1 SITUATION

1.1 Overview

During the early morning hours, a US Army infantry patrol operating in the Kunar–Nuristan region of eastern Afghanistan lost contact with coalition command.

The patrol, callsign VIPER 2-1, consisted of twelve soldiers conducting reconnaissance along a suspected Islamic State Khorasan Province (IS-K) movement corridor.

At 01:37 local time, the patrol reported contact with hostile forces. The last transmission indicated heavy small-arms fire and an attempted withdrawal from its position.

All subsequent attempts to establish communication have failed.

Coalition forces have initiated Operation LOST CONTACT to locate the missing personnel and conduct a combat search and rescue operation.

1.2 Area of operations

The operation takes place in the mountainous region west of KHOST, Afghanistan, near the Pakistan border.

The terrain consists of steep mountain ridges, narrow valleys, isolated villages and limited road infrastructure. The rugged landscape provides excellent concealment for hostile forces and severely restricts ground movement.

Coalition rotary-wing assets will operate from FOB SALERNO, with KHOST Airfield serving as the primary medical evacuation staging point.

1.3 Weather

Weather and visibility: TBD.

Expected early morning mountain conditions. Aircrews should anticipate terrain masking and limited landing options.

1.4 Air threats

No organized enemy air threat is expected.

IS-K is not assessed to possess operational combat aircraft. Coalition aircraft are expected to maintain air superiority throughout the operation.

1.5 Ground threats

Small arms, heavy machine guns, RPGs, technical vehicles, recoilless rifles and possible MANPADS.

Taliban and Haqqani Network insurgents are active throughout the region, operating in small, mobile groups and using mountainous terrain, caves and isolated compounds for concealment.

Enemy forces are known to conduct ambushes, establish fortified positions and move reinforcements through mountain valleys.

Enemy strength and exact positions are unknown. Expect hostile patrols, concealed firing positions and possible reinforcements responding to coalition activity.

Civilian presence and the proximity of friendly ground forces may restrict engagement opportunities.

1.6 Friendly forces

VIPER 2-1 – Missing US Army infantry patrol, twelve personnel. Current location and status unknown.

Coalition aviation assets are available from Bagram, Jalalabad and a forward operating base in the eastern region.

Additional ground forces are on standby for insertion once a suitable landing zone has been identified.

1.7 Civilian/3rd part

Civilian settlements and local traffic are present throughout the AO.

Positive identification is required before engagement. Aircrews must take particular care when operating near villages and populated areas.

2 MISSION

Coalition aviation forces will conduct a coordinated combat search and rescue operation in the Kunar–Nuristan region to locate and recover the missing infantry patrol VIPER 2-1.

Rotary-wing assets will conduct reconnaissance, provide close air support, insert rescue personnel and extract survivors.

Fixed-wing assets will provide armed overwatch, CAS and interdiction against identified hostile forces threatening the rescue operation.

C-130J aircraft will conduct onward medical evacuation from Jalalabad to Bagram Air Base.

3 EXECUTION

3.1 Commander's intent

Locate VIPER 2-1, establish communication, secure the immediate area and recover as many personnel as possible.

Minimize coalition casualties and prevent unnecessary civilian harm.

3.2 Packages

The mission consists of one joint rescue package, callsign RECOVERY.

3.3 Order of events

The operation is divided into five phases. Progression between phases will depend on the developing tactical situation and orders from OVERLORD.

Phase 1 – Deployment

1. BLACKJACK4 departs the forward operating base and proceeds toward the patrol's last known position.
2. INDY9, JESTER1, HAWG8 and PIG7 depart their respective airfields and establish assigned holding areas.
3. RAGE9, SALTY1 and GREYHOUND3 prepare for rescue operations.
4. MIGHTY1 departs Bagram for its assigned holding or staging area.

Phase 2 – Search and reconnaissance

1. BLACKJACK4 conducts initial reconnaissance and acts as FAC-A.
2. Fixed-wing assets maintain armed overwatch and await further tasking.
3. Any suspected friendly positions are to be reported to OVERLORD.
4. Once friendly personnel are located, BLACKJACK4 coordinates initial CAS requirements.

Phase 3 – Rescue preparation

1. RAGE9 and SALTY1 proceed toward the rescue area on order.
2. CH-47F flights prepare for insertion of rescue personnel.
3. HAWG8 assumes FAC-A responsibilities when directed by OVERLORD.
4. INDY9 and JESTER1 remain available to engage confirmed hostile threats.
5. A suitable extraction LZ must be established before Chinook insertion.

Phase 4 – Extraction

1. Rescue forces secure the designated landing zone.
2. CH-47F flights extract friendly personnel as directed.
3. Apache and fixed-wing flights provide continued protection.
4. Evacuated casualties are transported to Jalalabad for transfer to MIGHTY1.
5. MIGHTY1 conducts onward MEDEVAC to Bagram.

Phase 5 – RTB

1. All flights remain on station until released by OVERLORDor limited by fuel.
2. Upon completion or termination of rescue operations, all flights RTB.
3. Mission results will depend on the number of recovered personnel and coalition losses.

4 ADMINISTRATION AND LOGISTICS

4.1 Airfield operations

Bagram Air Base

• INDY9 / JESTER1 / MIGHTY1
• Runway: TBD
• Departure and recovery: ATC instructions

Jalalabad Airfield

• HAWG8 / PIG7
• MEDEVAC transfer location
• Runway: TBD

Forward Operating Base

• BLACKJACK4 / RAGE9 / SALTY1 / GREYHOUND3 / second CH-47F flight
• Location: TBD
• Departure and recovery: Local procedures

4.2 Carrier operations

N/A.

4.3 Tankers

As per Aerial Refueling SOP.

Tanker support and availability: TBD.

5 COMMAND AND CONTROL

5.1 Frequencies

As per Comms SOP.

Flight intra-frequency assignments according to Master Arms standards.

5.2 Freq flow (Airfield flights)

Airfield Tower → Check in → Tactical → Airfield Tower.

Exact channel sequence to be assigned according to the airfield and tactical communication plan.

5.3 Freq flow (Helicopter flights)

FOB departure → Check in → Tactical / FAC-A → FOB or designated recovery airfield.

5.4 Brevity

• TANGOUNIFORM – Mission declared successful
• NIGHTFALL – Abort mission
• EYES ON – Missing patrol visually located
• LIFELINE – Radio contact with missing patrol established
• HANDOVER – FAC-A responsibility transferred
• GREEN ZONE – Extraction LZ confirmed available
• PACKAGE OUT – All recovered personnel have departed the extraction area

6 ANNEXES

TBD