This monograph is more than the story of Marine expeditionary operations in Afghanistan. It describes who our nation's enemies are; how America became involved in the Global War on Terrorism; and how the Marine Corps struggled to acquire a major role in Operation Enduring Freedom, as well as the actions of Marines and sailors who helped prosecute the air and ground campaigns against Taliban and al-Qaeda forces.

The Global War on Terrorism -- Operation Enduring Freedom -- Striking back -- Changing plans -- Naval Expeditionary Task Force 58 -- Operational maneuver from the sea -- Operation Swift Freedom -- Concurrent and distributed operations at Forward Operating Base Rhino -- Interdiction operations -- Occupation and exploitation operations -- Concurrent and distributed operations at Kandahar -- Tora Bora -- Sensitive site exploitation and security missions -- Winding down -- Marines during Operation Anaconda.