Case Study: Battle for Crystal City 663-667

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to analyze the operational shortcomings of Kodiaker Forces during the Battles for Crystal City.

SCOPE:

The scope of this paper is to be all encompassing regarding the Armed Forces during that conflict. Outlining issues in command, equipment, and organizations.

SITUATION:

The Armed Forces of Kodiak (AFK) experienced sustained conflict against an organized resistance aided in part by outside intervention and traitorous elements of the AFK. In 663, a series of organized strikes and failed negotiations eventually culminated in armed resistance against the organized government of the Kodiak Republic. Chancellor Maltravers ordered a Joint Task Force of conventional military and law enforcement into Crystal City to dismantle barricades erected by protestors. Issues in command-support relationships led to significant misjudgment and eventually led to a retrograde operation in 664. The conflict would continue for three long years till 667 when the final organized strongpoints were compelled to surrender. During that time, the AFK conducted a campaign of attrition that eventually succeeded, albeit at great cost to the nation.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Urgent reforms are needed in AFK's command structure to continue the reforms of 642. The plan for joint command structures has failed to be fully implemented due to interservice rivalry. The Army General Staff, Navy Admiralty Board, and Air Defense Staff maintain autonomy and report directly to the Chancellor with a coordinating relation with the Minister for Defense (MINDEF). A Joint Service Staff must be organized in the near term to implement the regulations proposed by the Ministry of Defense (MoD).

The Army's intelligence collection capability unmanned systems to conduct tactical collection for targeting or informing commander's situational awareness. Relying on the Air Force for that mission. The Army is further underprepared to make use of armed drones to support targeting requirements at the tactical level.

The Navy did complete the transfer of old ships to the newly formed Coast Guard, but the launching of replacement ships has stalled. The modern frigate design '57 is still not fully delivered to the Naval Theaters. The modernization of older destroyers was completed, but these improvements will soon be overcome by the passage of time. Finally the new corvettes have not been efficiently manned and certified since their inclusion into the surface fleet.

The Air Force lacks major capabilities in the form of air-ground communication and engagement. Modernization must focus on implementing advanced combat training and more robust close air support from air squadrons.

ARMY OVERVIEW

GENERAL TRENDS

Command and Control was a prevalent issue during the conflict as highlighted in reports from numerous echelons. FM Falkenridge remained inflexible to changing situations on the battlefield by a more innovative opponent. In the early part of the campaign this led to a series of misjudgments between Army Troops and Police Units assigned to his command. Incidents of fratricide and near misses were high during the early campaign in Crystal City prior to the retrograde. During the Vanguard's initial offensive to secure the provincial capital and surrounding rural areas; Headquarters, 1st Kodiaker Army remained out of touch with most non-Army units leading to confused reporting regarding the front lines and general situation. This enabled Communard Forces to capture a large number of law enforcement personnel and raid several military depots in the rear as the security situation crumbled.

STRUCTURE

At the start of the conflict, the Kodiaker Army (KA) had an authorized strength of 170,000 active troops organized into 17 Infantry (Mechanized) Brigades, 3 Armored Recon Brigades, 2 Armored Brigades, 2 Air-Assault Brigades, 1 Airborne Brigade, and 10 Artillery Brigades as well as numerous other supporting brigades such as air defense, medical, sustainment, etc. From the Organized Reserve the Army further had access to another 12 Infantry (Light) Brigades, 5 Infantry (Mechanized) Brigades, and 2 Armored Brigades.

During the Conflict, the MoD organized a field army, the 1st Kodiaker Army (1KA) to assume command of forces combating the People's Vanguard. FM Falkenridge was appointed as commander. His service history was deeply influential in his initial selection given his combat experience fighting The Great North in the Darrent Conflict. 1KA was further organized into two subordinate headquarters, I Corps and II Corps. Falkenridge made the decision to forego the Division as the tactical unit of action. Instead utilizing the Brigades through the Corps for tactical maneuvering.

Falkenridge and several political figures were deeply involved in selecting the commanders of the operations against the Communard Forces. This would eventually result in the dismissal of two senior officers with political connections to the Kodiak Workers Party (KWP). One of these officers, Alistar Crane would defect after his dismissal along with 1100 Kodiaker soldiers, giving aid to the enemy and likely contributing to several tactical effects later on.

Initiative was discouraged according to both Corps Commanders, with focus on Falkenridge's centralized planning.

DOCTRINE AND TACTICS

Falkenridge, as a member of the Old Guard in military circles is one of the few remaining officers to have a strictly Kodiaker Education. He modelled his force structure and operations on the legacy doctrine that was prevalent pre-633. His heavy focus on conventional artillery bombardment and massed assaults by ground troops resulted in a strategy of attrition that eventually exhausted the ability of the Commune to replace losses.

EQUIPMENT AND WEAPONS

The majority of the KA inventory continues to be made of Tier 3 equipment with some Tier 2 equipment having been fielded to select battalions since the end of the Darrent Conflict. The Equipment provided by the United Regions Alliance (URA) has additionally bolstered one Brigade with Tier 1 tanks and Infantry Fighting Vehicles. However, the Army remains mostly deficient in replacing legacy equipment due to a shortage of maintenance personnel with technical skills to keep Tier 2+ in operations.

An area of key concern is the lack of tactical Unmanned Air System for ground commanders. The Army is reliant on the Kodiaker Air Force (KAF) for drone surveillance, the KAF is further hindered by small numbers of available systems to provide Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) support. During operations to secure Crystal City, 1KA utilized its armored recon units as ground scouts to conduct recon by fire techniques to identify Commune positions. This lead to high losses among the scouts and losses to a large quantity of armored vehicles.

The lack of ISR support was key to several situations with artillery usage which could not always rely on ground recon for target acquisition and battle damage assessments. This led to situations of blind firing against reported positions with little ability to gain accurate intelligence pictures of the effect. Reports are conflicting, but this may have led to a large number of civilian death in collateral damage.

NAVAL OVERVIEW

STRUCTURE

The Kodiaker Navy (KN) was largely underutilized during the conflict. However the main ships that saw action included the legacy cruiser Godsith, and legacy destroyers; Valiant, Guardian, Endurance, Spiteful, and Unyielding. These ships were organized between the 3rd and 4th Customs Divisions of the Coast Guard within the Southern Theater Navy (STN). Godsith would be heavily damaged in two engagements and all five destroyers lost.

The three diesel submarines of the STN remained in Robingrad during the entire Civil War due to issues surrounding their electronics. The remaining vessels of the STN were largely out of the conflict and did not see major actions.

DOCTRINE

Kodiak's maritime forces primarily protect coastal borders and patrol rivers for illegal activities. The Coast Guard is tasked primarily with conducting enforcement of laws on the seas while the Theater Navy is focused on combat operations against hostile forces. This is conducted with assistance from aerial recon by electronic support aircraft to direct surface vessels to engagement areas. The majority of the STN is organized around the Surface Action Group which is task organized for specific missions. Due to training and equipment shortcomings. The STN is most likely capable of only direct fire engagements instead of using the missile systems aboard the more modern ships. Due to this shortcoming, the STN is ineffective in a shore bombardment role for assisting ground operations.

TRAINING AND READINESS

The Kodiak navy conducts most of its training on the southern sea and continues to look to international navies and the URA to conduct joint naval operations.  However, the lack of funding and readiness for most vessels precludes this possibility. The four missile frigates in the STN have not undertaken operations since 659.

EQUIPMENT AND WEAPONS

The KN operates weapons and equipment with primarily tier 3 capabilities.  The KN can operate in most waters in and around the country, with the ability to conduct both day and limited night operations. Most Kodiak ships serve as patrol boats, but the country does possess some limited fast attack and landing craft capability. The navy lacks any modern ship based missile systems. Both submarine and surface ships lack TLAM and TSAM capability to influence ground operations. A small number of Anti-ship missiles are in stock with the surface fleet and the Naval Air-Group.

AIR FORCE OVERVIEW

STRUCTURE

The Kodiaker Air Force (KAF) saw only limited operations in the Civil War due to a lack of capable systems for engagements against ground targets, a lack of air targets, and a concern of enemy surface to air systems.

The Southern Air Command (SAC) based in Astroberg was the primary controller of Air Operations and provided support to 1KA during operations to defeat Communard Forces. Squadrons allocated to SAC included the KAF's only Close Air Support (CAS) Squadron, the Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) Squadron and two fighter squadrons which conducted missions from Robingrad and Astroberg.

DOCTRINE

Despite the change in doctrinal influences, the Air Force is impacted by a lack of ready aircraft and insufficient support.  A number of tactical innovations were written into doctrine since 643 however, the changing priorities of successor governments has resulted in lack of mass adoption and realistic training environments.

TRAINING AND READINESS

The Air Force recent training records indicate a 73% operational readiness rate, a steep improvement since the last review of 643.  Among pilots, the KAF maintains 80% of total pilots having reach Master Pilot ratings.

EQUIPMENT AND WEAPONS

The KAF continues to field the Multirole Fighter model '52 which remains a tier 2 aircraft on the international stage but is rapidly approaching tier 3 status as time continues. The CAS Squadron continues to use the slower predecessor airframe which is solidly in tier 3 territory and vulnerable to surface to air missiles due to a lack of electronic countermeasures or sufficient evasion capabilities. Vignette

VIGNETTES - CRYSTAL CITY

POLICE SERGEANT RONALD WILLIAMS

30 NOVEMBER 663 We were ordered to break up another of the protestor camps that had been barricaded in the business quarter. I was a member of Riot Control Team 9, there were 28 of us. The Army also was involved, they had sent a group of soldiers to provide security since we were unarmed except for the batons and tear gas launchers, but we only had four of the launchers. The trouble started during the transport to the area we intended to secure. The army escort took a wrong turn and we kept going on the original route so now our front was exposed, however the officer in charge thought they would turn around quickly and rejoin us before we arrived. But before that could happen, a garbage truck accelerated from an alleyway and collided with the first transport bus. I didn't see the effect because I was looking away, but they overturned the first bus and blocked the front exit door with the ground as a result. We immediately came to a halt and the second bus unloaded to set up a protective perimeter.

No sooner had we gotten the back door of the first bus open, the sniper began taking shots. The Lieutenant that had been in charge was down on the ground with a gaping hole in his neck, spraying me with a hot mess of blood. Every set up their riot shields to protect him while someone tried to put pressure on the wound. A second shot came from another direction and took down another member of the squad. Within a few seconds we were all scrambling to get to more protected areas behind the second bus. A few others in the first bus tried to escape the over turned vehicle but the snipers took two down immediately and pinned them down. We waved to the rear army escort since our radio didn't talk to them. Motioning to the area we thought the shots came from, but we couldn't be sure.

Then the Communard supporters were coming out of the alleys and throwing rocks against our shields. At some point one of the gas grenades went off in our group, we hadn't donned our masks yet and all organization crumbled for us. I didn't see anything after that point, but I heard the sounds of the sniper again with the addition of the machine gun on the army's gun trucks. By the time I had managed to regain my vision and senses, I could see a mob had overrun the two army trucks and one was on fire. None of my people were still on the street at that time. At least not the living ones.

CAPTAIN DERRICK AMOS

21 DECEMBER 663 I was the detachment commander for the 33rd Military Police Detachment assigned to support operations in the rural village of Pollocks. At the time, our task was to mark lanes for a combat unit that was withdrawing under heavy pressure from an irregular force. We would provide them guides through the security lines set up in the neighborhood to avoid friendly fire. It was dusk, the setting sun was still in our front. Through the radio we kept getting static burst but could not get the voice to be heard through it. As the first vehicles began approaching we identified them as belonging to the retrograding unit we were expecting. However as the first guide moved forward to wave them down, we realized these vehicles were crewed by members of the National Police, an argument began between the guide and the lead vehicle since they were not our intended unit. I moved forward to resolve the conflict, however it became apparent that more vehicles were arriving behind the stopped police unit and then the chaos started.

The second group of military vehicles began shooting the first with their machine guns and autocannons. At that range it was a gangster style drive by. My lead guide, was cut down in that moment too. The whole line opened fire against them. The Police and Rogue vehicles were indiscriminately shot. By the time I had regained control of my detachment and the other company commander his, four of the police vehicles were burning and three more of the rogue shooters. When we moved forward, the rogue unit was Communard irregulars, they had taken control of the gun trucks and armored personnel carriers of the unit we had been expecting.

The confusion was felt along the whole perimeter are many of the strong points were overwhelmed by the surprise and our control of the area was lost. We fell back so fast, the doctors and fuelers watched us in shock as they were left behind.

COLONEL HERMAN OSTERMAN

21 APRIL 664 I was the Chief Intelligence Officer for I Corps, after the disaster that occurred at the end of the prior year we were hanging on a by a thread. The Commune seemed to be everywhere at once, inside the lines, outside, above, and even under. We regularly talked about the end in the staff. It seemed so certain that we would be captured if this continued. When the negotiations began, I was appointed as a member of the delegation for a ceasefire. I was surprised that General Hayes, the Chief of Staff to FM Falkenridge and leader of our delegation seemed so calm about it as we arrived at the agreed upon site, a still functioning hotel with some conference halls.

I was further surprised that General Hayes was able to bluff our strength enough that the Communard delegation agreed to a 3-day ceasefire for civilian evacuations. If they had wanted, they could have trapped us all in the city and capitulated us, maybe some mercy was being shown in the hopes the war would be over soon.

We used those three days to prepare our own evacuation and once we started, it was surprising the Commune didn't throw more at us, when we were most vulnerable. One thing we did begin to see at this time, was the beginning of the use of small drones strapped with remote explosives. The Commune used these to great effect to destroy or disable many of our tanks during the withdrawal.

COLONEL REMUS ROYCE

18 JANUARY 665 I was the commander of the 6th Mobility Enhancement Brigade, we were tasked with clearing Crystal City of obstacles after the major fighting ended. My brigade has two battalions of dedicated combat engineers at the start of the campaign, but we had been with the main effort since the offensive began. My critical rolling stocks were depleted by the time we got into the suburbs. This was especially true of the mine rollers, we were only able to get four working in the whole brigade. I was forced to utilize my men as sapper teams to identify and clear explosives since the vehicles and the ground bots were all gone by this point. We took exceedingly heavy losses. The Commune had become quite adept at leaving plenty of surprises in the city. The Commune also blew every bridge in the city, forcing us to lay down almost 60% of our mobile bridge erectors to keep the sustainers moving.