) of 20 years this sounds so familiar,
Command directing Operations from 2,000 miles away and not letting those on the ground into the equation, results in bodies in aluminum boxes. Will Command and the Pollies never learn the lessons from Vietnam!
Lest We Forget those brave troops.
3
Incessant inquiries on Benghazi, not so much on Niger. Hypocrisy is alive and well.
11
The last sentence of this article is, in my opinion, the most accurate conclusion which can be reasonably drawn from the writer's limited knowledge of what took place in Niger. My only comment about the 2013 operation is that someone was criminally negligent regarding its planning and execution. The use of the Osprey, a mutant child of the M-I complex was and is dangerous at any time, even in a non-hostile and overall perfect environment.
I am a decorated infantryman of the conflict in Vietnam. I was astute, was quickly promoted to squad leader and from time to time was the acting platoon leader. After every action, no matter how short or long, whether we suffered casualties or not, I would gather our men together and go through a "lessons learned" discussion. Now, let's review Niger. I wouldn't believe what the helmet cam showed. This is a DoD video, reviewed and edited. It has zero credibility. Someone was fully responsible for how this op played out. Note that there was no mention of why this op was even initiated. If Andrea is correct about her assertions the op defied every core infantry principle I ever learned through observation, experience and training. I believe that if this op was clearly planned these men may still be alive today. Nothing is guaranteed in combat-nothing. But this mission was botched by some idiots higher up in the command chained. I don't know if they have punished and stripped in rank to E-1, but they should have been.
7
Niger was Trumps Benghazi
Where is the republican outrage? Where is the demand for investigations?
13
We have a serious problem in the Officer core due to the gutting that was done during the last Admin. Many competent officers were rifted because they did not agree with the CIC. The ones left were incompetent, ego, boot lickers who fell into line. The lower line people suffer because of the lack of qualified people above them. Until we weed out the bad senior Officers who have no idea what they are doing, we are bound to have more of these incidents. Sad, but true.
1
@Bart
What reductions in forces there were came as a result of sequestration. Sequestration was an entirely Republican plan that Boehner threatened to close down the government unless Obama agreed to it. And be historically accurate. On this plane of reality, the first reductions in officer ranks came AFTER the 2013 Oaken Sonnet mission.
The officer corps (not Officer core) suffered few losses under Obama and I doubt that any competent officers were riffed (not rifted) "because they did not agree with the CinC". The services handled the reductions in force without White House input. In my branch (the Marines) the Commandant expressed his pleasure to be able to get rid of less combat effective Marines.
Weeding out senior officers like those in the chain of command for Niger (appointed and exonerated under Trump, incidentally) I do agree with.
16
@Marvant Duhon
Thank you for a cogent response to Bart in Nevada.
My response to Bart was unprintable.
I still hold my commission as an officer of Infantry (Airborne) and am proud of my combat decorations from Vietnam. I didn't agree with the premise of the war; but I had an obligation as a citizen to step up when summoned.
I wish that civilians with reactionary political agendas would show some respect and keep their mouths shut when it comes to assigning responsibility for military operations based on their ignorance and ax-grinding intent.
What happened in Niger was a travesty; but it had nothing to do with the Obama administration's stewardship.
7
Unfortunately accountability has become un-American. Remember how after 9/11 not one person in the CIA, FBI, NSA, or political branch was demoted or fired. Instead the people in charge were given promotions and their departments were given more power and money.
Even though President George Bush was told by Bill Clinton that he viewed Osama bin Laden as the most serious threat to America, the Bush administration chose to ignore the warning as well as a later intelligence briefing by his own adminisration warning his that "bin Laden determined to attack the US". Once again instead of being held responsible he was rewarded with 90% approval ratings, more power, and re-election.
13
These sorts of reports sadden my heart. The last time our Congress debated guns versus butter was in 1965 - could we afford "more war" in Vietnam and still build the"Great Society" programs President Johnson wanted. Since then, and especially given the foolish and tragic Iraq incursion, the "War on Terror" has given yet another green light to our ferocious Military Industrial Complex lobby. We cannot, either morally or financially, continue down this path.
8
I see the ghost of Robert McNamara still roams the pentagon
6
Same story, different day. Nothing changes.
Higher command always thinks they know more than the operators on the ground.
6
I don't know what sort of internal report(s) Oaken Sonnet may have generated, but NY Times reporting on the Niger incident made it seem as though evaluations were written with the goal of not damaging the careers of any higher-ranking officers. I worry that something similar may have happened in the case of Oaken Sonnet. If so, a lesson may indeed have been learned (or at least confirmed) after Oaken Sonnet, and the lesson may have been that the people who "matter" can be protected after the fact. In that case, it would seem that an attempt was made to apply the same lesson after the Niger incident. It would be very nice to know more about a wide range of reports issued after operations that have run into problems.
9
The failed Niger Mission reflects a profound leadership failure, yes--the gutlessness by American politicians over the last 30 years, the willful ignorance of the Saudi gold mine that finances and supports jihadis in Africa and worldwide. Trump's kowtowing to the Saudis only compounds that American failure.
It is a clandestine war, moreover.
You cannot win a clandestine war with uniforms. The Portuguese sent deep cover mercenaries and spies all over North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula from 850 A.D. on, during the First Jihad (650 A.D.--1683 A.D). A jihadi financier can't see a deep cover mercenary coming at them from ten feet away. The Portuguese understood that and the Portuguese won.
Pragmatic is clever and clever is wise.
Why are the Australians winning in the Strait of Malacca in 2019, against the same enemies the we are losing to in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Near East and Central Asia?
The Aussies mapped out a bold and pragmatic counterterrorism strategy, to hunt down and kill Jemma E Islamiyah and Al Qaeda in the early 1990s in the Strait of Malacca. The Aussies rooted their counterterrorism strategy in one reality--a clandestine reality. No nation-building, no reconstruction aid and no uniforms, but one helluva' lot of Jason Bournes.
Fight it clandestine and win it clandestine, in Africa and everywhere else. And quit playing "Mother May I," that's not how we took down a very clandestine enemy, the Gestapo, in Europe in WWII.
9
@Mike Tucker
First, don't you have to define just what it is that we want to achieve with military operations, clandestine or overt.
The US spreads itself like a thousand armed octopus, and each arm seems to operate as a disconnected unit,
And whatever the decisions made, opting to refuse to listen to intelligence from those with information, because they aren't in charge, or in the chain of command, often leads to disaster. Post 9/11 great efforts were made to assure that territorial issues and ignorance didn't block the sharing of information.
2
Typical arrogant decision making by people thousands of miles from the area involved that think they have a clue. Was anyone with intimate knowledge ever consulted?
12
“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”
John Wooden
8
@James John Wooden was a Hall of Fame player and Hall of Fame coach, and a very smart man. He may well have said and used the axiom "failing to prepare is preparing to fail". However, another bright man, Benjamin Franklin offered up the advice two centuries earlier. A more appropriate Wooden quote might be "Be quick but don't hurry."
3
This story needs to be tolf hut it is somewhat sad that you did not mention the names of the Nigerian soldiers or the interpreter who were killed.
3
@What about the others? They are at least being honored by the US Embassy in Niger. One symbolic stone for each American and each Nigerien whose life was lost during the attack will be placed in the new embassy compound when it is completed some time this year.
1
@What about the others?
Nigerien, not Nigerian.
Two different, but neighboring countries. Honest mistake though.
1
Pretty sad story, but not one anyone really cares about. Definitely not the general officers involved who were probably promoted and now sit on the corporate boards of various defense contractors. And definitely not either of our two major political parties who are in the pocket of our vast and corrupt military industrial complex. And finally, definitely not your average US citizen who could not find Africa on a map, never mind Sudan, and whose knowledge of the military is derived from some half baked television series. Military service? That is for the poor people who have no other options.
13
Sorry folks. It seems mistakes are made and in the military that can cost lives. Errors should be learned from and corrected. Cover-ups are counterproductive. That said there isn't always a bad guy to blame and plans just don't always succeed. Remember this is war and someone is trying to harm you, just as you are trying to harm someone. Moral outrage is not an appropriate response for us any more than it was for the Athenians after the failed raid on Syracuse.
1
Having worked with both the COCOM and the TSOC responsible, this is all too familiar to me. Both of those commands have had serious planning and execution failures. Oaken Sonnet, and Niger are but two (now) public examples of AFRICOM and SOCAF lacking the capacity to properly employ forces.
11
Why didn't someone speak up before the mission or isn't that allowed?
4
Thank you fir your candor. There needs to be a national draft or this type of situation will continue. I won’t write all my thoughts & I am deeply angered by the senseless deaths inflicted on our troops AND that we inflict on others. Collateral damage = 2 evil words.
10
@Kathleen O'Neill Remember that even with a mostly conscript army as we had during the 60's, US Special Forces was and would be an all volunteer force.
This kind of thing has been going on since time immemorial, when arrogant military leaders think they know everything and refuse to listen to subordinates who might have better input. Just read about the repeated errors made in the US Civil War by generals in the North. The military is not the sole source of this kind of arrogance. All you need is to read about medical decisions in the 18th and 19th Centuries by arrogant doctors who thought they knew it all. "Ill Humors," "Bleeding." People die when decision makers think they know it all.
15
In the case at point, it would appear the first inclination from higher was deployment..rather than seek local on the ground assistance or at least recommendations. The United Nations had been in South Sudan for many years and as such were able to coordinate thru their contacts the recovery of Americans.
Having worked Nuba Mountains, Sudan..and later in Juba training the SPLA..one knows territory is everything. The Neur and Dinka have been in a horrific civil war now nearly four years..the ongoing peace entertainment initiative is ongoing.
When the US aircraft came on the scene with virtually no security, the local fighters having no real leadership or control fired on the plans no knowing who they were..perhaps.
The article correctly relates to distant planning without local on the ground coordination, control and knowledge.
Had AFRICOM or other taken the time to contact the UN for at least recommendations, perhaps the incident would of never occurred.
Bosnia, Croatia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, South Sudan & Uganda
RH
15
Thank you for sharing your harrowing story, and the warning it contains. When one looks back to the terrible decisions made by Generals during the Vietnam War, and how they ducked and covered, one realizes how little has changed in military culture since the 1970s. The senseless loss of life, or limb, let alone the horrors visited on the troops is appalling. Military life requires discipline, there is no doubt. But if one cannot count on one's commanding officers, the concept of blind obeisance falls apart too.
13
It's our out of control Defense Dept. - we should never have had troops in the corrupt African naiton. Transparency International has ranked the Country very high - specifically the courts and police force. It's estimated between 10-20% of citizens report having pay bribes for social services. We need to examine where our tax dollars are going overseas - the Defense Dept. takes 10 times the combined budgets of all the other agencies combined - we have troops in other forsaken countries who also need to be extracted and brought home. We cannot change the course of democracy in Niger -the people will need to do that for themselves.
16
@JMS Exactly. I've always thought this tragic event was right of of a scene from "Mad Max." It's hard to see how any of this has anything to do with U.S. national security.
2
Thank you for speaking out and trying to use your experience to help others in the future. Thank you for your service.
17
While I have few details of either of the missions this author discusses, outside of what she shared, in 2019 there exist few to no valid excuses for poor planning and leadership. The leaders involved in the most recent incident had access to unprecedented levels of intel and in 2019, we certainly know what needs to be involved in terms of leadership, oversight, accountability and other factors which go into a well-planned and orchestrated military mission. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of books on these subjects. That said, often, someone or several someone’s in the chain of command has fallen victim to delusional levels of American exceptionalism. That our soldiers will prevail despite ill-planning, inappropriate equipment and insufficient intel because they are American soldiers. The same phenomenon can be seen in our public education system where people believe that our children are the best educated in the world, despite year after year, decades even, of financially gutting local school systems. Patriotism is one thing, but believing that America and it's citizens are somehow imbued with supernatural powers which will overcome any practical negative factors is insane.
21