The assistant intelligence officer for 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment during Operation Phantom Fury (Al Fajr), Captain Michael S. Erwin's principal duties during the November 2004 combined-joint assault to retake the Iraqi city of Fallujah were in the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance realm. Working with Task Force 2-7's Raven unmanned aerial vehicle and coordinating (and deconflicting) with UAVs controlled by Marine Corps units as well, Erwin focused mainly on Fallujah's Jolan District and provided real-time information on enemy locations and movements to the maneuver forces. "We were able to save soldiers lives," he said, "by determining where the enemy was before we got there." Reflecting at length on the conduct of urban operations and the critical importance UAVs play, Erwin states that this was "the first time [he] got to see the future of military intelligence actually taking place at the present time. It wasn't just, 'Hey, I think the enemy might be here,'" he explained. “We were able to say, ‘We know where the enemy is.’” In addition, Erwin discusses the unique situation in which his Active Duty battalion was attached to a National Guard brigade: the 39th Enhanced Separate Brigade out of Arkansas. Accounting for the overwhelming success of Phantom Fury, he observes: “It goes to show that, yes, there were insurgents there and they did have some success in day-to-day operations. But when it came to the real fight, it just demonstrated the unbelievable, overwhelming capability that our armed forces have when we combine Air Force, Marines and Army, when we’re on the same page, and when we’re working together. It goes to show that we are still that dominant when we have to go head to head with someone.

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