The 7th Marine Regiment was formed during World War I on 14 August 1917 at Philadelphia, PA and immediately deployed to participate in the occupation of Cuba from August 1917 to August 1919. They returned to Philadelphia in August 1919 and were deactivated on 6 September in the demobilization that followed the war. When the Marine Corps was called upon to provide peacekeepers in the Caribbean, elements of the Regiment were reactivated on 6 September 1933 at Quantico, VA and deployed on Naval ships off the Cuban coast. At the end of the crisis, 7th Marines was again deactivated on 17 January 1934.
With the cloud of World War II on the horizon, the nation expanded the size of the Corps and on 1 January 1941 the 7th Marine Regiment was reactivated in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and assigned to the 1st Marine Brigade. The Regiment moved to Parris Island, SC before settling in New River, NC. On 2 April 1942, the Magnificent 7th embarked for the Pacific to reinforce units already there to stem the Japanese march towards Australia. On 18 September 1942, after training in jungle warfare in the Samoa Islands, the Regiment landed in the Solomon Islands on Guadalcanal. For four long months the Regiment relentlessly attacked the Japanese defenders and repulsed their Banzai charges and suicidal attacks. Over the course of a hundred fights, the Regiment earned a reputation for courage and daring. On Guadalcanal the heroism of Medal of Honor winners Manila John Basilone and Mitchell Paige, and Navy Cross winner "Chesty" Puller, represented the actions of the Marines of the 7th Marine Regiment.
Arriving in Australia in January 1943, the vast majority of the Regiment suffered from malaria, wounds, or just plain fatigue; but they had accomplished their mission. Though the Regiment went to Australia to train and refit for the coming battles and not for liberty, a grateful population gave them a tumultuous welcome. Again and again the Regiment was called upon to storm the Japanese-held islands in the Pacific. The 7th Marine Regiment fought in such places as Eastern New Guinea, New Britain, Peleliu, and the island fortress of Okinawa. From Guadalcanal to Okinawa, the Regiment had written a history of courage and ferocity in combat.
In the years after the war, 7th Marines continued to serve on far off shores, occupying North China from 1945-1947 and disarming the Japanese troops still stationed in that country and keeping the peace in a China torn by civil war. Upon returning to Camp Pendleton, CA from China in January 1947, the Regiment was deactivated yet again on 6 March only to be reactivated on 1 October. The reactivation was short lived, however, and 7th Marines was deactivated on 1 October 1949.
On 17 August 1950 the Regiment was reactivated, and on 21 September 1950 the Regiment landed as part of the 1st Marine Division in General MacArthur's brilliant stroke to stem the North Korean tide at Inchon, South Korea. The Marines of the Regiment fought in Korea with the same tenacity and bravery that their predecessors had shown on the battlefields of World War II. From Inchon to the Yalu River, at the "Frozen Chosin" Reservoir, and in the long defense of South Korea until the armistice in 1955, Marines of the Regiment wrote further glorious chapters in their unit's history. The Korean War, however, was only the prelude to the long Cold War period that would hold the world on the brink of nuclear confrontation for the next 40 years.
In November 1962, substantial parts of the Regiment embarked for the Caribbean and possible action in Cuba, aimed at forcing the removal of Soviet nuclear missiles pointed at the heart of America. As the crisis subsided, 7th Marines returned to Camp Pendleton, CA. The confrontation with Communism, however, was not finished with the removal of Soviet missiles from Cuba.
In July 1965, the Regiment went into action against the foes of freedom. This time the battleground was Vietnam. On thousands of squad sized patrols, in scores of Battalion and Regimental sized operations, and in fierce Division sized battles such as the TET Offensive, the Marines of the Magnificent 7th proved that they were worthy successors to those who had gone before them. Whether in armed action against the enemy in places like Chu Lai, Da Nang, and Duc Pho, or in civic action with the local populace, the Marines of the Regiment performed magnificently. Through the long course of the war in Vietnam, until they left as part of the American withdrawal, the Marines and Sailors of 7th Marines never wavered from their duty. As the Regiment sailed for the United States in September of 1970, the members of the Regiment were proud of their role fighting against Communist aggression.
During the 1970s and 1980s, the Leathernecks of 7th Marines trained in every clime and place preparing for the moment when they would once again be called to fight the Nation's battles. In August of 1990, shortly after shifting the home of the Regimental colors from Camp Pendleton, CA to Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, CA, the Marines and Sailors of the Regiment deployed to Saudi Arabia to halt Iraqi aggression against its neighbors in Operation DESERT STORM and Operation DESERT SHIELD. Manning the "Line in the Sand", the Regiment faced the Iraqi invaders. For the attack into Kuwait, the Regiment fought with skill and aggressiveness, overwhelming the enemy. After their victory, they returned to Twentynine Palms in March 1991 with the knowledge they were warriors shaped in the mold of those who had served their Country and Corps before them as members of this elite Regiment.
In August of 1991, 7th Marine Regiment became Regimental Combat Team Seven (RCT-7) due to unique organizational changes that occurred with the addition of 3rd Light Armored Infantry (LAI) Battalion, 1st Tank Battalion and Delta Company, 3rd Amphibious Assault (AA) Battalion. In December 1992, RCT-7 deployed on Operation RESTORE HOPE to relieve famine and return order to Somalia. Over a five month period the Marines and Sailors paid in blood as they worked tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of the Somalian people and to restore order to their ravaged nation. On 13 August 1993, on the eve of the Regiment's 76th anniversary, the Regiment formally marked the return to its original designation by changing from RCT-7 to 7th Marines (Reinforced).
On 8 October 1994 the action cycle began again for 7th Marines (Reinforced) when a crisis situation in Southwest Asia forced the decision to terminate a combined arms exercise in order to prepare for a Maritime Prepositioning Force (MPF) deployment. This high paced contingency operation was titled Operation VIGILANT WARRIOR. Although the National Command Authority did not give the order to deploy the entire Regiment, its advanced elements moved into the Arabian Gulf in response to Iraqi troop movements toward Kuwait. In Operation VIGILANT SENTINEL, from August to November 1995, this sequence was repeated.
In August of 1996, organizational changes designated 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (formerly LAI Bn) and 1st Tank Battalion as separate battalions in direct support of the 7th Marines' MPF mission along with Delta Company, 3rd AA Battalion, who returned to their parent unit.
In the intervening years of relative calm, the 7th Marine Regiment continued to maintain a high state of readiness by continual and rigorous training evolutions. The calm was shattered on 11 September 2001 by a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and an unknown target that resulted in a plane crash in Pennsylvania. With the Nation suddenly involved in the Global War On Terrorism, 7th Marines prepared for its duty. In January 2003, the Regiment deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF) and was instrumental in the "March to Baghdad" with 1st Marine Division in March 2003. Over the next six years, RCT-7 would deploy to OIF five additional times and fight in towns like Ramadi, Fallujah, Al Qiam and Hit in Al Anbar province. Through each deployment, the Marine of the Regiment could proudly display the earned nickname of the Magnificent 7th.
Concurrently, the United States was fighting battles in Afghanistan as part of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF). Though subordinate battalions of 7th Marines had a near continual presence in the Helmand River valley, the Regimental Headquarters deployed as RCT-7 three times starting in March 2008. Cities such as Marjeh, Sangin, and Lashkar Gah, where some of the heaviest fighting in the country took place, were all under the command of RCT-7. On 31 July 2013, RCT-7 furled its colors as the final RCT to serve in OEF.
Description
2012: Strategic Agreement
Taliban attacks continued at the same rate as they did in 2011, remaining around 28,000 Taliban "enemy initiated" attacks.
Reformation of the United Front (Northern Alliance)
Ahmad Zia Massoud (left), then as Vice President of Afghanistan, shaking hands with a U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Team at the ceremony for a new road. He is now the chairman of the National Front of Afghanistan
In late 2011 the National Front of Afghanistan (NFA) was created by Ahmad Zia Massoud, Abdul Rashid Dostum and Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq in what many analysts have described as a reformation of the military wing of the United Front (Northern Alliance) to oppose a return of the Taliban to power. Meanwhile, much of the political wing reunited under the National Coalition of Afghanistan led by Abdullah Abdullah becoming the main democratic opposition movement in the Afghan parliament. Former head of intelligence Amrullah Saleh has created a new movement, Basej-i Milli (Afghanistan Green Trend), with support among the youth mobilizing about 10,000 people in an anti-Taliban demonstration in Kabul in May 2011.
In January 2012, the National Front of Afghanistan raised concerns about the possibility of a secret deal between the US, Pakistan and the Taliban during a widely publicized meeting in Berlin. U.S. Congressman Louie Gohmert wrote, "These leaders who fought with embedded Special Forces to initially defeat the Taliban represent over 60-percent of the Afghan people, yet are being entirely disregarded by the Obama and Karzai Administrations in negotiations." After the meeting with US congressmen in Berlin the National Front signed a joint declaration stating among other things:
"We firmly believe that any negotiation with the Taliban can only be acceptable, and therefore effective, if all parties to the conflict are involved in the process. The present form of discussions with the Taliban is flawed, as it excludes anti-Taliban Afghans. It must be recalled that the Taliban extremists and their Al-Qaeda supporters were defeated by Afghans resisting extremism with minimal human embedded support from the United States and International community. The present negotiations with the Taliban fail to take into account the risks, sacrifices and legitimate interests of the Afghans who ended the brutal oppression of all Afghans.
—National Front Berlin Statement, January 2012
High-profile U.S. military incidents
U.S. Army soldiers prepare to conduct security checks near the Pakistan border, February 2012
Beginning in January 2012 incidents involving US troops occurred which were described by The Sydney Morning Herald as "a series of damaging incidents and disclosures involving US troops in Afghanistan […]". These incidents created fractures in the partnership between Afghanistan and ISAF, raised the question whether discipline within U.S. troops was breaking down, undermined "the image of foreign forces in a country where there is already deep resentment owing to civilian deaths and a perception among many Afghans that US troops lack respect for Afghan culture and people" and strained the relations between Afghanistan and the United States. Besides an incident involving US troops who posed with body parts of dead insurgents and an video apparently showing a US helicopter crew singing "Bye-bye Miss American Pie" before blasting a group of Afghan men with a Hellfire missile these "high-profile U.S. military incidents in Afghanistan" also included the 2012 Afghanistan Quran burning protests and the Panjwai shooting spree.
Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement
On 2 May 2012, Presidents Karzai and Obama signed a strategic partnership agreement between the two countries, after the US president had arrived unanounced in Kabul on the first anniversary of Osama bin Laden's death. The U.S.-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement, officially entitled the "Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the United States of America", provides the long-term framework for the two countries' relationship after the drawdown of U.S. forces. The Strategic Partnership Agreement went into effect on 4 July 2012, according to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on 8 July 2012 at the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan. On 7 July 2012, as part of the agreement, the U.S. designated Afghanistan a major non-NATO ally after Karzai and Clinton met in Kabul. On 11 November 2012, as part of the agreement, the two countries launched negotiations for a bilateral security agreement.
NATO Chicago Summit: Troops withdrawal and long-term presence
Further information: 2012 Chicago Summit, 2011 NATO attack in Pakistan and Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan
On 21 May 2012 the leaders of NATO-member countries endorsed an exit strategy during the NATO Summit.[26] ISAF Forces would transfer command of all combat missions to Afghan forces by the middle of 2013, while shifting from combat to advising, training and assisting Afghan security forces. Most of the 130,000 ISAF troops would depart by the end of December 2014. A new NATO mission would then assume the support role.
2013: Withdrawal
Karzai–Obama meeting
Karzai visited the U.S. in January 2012. At the time the U.S. stated its openness to withdrawing all of its troops by the end of 2014.[314] On 11 January 2012 Karzai and Obama agreed to transfer combat operations from NATO to Afghan forces by spring 2013 rather than summer 2013.
"What's going to happen this spring is that Afghans will be in the lead throughout the country", Obama said. "They [ISAF forces] will still be fighting alongside Afghan troops...We will be in a training, assisting, advising role." Obama added He also stated the reason of the withdrawals that "We achieved our central goal, or have come very close...which is to de-capacitate al-Qaeda, to dismantle them, to make sure that they can't attack us again," .
Obama also stated that he would determine the pace of troop withdrawal after consultations with commanders. He added that any U.S. mission beyond 2014 would focus solely on counterterrorism operations and training. Obama insisted that a continuing presence must include an immunity agreement in which US troops are not subjected to Afghan law. "I can go to the Afghan people and argue for immunity for U.S. troops in Afghanistan in a way that Afghan sovereignty will not be compromised, in a way that Afghan law will not be compromised," Karzai replied.
Both leaders agreed that the United States would transfer Afghan prisoners and prisons to the Afghan government and withdraw troops from Afghan villages in spring 2013. "The international forces, the American forces, will be no longer present in the villages, that it will be the task of the Afghan forces to provide for the Afghan people in security and protection," the Afghan president said.
Security transfer
On 18 June 2013 the transfer of security responsibilities was completed. The last step was to transfer control of 95 remaining districts. Karzai said, "When people see security has been transferred to Afghans, they support the army and police more than before." NATO leader Rasmussen said that Afghan forces were completing a five-stage transition process that began in March 2011. "They are doing so with remarkable resolve," he said. "Ten years ago, there were no Afghan national security forces … now you have 350,000 Afghan troops and police." ISAF remained slated to end its mission by the end of 2014. Some 100,000 ISAF forces remained in the country.
U.S.–Afghanistan Bilateral Security agreement
As part of the U.S.–Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement the United States and Afghanistan reached an agreement on a bilateral security agreement, on 20 November 2013. If approved, the agreement would allow the U.S. to deploy military advisors to train and equip Afghan security forces, along with U.S. special-operations troops for anti-terrorism missions against Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. President Obama will determine the size of the force. The bilateral security agreement was signed on September 30, 2014.
2014: Withdrawal continues and the insurgency increases
After 2013, Afghanistan has been shaken hard with suicide bombings by the Taliban. A clear example of this is a bombing of a Lebanese restaurant in the Wazir Akbar Khan area of Kabul on 18 February 2014. Among the dead in this attack was UN staff and the owner of the restaurant, who died protecting his business. 21 people altogether were killed. Meanwhile, the withdrawal continues with 200 more US troops alone coming home. The UK have halved their force and are slowing withdrawing with all but two bases being closed down. On 20 March 2014, more than 4 weeks after a bomb in a military bus by the Taliban rocked the city once again, a raid on the Serena hotel in Kabul by the Taliban resulted in the deaths of 9 people, including the 4 perpetrators. The attack came just 8 days after Swedish radio journalist Nils Horner was shot dead by the Taliban.
In March 2014, The Christian Science Monitor reported, "The good news is that so far, Russia has shown no inclination to use the NDN [Northern Distribution Network, key supply line to Afghanistan that runs through Russia] as leverage in the wake of US retaliation for its troop movements in Crimea."
On 9 June 2014 a coalition air strike mistakenly killed five U.S. troops, an Afghan National Army member and an interpreter in Zabul Province.
On 5 August 2014, a gunman in an Afghan military uniform opened fire on a number of U.S., foreign and Afghan soldiers, killing a U.S. general, Harold J. Greene and wounding about 15 officers and soldiers including a German brigadier general and a large number of U.S. soldiers at Camp Qargha, a training base west of Kabul.
Two longterm security pacts, the Bilaterial Security agreement between Afghanistan and the United States of America and the NATO Status of Forces Agreement betwenn NATO and Afghanistan, were signed on September 30, 2014. Both pacts lay out the framework for the foreign troop involvement in Afghnistan after the year 2014.
After 13 years Britain and the United States officially ended their combat operation in Afghanistan on October 26, 2014. On that day Britain handed over its last base in Afghanistan, Camp Bastion, while the United States handed over its last base, Camp Leatherneck, both based in the southern province of Helmand, to Afghan forces.
Post-2014 presence plans for NATO and the United States
As early as November 2012, the U.S. and NATO were considering the precise configuration of their post-2014 presence in Afghanistan. On 27 May 2014, President Barack Obama announced that U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan would end in December 2014. A residual force of 9,800 troops would remain in the country, training Afghan security forces and supporting counterterrorism operations against remnants of al-Qaeda. This force would be halved by the end of 2015, and consolidated at Bagram Air Base and in Kabul. Obama also announced that all U.S. forces, with the exception of a "normal embassy presence," would be removed from Afghanistan by the end of 2016. These plans were confirmed with the signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement between the United States and Afghanistan on 30 September 2014.
