Case Analysis- Operation Eagle Claw
Overview
Operation Eagle Claw is one of the many historical U.S. military operations that are popularly talked about. It was an April 1980 military rescue operation plan aimed at rescuing U.S. embassy hostages in Tehran in Iran. American embassy staff working in the U.S embassy in Tehran had been captured and held hostage by a group of Iranian college students, and the negotiations between Iran and the U.S to release the hostages had taken months but failed (“Operation Eagle Claw | ASOMF,” 2022). Therefore, the U.S., through the order of President Jimmy Carter, declared a military operation as a last resort to rescue the embassy staff from the hostage. The military, the navy, the air force, and the ground military combined efforts and planned a rescue plan where they planned to ambush the U.S. embassy in Iran, where the staff had been held hostages for several months (Richard, 2002). Unfortunately, Operation Eagle Claw failed for several reasons, including poor planning, logistical challenges, technical failure, and environmental challenges. The crash of helicopters killed several military men, and the breakdown and technical failure of some other weaponry forced the military to abort the mission in the critical hours when the troops were already on Iranian soil (Lambert, 2020). The tragic failure of Operation Eagle Claw complicated issues for President Jimmy Carter, prompting him to lose the 1980 election to Ronald Reagan and making him a one-term president. Get in touch with us at eminencepapers.com to get your assignment completed by a team of experts.
Questions and Answers
Do you agree with the Carter administration’s decision to launch Operation Eagle Claw?
I do not agree with Carter’s decision to launch the Eagle Claw operation to rescue the American hostages. One main reason is that the chances of success of this operation were slim because of the distance between the U.S. and Iran. It was obvious that the military was going to experience logistical and technical challenges they faced because of the distance (“Operation Eagle Claw | ASOMF,” 2022). Secondly, the operation was impractical because Iran had a strong military power that could easily counter the U.S. attacks, making things difficult and also endangering the lives of the hostages (Russell, 2012). The entire operation plan was rushed; thus, some critical factors such as the terrain, weather, and environmental conditions were not factored into the plans and therefore, endangered the lives of the military men and the weaponry.
Do you think that better self-leadership among the members of Carter’s decision-making team could have led to better decisions? How?
Yes, it is true that if there were people with self-leadership qualities in Carter’s decision-making, they would have guided the team to make better decisions than what they settled on. One of the characteristics of individuals with better self-leadership qualities is that they often do a cost-benefit analysis before making any decision. In this situation, the decision-makers were supposed to do a cost-benefit analysis of the operation to establish whether it was worth it (“Operation Eagle Claw | ASOMF,” 2022). From the outcome of the operation, it was clear that the operation had a more heavy negative impact on the U.S. than was thought. The U.S. lost eight military men in a helicopter crash in a desert in Iran, and in addition, the troops abandoned several helicopters and other expensive military equipment in the desert as they were trying to escape before Iran knew about their mission.
How could a team think approach have been beneficial in this situation?
The team in this operation could have led to a successful rescue mission. However, it seemed the decision to launch Operation Eagle Claw in Tehran was made by one or two people: President Jimmy Carter and the National security adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski (Richard, 2002). Since the two were seniors in the National Security Council, the decision was upheld and implemented as soon as possible. Operation Eagle Claw failed because it was not a collective or team decision-making, but one man or two men show. President Carter wanted to gain fame among Americans for rescuing the hostages and, thus, win votes for his second term (Russell, 2012). If only he had considered the views of everyone on the team, they could have had an organized and successful operation or made another safer decision.
What would you have done if you had been a member of the Carter administration’s decision-making team?
If I could have been part of Carter’s decision man team, I would have advised increasing diplomatic negotiations, this time using other friendly nations close to Iran. The U.S. had friends such as Egypt and Israel; these countries are close to Iran. I would have advised using the countries to help in the negotiation so that the hostages could be released (Russell, 2012). Moreover, I could have advised the decision-making team to approach the United Nations Security Council to intervene and help in the negotiations. I could have insisted that military action should not be part of the available options because it could endanger the lives of the hostages and those of the military men.
Critical Aspects
Some of the critical aspects form this story are: first, Operation Eagle Claw was one of the biggest failures of the U.S military; this failure lowered the confidence of Americans in Carter’s administration. The second critical aspect is that this mission’s failure exposed the American military’s weaknesses, making U.S. security vulnerable. Thirdly, Operation Eagle Claw’s failure made Jimmy Carter a one-term president since people voted him out because of their anger against his poor decisions (Russell, 2012). Another critical aspect is that the operation pushed an already strained relationship between the U.S. and Iran further.
Reflection
Operation Eagle Claw was a brilliant idea for Carter and the National Security Advisor since they settled on it as a last resort. The two were confident that they would launch a successful operation that could help resolve the long-standing issue of hostages in Tehran. The U.S. wanted to use its mighty military power to rescue the hostages to prove that it was a superpower. The phrase ‘Eagle Claw’ indicated how the military troops would snatch the hostages from the hands of the assaulters just like eagles snatch chicks from the mother’s hands in their claws. However, this operation proved futile due to poor planning and the dangers associated with the operations. Nevertheless, the operation failure taught me that in such critical decisions, all stakeholders need to be included in decision-making rather than the decision being made by a few individuals who may have vested interests.
I have learned that diplomacy is superior and will always be superior and a better option for conflict resolution. The U.S. made a great effort to negotiate, but the effort was fruitless. Resort to military action was not the best option because the hostages were not under killer harm. The U.S. could have used other means of negotiation even if it could take longer to resolve the issue. The declaration of the use of the military operation led to the loss of lives of the military men and some Iranian civilians and the loss of military equipment. I have also learned that personal interests should not influence an individual’s decision-making. The decision to launch a military attack was engineered by President Carter and the National Security Council advisor with the intent to win more votes from Americans. If only Carter’s decision was not motivated by certain interests, the operation could be successful.
References
Ball, G. (2009). 1980 – Operation Eagle Claw. Retrieved 24 June 2022, from https://www.afhistory.af.mil/FAQs/Fact-Sheets/Article/458949/1980-operation-eagle-claw/
Commander. (2022). Iran Hostage Rescue Attempt – Operation Eagle Claw. Retrieved 24 June 2022, from https://theveteransmuseum.org/iran-hostage-rescue-attempt-operation-eagle-claw/
Lambert, L. (2020). Operation Eagle Claw rescue mission [1980]. Retrieved 24 June 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/event/Operation-Eagle-Claw
Operation Eagle Claw | ASOMF. Asomf.org. (2022). Retrieved 24 June 2022, from https://www.asomf.org/operation-eagle-claw/.
Richard, R. (2002). Operation Eagle Claw-Lessons Learned. Retrieved 24 June 2022, from https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA402471
Russell, E. (2012).Crisis in Iran: Operation EAGLE CLAW. Retrieved 24 June 2022, from https://media.defense.gov/2012/Aug/23/2001330106/-1/-1/0/Eagleclaw.pdf
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Question 
1. Write a brief Overview/Summary of the case in your own words describing the nature and/or background information pertaining to the case.
2. Write the question, then Answer and Respond to all of the Questions in the case. Use the chapter content to strengthen and support your answers.
Case Analysis- Operation Eagle Claw
3. In your opinion, what were some Critical Aspects and/or Assessments in the cases that were identified? What were some Critical Aspects that you perceived to be very vital?
4. Write a minimum 1-page Reflection on what you learned from the case in relation to leadership and managing innovation and change.
5. Make sure your paper format is outlined with the following: (1) Cover Page Sectional Headings; (2) Overview/Summary; (3) Questions and Answers; (4) Critical Aspects and/or Assessments; and (5) Reflection Page.