Combined Joint Task Force 7
Encyclopedia
Combined Joint Task Force
7 was the interim military formation that directed the U.S. effort in Iraq between June 2003 and May 2004. It replaced the Coalition Forces Land Component Command
on 14 June 2003. CFLCC was the land forces component of United States Central Command
that carried out the initial invasion of Iraq
, was established by Commander, U.S. Army Forces Central Command, in 2002/3, to oversee two corps-sized organizations, I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) and V Corps. These two corps-level formations carried out Operation Iraqi Freedom which began on 20 March 2003.
In a meeting which Commander-in-Chief Central Command, General Tommy Franks
held with his officers after the announcement of the Coalition Provisional Authority
in late April 2003, it was decided that a new Combined Joint Task Force
, headed by a three-star general, would be the best organisation to take over from the CFLCC. General Gene Renuart
chose the new force's number, 7, as that was the number his son had worn on his soccer uniform. Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez
was selected to lead the new force, drawing on the V Corps staff with senior officer augmentation from across the army.
The United States deployed more than seven-eighths of the soldiers in the occupying coalition with the majority of other troops coming from the United Kingdom and the rest made up from several other allies. Their status as Coalition Provisional Authority
, or "Occupying Powers" under a United Nations resolution
changed when the new government came to power on June 28, 2004, although they were still heavily influenced by the massive U.S. military and diplomatic presence in the country.
The Task Force was replaced by Multi-National Force - Iraq and Multi-National Corps - Iraq on 15 May 2004.
by 1st Cavalry Division, also with an ARNG Brigade attached, 3 ACR by 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, and 101st Airborne Division by a putative Multinational Division that in the event was never formed. In the event, the 101st was replaced by Task Force Olympia.
The complete OIF-2 rotation to brigade level under CJTF-7 was as follows (although OIF-1 and OIF-3 units were present at virtually every point during OIF-2):
Headquarters: III Corps
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
7 was the interim military formation that directed the U.S. effort in Iraq between June 2003 and May 2004. It replaced the Coalition Forces Land Component Command
Coalition Forces Land Component Command
Coalition Forces Land Component Command, or CFLCC, is a generic U.S. and allied military term. In U.S. military terminology, Unified Combatant Commands or Joint Task Forces can have components from all services and components – Army ~ Land, Air, Naval, Marine, and Special Operations...
on 14 June 2003. CFLCC was the land forces component of United States Central Command
United States Central Command
The United States Central Command is a theater-level Unified Combatant Command unit of the U.S. armed forces, established in 1983 under the operational control of the U.S. Secretary of Defense...
that carried out the initial invasion of Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, was established by Commander, U.S. Army Forces Central Command, in 2002/3, to oversee two corps-sized organizations, I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) and V Corps. These two corps-level formations carried out Operation Iraqi Freedom which began on 20 March 2003.
In a meeting which Commander-in-Chief Central Command, General Tommy Franks
Tommy Franks
Tommy Ray Franks is a retired general in the United States Army. His last Army post was as the Commander of the United States Central Command, overseeing United States Armed Forces operations in a 25-country region, including the Middle East...
held with his officers after the announcement of the Coalition Provisional Authority
Coalition Provisional Authority
The Coalition Provisional Authority was established as a transitional government following the invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies, members of the Multi-National Force – Iraq which was formed to oust the government of Saddam Hussein in 2003...
in late April 2003, it was decided that a new Combined Joint Task Force
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
, headed by a three-star general, would be the best organisation to take over from the CFLCC. General Gene Renuart
Victor E. Renuart Jr.
Victor Eugene "Gene" Renuart, Jr., is a retired United States Air Force four-star general. His last military assignment was as the commander of United States Northern Command which he concurrently served as the commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command from March 23, 2007, to May 19,...
chose the new force's number, 7, as that was the number his son had worn on his soccer uniform. Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez
Ricardo Sanchez
Ricardo Sanchez is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General and a candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for the Senate election in 2012 for the seat of retiring Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.-Early life and education:...
was selected to lead the new force, drawing on the V Corps staff with senior officer augmentation from across the army.
The United States deployed more than seven-eighths of the soldiers in the occupying coalition with the majority of other troops coming from the United Kingdom and the rest made up from several other allies. Their status as Coalition Provisional Authority
Coalition Provisional Authority
The Coalition Provisional Authority was established as a transitional government following the invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies, members of the Multi-National Force – Iraq which was formed to oust the government of Saddam Hussein in 2003...
, or "Occupying Powers" under a United Nations resolution
United Nations resolution
A United Nations resolution is a formal text adopted by a United Nations body. Although any UN body can issue resolutions, in practice most resolutions are issued by the Security Council or the General Assembly.-Legal status:...
changed when the new government came to power on June 28, 2004, although they were still heavily influenced by the massive U.S. military and diplomatic presence in the country.
The Task Force was replaced by Multi-National Force - Iraq and Multi-National Corps - Iraq on 15 May 2004.
Rotations 2 and 3
On 23 July 2003, the Operation Iraqi Freedom 2 (OIF-2) rotation for Combined Joint Task Force 7 was announced. The 3rd Infantry Division was to be replaced by the 82nd Airborne Division (-), the I MEF by what was to become Multinational Division South Center, 4th Infantry Division by 1st Infantry Division, with an Army National Guard Brigade (ARNG) attached, 1st Armored Division1st Armored Division (United States)
The 1st Armored Division—nicknamed "Old Ironsides"—is a standing armored division of the United States Army with base of operations in Fort Bliss, Texas. It was the first armored division of the U.S...
by 1st Cavalry Division, also with an ARNG Brigade attached, 3 ACR by 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, and 101st Airborne Division by a putative Multinational Division that in the event was never formed. In the event, the 101st was replaced by Task Force Olympia.
The complete OIF-2 rotation to brigade level under CJTF-7 was as follows (although OIF-1 and OIF-3 units were present at virtually every point during OIF-2):
- 81st Armored Brigade Combat Team81st Armored Brigade Combat Team (United States)The 81st Heavy Brigade Combat Team is a modular brigade of the United States Army National Guard based in Washington and California and is subordinate to the 40th Infantry Division.-Current Composition:...
(Washington ARNG)
- Task Force Olympia - replaced the 101st Airborne Division101st Airborne DivisionThe 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
as Multi-National Division - North- 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division (United States)
- 1st Cavalry Division - Task Force/Multi-National Division-Baghdad
- 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division
- 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division
- 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division (United States)The 3rd Brigade Combat Team is a combined arms armored Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division. Its major equipment includes M1A2SEP Tanks, M2A3 & M3A3 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, M109A6 Paladin Howitzers, and M1114 Up-armored Humvees....
- 5th Brigade Combat Team (Provisional), 1st Cavalry Division
- 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (ARNG) (Baghdad/Taji, IraqTaji, IraqTaji, At Taji or Tajidiyah is a town approximately 20 miles north of the city of Baghdad, and is located in the Al-Faris district of the Salah ad Din Governorate. Taji is the location of a large U.S.-controlled military base.-History:...
)
- 1st Infantry Division
- 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st ID
- 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st ID3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division (United States)The 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team is an infantry brigade based at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The brigade is a subordinate unit of 1st Infantry Division.The brigade was redesignated, re-organized & re-stationed several times:...
- 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th ID
- 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team (Mechanized)30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team (United States)The 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team is a modular heavy brigade of the United States Army National Guard.The unit is composed of units from North Carolina and West Virginia. It was formed from the remains of the downsized 30th Infantry Division of World War II fame...
(North Carolina Army National GuardNorth Carolina Army National GuardThe North Carolina Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army, the United States National Guard, and the North Carolina National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its...
)
- I Marine Expeditionary Force
- 1st Marine Division
- Regimental Combat Team 1
- Regimental Combat Team 7
- 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division
- 1st Marine Division
- Multinational Division Central-SouthMultinational Division Central-SouthMultinational Division Central-South , created in September 2003, and supported by NATO, was a part of the Multinational Force Iraq. Headquartered in Camp Echo, it was under Polish command until October 2008, when the last of Poland's troops were withdrawn. Polish contingent was its largest...
(Polish led)- Polish Brigade
- Plus Ultra BrigadePlus Ultra BrigadeThe Plus Ultra Brigade, or Brigada Hispanoamericana, was a military contingent of mixed personnel from Spain , the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua , which was commissioned to support coalition troops in the Iraq War. The deployment started in July 2003...
- 5th Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine)5th Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine)The 5th Separate Mechanized Brigade was a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces sent to Iraq in august of 2003. Brigade was deployed from 17 August 2003 to March 2004.-Mission objectives:*Maintain stability and safety in Wasit Governorate...
replaced by 6th Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine)6th Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine)The 6th Separate Mechanized Brigade was a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces sent to Iraq in March 2004 to replace 5th Mechanized Brigade...
Further reading
- Thomas E. Ricks, Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in IraqFiasco (book)Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq is a book by Washington Post Pentagon correspondent Thomas E. Ricks. Fiasco deals with the history of the Iraq War from the planning phase to combat operations to 2006 and argues that the war was badly planned and executed...
, 2006 - Michael Gordon and Bernard Trainor, Cobra IICobra IICobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq is a 2006 book written by Michael R. Gordon, chief military correspondent for The New York Times, and Bernard E. Trainor, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant general, which details the behind-the-scenes decision-making leading to the...
, Pantheon Books, 2006