Tacts and Comunication

Black Hawk Down” by Mark Bowden, illustrates the struggles of these American soldiers in combat. The soldiers went into Mogadishu, Syria and could not handle the battle that was in front of them. The mission was simple. It was to find and capture the warlords that had used food as a weapon. The mission was estimated to last one hour, the mission last fifteen. The reason is because of the lack of communication and tactual strategy. The book was written a few years ago, but the story can still be seen in today’s time. An example of this is an article in The New York Times and “War communication Before Modern Technology.” These stories show that communication and strategy are important in the battle field in relation to Black Hawk Down.

            According to the article “American Soldier Killed Freeing Prisoners of ISIS in Iraq,” allowing each unit to perform the task that is specific to their skill, can allow for success in combat. Michael R. Gordon informs the readers of the events of that mission. He states that the mission was to “free prisoners from the militants, [as a way of] stepping up pressure against the militants in Ramadi, Baiji, and other locations in Iraq, and Syria.” The United States sent helicopters, Kurdish and American Special Operations forces, and Airstrikes. Because of this, the mission was successful. However, in Black Hawk Down, Rangers and Delta force are not allowing for this space. Delta Force works on tasks differently than the Rangers, because of this, the Rangers and Deltas bump heads. The Deltas work on the task individually. They do not take orders and question the orders that are given. However, Rangers are taught to take orders without asking questions about the mission. The problem that arises when the order is lost and the Rangers cannot function without orders. If the Rangers and Deltas had allowed themselves to work on their specialties, the mission would have been a success. For example, if the deltas had worked on the mission of capturing the warlords and the Rangers had worked the ground, the situation would have ended differently. However, there still would have been one other problem that needed to be solved. Communication.

            Bowden showed that the communication between each individual was not good. Messages from the air took too long to reach the ground and vice versa. There was too many channels and there wasn’t a direct line from ground to air. The system was related to “hot air balloon and telegraph” during the Civil War. During the time of the Civil War, the communication was more efficient. When the military began using flags as a way to communicate during the war was very useful. The flags was used to send codes and messages to the ground soldiers. One beneficial use of the flag method was that for important messages, the individual had to verify the message. The air force and officials in the book should have verified the messages after they were sent. The down side to the use of flag corps is that the individual was at risk of being shot down because they were in plain sight.  However, because of the lack of technology, soldiers could only rely on the minor communication they had.

            The army needs to improve their communication skills and tactical skills. Communication and tactics work hand in hand. If the unit does not communicate efficiently, there will be no order. If the unit does not have order, the battle is lost. The Rangers and Delta needed to communicate ideas, in order to work with the Deltas. The Deltas needed to strategize with the rangers as well as finishing the mission. Finally, there should have been a direct contact with the air troops and ground troop to ensure that a message was sent properly and quickly.