The Invasion of Grenada Was Planned Using a Tourist Map

(Tech. Sgt. M.J. Creen/Department of Defense)

Navy SEALs reconnoitered Port Salines with Air Force combat controllers. The 75th Ranger Regiment conducted an air assault to capture the newly constructed airport and anti-air guns and neutralize Cuban special forces. The U.S. Army’s Delta Force helped liberate political prisoners, while U.S. Marines made an amphibious landing on the other side of the island to relieve pressure on the SEALs.

That was just the first day.

The 82nd Airborne landed to secure the airfield’s perimeter and rescue the medical students, as Army infantry fought to capture the main Cuban compound on the island. Marines and soldiers rolled up any remaining resistance on the coasts as the last defenders of the island deserted or surrendered.

Despite its overwhelming success, the invasion was not without its faults. Aside from the lack of planning capability and intelligence, communication issues between the services were apparent. Artillery, naval gunfire and close-air support missions killed friendly forces throughout the three-day invasion.

Other issues included Navy SEALs getting lost at sea, Army Rangers being left behind and a general lack of coordination between forces.

The result was the Goldwater-Nichols Act, which reorganized the Department of Defense and military forces, streamlining the chain of command.

Instead of the service chiefs independently reporting to the secretary of defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff now report through the chairman or a unified combatant commander.

By the next time the U.S. military was called up to intervene in the Western Hemisphere — the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989 — everything went according to plan, without purchasing any issues of “The Economist.”

— Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

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Publish date : 2024-07-16 01:04:00

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