1/35 Master Box – US Check Point (Iraq 2003) 3591

The Second Persian Gulf War2003 invasion of Iraqwas formally launched on March 19. 2003. and formally ended with a speech by US President George W. Bush Jr. on May 1. 2003. It is worth remembering. however. that American troops and the countries supporting them officially remained in Iraq until 2011. The main cause of the conflict was the US’s desire to destroy the weapons of mass destruction allegedly owned by Iraq and the country’s alleged sponsorship of international terrorism. a slogan that was particularly popular and important for US citizens after the tragic attack of September 11. 2001. On one side of the barricade. in the course of this war. stood the troops of the anti-Iraqi coalition. composed of the forces of several countries (including Poland). but mainly of the United States. which in the period March–April 2003 totaled approximately. 200.000. Over time. the number of these forces changed. Their opponent was the Iraqi forces. estimated at 350.000–380.000 soldiers. Paradoxically. then. the Iraqi forces had an advantage in numbers. but they were clearly inferior to the coalition forces on other levels of the art of war. Contrary to the First Gulf War. the command of the coalition forces decided to conduct simultaneous. very intensive operations on land and in the air. focusing primarily on the technological advancement of its own forces. surprise. and speed of action. The main goal of the operation was to seize Baghdad as a result of a violent raid by coalition troops deep into Iraq. It is worth adding that in the course of this highly mobile phase of the war. the coalition’s troops bypassed larger cities. making an exception for the important city of Basra. Within 21 days of the start of the attack. the coalition’s troops had reached Baghdad. and on April 9. 2003. the capital of Iraq was formally in the hands of the coalition forces. Considering the war from a purely military point of view. it ended with the complete success of the coalition forces. achieved very quickly and with minimal losses. From a political point of view. however. it turned out to be a debatable victory. and what’s more. it engaged American troops in long-term stabilization activities in Iraq. the cost of which—both human and economic—probably exceeded the costs of the March-April 2003 operation.

The United States Armed Forcesare currently the most powerful and strongest troops in the world. with an active staff of approximately 1.36 million people and a budget of $686 billion in 2018. One of their most important components is the ground army. i.e.. the United States Army. in which 476.000 soldiers in the line served in 2017. The most numerous type of army in the ground forces is. of course. infantry. primarily motorized and mechanized. It is theoretically assigned to divisions. but in practice. it very often operates within the Brigade Combat Team. Infantry units are divided into the classic Infantry Brigade Combat Team. consisting of. inter alia. three infantry battalions and support units. In 2014. it consisted of about 4.400 people and an infantry brigade on Stryker vehicles (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) based on three motorized infantry battalions and support units. In 2014. it had around 4.500 soldiers and 307 Styker vehicles in various versions. The American infantry also serves in the Armored Brigade Combat Team. in companies. and in mechanized infantry battalions. The main shooting weapons of the American infantryman are the 5.56 mm M16 and M4 rifles. As an interesting fact. it can be said that the private (Private E1) US Army earns about $20.000 annually. while the sergeant (Sergeant E5). with 2 years of experience. earns about $ 28.700. These are basic salaries. without any allowances or bonuses.