List of military operations

This is a list of missions, operations, and projects. Missions in support of other missions are not listed independently.

[edit] World War I

See also List of military engagements of World War I

• Albion (1917) — German capture of Oesel, Dagö and Moon Islands (now Saaremaa, Hiiumaa and Muhu)
• Hush planned Allied amphibious landing on the Belgian coast.
• Kaiserschlacht ('Kaiser's battle') (1918) — German Spring offensive using armies released from the Eastern Front.
  • Blücher-Yorck (1918) —
    • Gneisenau (1918) —
  • Georgette (1918) —
  • Michael (1918) —
• Strafexpedition (Punitive Expedition) (1916) — operation by the Austro-Hungarian Army against Italy (Italian northern front): the largest mountain battle ever fought.
• Z-O (1918) — British raid on Zeebrugge and Ostend

[edit] World War II

See List of World War II military operations

[edit] Cold War Era

[edit] Asia

• Ajax (1953) — Anglo-American plan for Iranian coup d'état that deposed Mohammed Mosaddeq and reinstalled Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
• Atilla (1974) — Turkish invasion of Cyprus, leading to subsequent occupation of northern Cyprus
• Operation Cactus (1988) — Indian armed forces oust Tamil nationalist mercenaries of PLOTE who instigated a coup in Malé in the Maldives.
• Operation Chengiz Khan (1971) — Pakistan Air Force launches a preemptive attacks on Indian air bases.
• Claret (1964) — British SAS and Australian SASR patrols into Indonesia
  • Jock Scott (1952) — British rounding up of suspected insurgents at the beginning of the Mau Mau Uprising
  • Anvil (1954) — British counter-insurgency operation in Nairobi during the Mau Mau Uprising
• Eagle Claw (1980) — Attempted rescue of American hostages held in Tehran.
• Earnest Will (1987–88) — American protection of Kuwaiti oil tankers in the Persian Gulf during the Iran–Iraq War
  • Eager Glacier (1987–88) — U.S. spy planes gather intelligence about Iran.
  • Nimble Archer (1987) — U.S. retaliates for Iranian missile attack on reflagged Kuwaiti tanker.
  • Praying Mantis (1988) — U.S. retaliates against Iran for mining frigate.
  • Prime Chance (1987–88) — Special operations to protect Kuwaiti tankers, run largely from barges in the northern Persian Gulf.
• Evening Light (1980) — failed U.S. attempt to rescue embassy hostages in Tehran
• Operation Gibraltar (1965) — Pakistan's attempt to infiltrate and instigate a massive rebellion in Jammu and Kashmir, India
• Grand Slam (1965) — Pakistan's second attempt to cut off Kashmir from India.
• Lucky Alphonse (1956) — British sweep of Troodos area on Cyprus for EOKA
• Operation Meghdoot (1984) — Indian military's capture of the majority of Siachen Glacier.
• Nimrod (1980) — rescue of hostages in the Iranian embassy, London
• Paul Bunyan (1976) — UN forces remove a tree in the Korean Demilitarized Zone
• Sparrowhawk I, II and III (1956) — British operations against EOKA on Cyprus.
• Team Spirit (1976–1993) — Annual joint exercise with South Korean forces.
• Dwarka(1965)— Pakistan Navy's attack on the Indian coastal town of Dwarka on 7 September 1965. This was the first use of a Navy in the Indo-Pakistan Wars.
• Operation Trident (1971) — Indian Navy's bombing and blockade of Karachi Port, Pakistan.
• Operation Storm 333 (1979) — Storming Afghan Political and military headquarters

[edit] Europe

• Berlin Airlift of 1948:
  • Vittles — US part of the Berlin Airlift
  • Planefare — British part of the Berlin Airlift.
• Gladio (?) — Stockpiles of weapons in Switzerland, Austria and other countries for resistance to Soviet occupiers.
• Gold (1954) — covert American tunnel under the Berlin Wall
• Neptune (1964) — Soviet-led counterintelligence operation.
• Reforger — Annual American exercise to return forces to Germany.
• Retail (1946) — British clearance of naval mines laid in Albanian waters.
• Silver (1949) — covert British communications tap in Austria
• Banner (1969–2007) Deployment of British troops to Northern Ireland. To prevent sectarian killings and support the Police (RUC). Op Banner resulted in over 700 British Armed Forces deaths and 303 Police deaths at the hands of the Irish Republicans
• Operation Danube (1968) — Warsaw Pact invasion to halt Czechoslovakia's Prague Spring reforms

[edit] South America

• Operation Brother Sam (1964) — A US government contingency plan to support the military coup that overthrew the Brazilian constitutional president João Goulart, if the coup had faced armed resistance
• The track down operation (1967) — that capture and executed Che Guevara
• Operation Condor (1970's) — — A campaign run by then South American Military Dictatorships' intelligence services with United States' support, which goal was extrajudicial and secretly, find, capture and eliminate political dissidents who, had succeeded to escape political repression in their homelands but could be found in any of these other countries.

[edit] Central America and the Caribbean

• Fortune (1950s) — 1951 CIA plan for a coup in Guatemala. Executed as Success.
• Success (1954) — 1954 CIA coup in Guatemala.
• Northwoods (1960s) — plan to incite war between the United States and Cuba.
• Peter Pan (1960s) — transfer of Cubans to the US
• Operation Pluto (1961) — plan to invade Cuba and overthrow its' government using an CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles.
• Mongoose (1962) — plan for information gathering, sabotage, civil insurrection and overthrow of the Cuban government.
• Phibriglex (1962) — US plan and mock invasion by its armed forces of a Caribbean island. The exercise took place on Vieques and the purpose of the mock invasion was to overthrow a fictitious leader called Ortsac, whose name was, in fact, Castro spelled backwards. It occurred in August, shortly before the Cuban Missile Crisis. It is also known by the names Operation Ortsac, Operation Swift Strike II and Exercise Phibriglex-62.
• Anadyr — Cuban-Soviet plan to base nuclear weapons in Cuba; the cause of the Cuban Missile Crisis
  • Kama — Soviet plan to forward-base seven Soviet ballistic missile submarines in Mariel, Cuba (part of Anadyr)
• Power Pack (1965) — US deployment with OEA military support in the Dominican Republic
• Waverider (1972) —
  • Acid Gambit — Rescue of Kurt Muse.
  • Bushmaster — Security operations near US facilities.
  • Sand Flea — rehearsal for Just Cause.
• Cubana Flight 455 (1976) — a Cuban civilian flight from Barbados to Jamaica that was brought down by a terrorist attack did by CIA anti-Castro Cuban exiles and members of the Venezuelan secret police.
• Urgent Fury (1983) — US invasion of Grenada
• Contras covert operation (1980s) — The illegal arrangements of Ronald Reagan's administration to keep the financial, military, logistic and supply support for the Contras
• Golden Pheasant (1988) — US deployment in Honduras
• Just Cause (1989) — US invasion of Panama

[edit] Southern Africa

• Hurricane (1972–1980) / — Operations by Rhodesian security forces against ZIPRA and ZANU guerillas in Mashonaland.
• Operation Overload (1974) — Rhodesian security forces operation to establish protected villages.
• Savannah (1975–76) — South African intervention in Angola in support of the FNLA.
• Carlota (1977) — Cuban Deployment to counter South African attacks to Angola.
• Dingo (1977) — Rhodesian attack on camps in Mozambique.
• Tangent (1977–1980) / — Operations by Rhodesian security forces against insurgents in Matabeleland.
• Favour (1978–1980) / — Training of former insurgents to serve as security force auxiliaries in Zimbabwe-Rhodesia.
• Reindeer (1978) — South African airborne attack on SWAPO base at Cassinga, Angola.
• Rekstok (1979) — South African attack on SWAPO bases in Angola.
• Safraan (1979) — South African attack on SWAPO bases in Zambia.
• Klipklop (1980) — South African disruption of SWAPO logistics in Angola.
• Sceptic (1980) — South African attack on SWAPO bases in Angola.
• Protea (1981) — South African attack on SWAPO bases near Ongiva and Xangongo, Angola.
• Carnation (1981) — South African skirmishes with SWAPO forces along the Angolan border.
• Meebos (1982) — South African destruction of SWAPO's East Front HQ at Mupa, Angola.
• Askari (1983) — South African attack on SWAPO and FAPLA forces in Angola.
• Phoenix (1983) — South African response to mass SWAPO infiltration of South-West Africa
• Alpha Centauri (1986) — South African operation in support of UNITA in Angola.
• Modular (1987) — South African operation to reverse the FAPLA advance on Mavinga and Jamba.
• Hooper (1988) — South African operation followup to Modular in pursuit of retreating FAPLA forces.
• Packer (1988) — South African operation to push FAPLA and Cuban forces north of the Cuito river following Hooper.

[edit] Chad Civil War (1965–1993)

• Bison (1969–72) (French intervention to counter FROLINAT insurgency)
• Tacaud (1978–80) (Operation to avoid FROLINAT rebels taking Chad's capital)
• Manta (1983–84) (Intervention in the Chad-Libyan conflict)
• Épervier (1986–) (ongoing mission, originated to counter Libyan expansion in Chad)

[edit] Congo/Zaire

• Dragon Blanc (1964) — Operation White Dragon - Cancelled Belgian airborn intervention in Bunia - Congo
• Dragon Noire (1964) — Operation Black Dragon - Belgian airborn intervention in Paulis - Congo
• Dragon Rouge (1964) — Operation Red Dragon - Belgian airborn intervention in Stanleyville - Congo
• Dragon Vert (1964) — Operation Green Dragon - Cancelled Belgian airborn intervention in Watsa - Congo
• Verveine (1977) — French intervention in Shaba - Zaire
• Bonite/Léopard (1978) — French airborn intervention in Kolwezi - Zaire
• Red Bean (1978) — Belgian airborn intervention in Kolwezi - Zaire

[edit] Falklands War (1982)

• Rosario — Argentine joint operation
  • Algeciras — Planned Argentine sabotage raid.
  • Azul — Argentine invasion
• Corporate — British liberation
  • Paraquet — British recapture of South Georgia.
  • Black Buck — British long-range bombing raid
  • Keyhole — British commando raid
  • Purple Warrior — British training exercise incorporating lessons from the Falklands War
  • Sutton — British amphibious landings

[edit] Other

• Argus (1959) — test of nuclear bombs in the upper atmosphere.
• Blowdown (1963) — Australia/US/UK simulated nuclear explosion in a rain forest.
• El Dorado Canyon (1986) — US strikes against Libya
• Morning Light (1978) — Joint Canadian-US effort to recover Cosmos 954, a nuclear powered Soviet RORSAT.
• Operation Morris Dance (1987) — Australian response to the first of the 1987 Fijian coups d'état.
• Mount Hope III (1988) — covert recovery of a crashed Soviet-made helicopter from Africa.
• Nuclear testing List of all known named nuclear tests.
• Orion (1960) — DARPA project to design a nuclear pulse propulsion system.

[edit] Vietnam (pre-Vietnam War)

• Castor (1953) — French resupply attempts by paradrop at Dien Bien Phu
• Condor (1954) — French relief of Dien Bien Phu
• Lea (1947) — Unsuccessful French attempt to capture the leaders of the Viet Minh
• Vulture (1954) — or Operation Vautour, proposed American-French air operations against the Viet Minh around Dien Bien Phu

[edit] Korean War

• Blue Hearts (1950) — UN amphibious landings at Pohang.
• Courageous (1951) — Movement of UN infantry units up the Imjin River.
  • Tomahawk (1951) — Deployment of airmobile forces in the Battle of the Imjin River.
• Commando (1951) — Attack to the Jamestown Line.
• Chromite (1950) — UN invasion at Inchon.
• Little Switch (1953) — Exchange of sick and wounded prisoners of war between United Nations and North Korean/Chinese forces.
  • Big Switch (1953)
• Ripper (1951) — UN movements towards the 38th parallel to recapture Seoul.
• Operation Moolah (1953) — psychological operation against Communist MiG-15 pilots to defect.

[edit] Vietnam War

• Arc Light (1965) — US B-52 bombing campaign in Vietnam
• Attleboro (1967) — U.S. and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) air mobile operations in Tay Ninh.
• Babylift (1975) — mass evacuation/airlift of orphans from South Vietnam to the U.S. and other countries
• Barrel Roll (1964–73) Template:Country data Laos (1952-1975) — the bombing of Laos by U.S. forces, to support the Royal Laotian Army and CIA-trained Hmong.
  • Steel Tiger (1965–68)
  • Tiger Hound (1965–68)
  • Commando Hunt (1968–72) — U.S. bombing of the Ho Chi Minh Trail
• Bolo (1967) — Decoy mission to disguise the electronic signature of combat aircraft.
• Chopper (1962) — Major air mobile offensive near Saigon.
• Cedar Falls (1967) — Attack on National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (NVA or Viet Cong) positions in Ben Cat (the Iron Triangle)
• Dewey Canyon (1971) — Offensive against NVA communication lines in Laos.
• Enhance Plus (1972) — Resupply of military equipment and consumables to the government of South Vietnam.
• Flaming Dart (1965) — Reprisal bombing attacks by the U.S. Air Force against NVA units.
• Frequent Wind (1975) — Helicopter evacuation of U.S. citizens before the fall of Saigon.
• Game Warden (1965) — first major U.S. riverine patrol operation. Later Swift Boat operations included:
  • Ballistic Charge
  • Beacon Star
  • Beacon Torch
  • Bear Bite
  • Bear Claw
  • Beau Charger
  • Beau Diddley
  • Beaver Cage
  • Bold Mariner
  • Boone
  • Canyon
  • Daring Rebel
  • Deckhouse Five (1967)
  • DeSoto
  • Dragon Fire
  • Fortress Ridge
  • Seahawk
  • Sea Tiger
  • Market Time (1965)
• Hastings (1966) — U.S. and ARVN counter-offensive operations in Quang Tri
• Homecoming (1973) — repatriation of U.S. prisoners of war from Vietnam
• Leap Frog (1968) — Systematic canvassing of the opinions of senior ARVN officers by U.S. military intelligence on likely NLF actions.
• Menu (1969) — U.S. bombing of Cambodia
• Malheur (1967) — Twin phased Search and destroy operations in Quang Ngai
• Pegasus (1968) — Resupply and relief operations to U.S. Marines besieged at Khe Sanh
• Phoenix (1968) — CIA-organized assassination campaign against influential NLF operatives in South Vietnam
• Rich (1968) — Combined arms assault near the Ben Hai River in the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone
• Linebacker (1972) — Strategic bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong, and mining of Haiphong harbour.
• Ranch Hand (1961–71) — Spraying of herbicides (including Agent Orange) by aircraft and ground forces.
  • Trail Dust
• Rolling Thunder (1967–68) — Bombing of North Vietnam
• Sealords (1968) — Mekong River delta and inland waterways campaign by the U.S. Navy in Vietnam
• Starlight (1965) — United States Marine Corps actions near Chu Lai.
• Sunrise (1962) — Relocation of Vietnamese peasantry around Saigon to strategic hamlets.
• Tailwind (1970) — Alleged use of nerve gas against U.S. defectors in Laos.
• Toan Thang 42 (1970) — ARVN incursion into Cambodia
• Union I and II (1967) — American Marines in the Que Son Valley.

[edit] Post–Cold War

[edit] Asia

• Safed Sager (1999) — Indian Air Force operations in the Kargil War.

[edit] Rwanda

• Amaryllis (1994) — French codename for evacuation of civilians from Rwanda
• Amphibian (2001) — South African deployment to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda of observers to verify implementation of the Pretoria Agreement.
• Clean Corridor (1994) — escort of Tutsi military forces to Kigali by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR).
• Green Beam (1990) — Belgian military evacuation of civilians in Rwanda
• Ippocampo (1994) — Italian codename for evacuation of Italian civilians from Rwanda
• Silver Back (1994) — Belgian military evacuation of civilians and withdrawal of Belgian armed forces in Rwanda
• Silver Back (1994) — International codename for civilian evacuation in Rwanda
• Tamar (1994) — Australian contribution to peacekeeping in Rwanda.
• Turquoise (1994) — French led intervention in Rwanda to protect displaced persons.

[edit] Other Africa

• Addition (2000) — Canada's contribution to the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE)
• Albatros (1993–94) — Italian contribution to UN peace keeping mission in Mozambique (UNOMOZ)
• Azure (2005) — Australian name for UN peace keeping mission in Sudan (UNMIS) [1]
• Barras (2000) — British SAS destruction of a rebel group in Sierra Leone.
• Boleas (1998) — South African and Botswanan military intervention in Lesotho
• Blue Beam (1991) — Belgian military intervention and evacuation of civilians in Zaire
• Caravan (2003) — Canadian contribution to the French-led Interim Emergency Multinational Force in the Democratic Republic of Congo
• Cordite (2004) — South African observer mission to the African Union mission in Darfur
• Deliverance (1993) — Canadian mission to Somalia
• Eastern Exit (1991) — US evacuation of its embassy in Somalia
• Espresso (2002) — South African contribution to the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE)
• Fibre (2003) — South African mission to Burundi
• Green Stream (1997) — Belgian military evacuation of civilians in Zaire
• Liberation (2002) — Seizure of Asian-owned assets in Zimbabwe.
• Licorne (2002) — The French contribution to the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire.
• Mistral (2003) — South African contribution to the Mission of the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC)
• Montego (2003) — South African contribution to United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)
• Murambatsvina (2005) — Zimbabwe government's attack on residential district loyal to opposition groups.
• Nilo (2005) — Italian name for UN peace keeping mission in Sudan (UNMIS)
• Phillis (2004) — evacuation of British citizens from Côte d'Ivoire
• Restore Hope (1992) — American name for UNITAF, humanitarian intervention in Somalia
• Sharp Edge (1990–91) — evacuation of Americans from Liberia
• Shining Express (2003) — evacuation of Americans from Liberia
• Solace (1992) — Australian deployment in Somalia
• Tanker Two (2002) — South African Navy mission to shadow Greenpeace's MV Esperanza and prevent interception of the Pacific Teal, a plutonium transport.
• Teutonic (2005) — SANDF assistance to DRC transitional government.

[edit] East Timor

• Astute (2006) — Deployment of Australian military forces to East Timor following the May 2006 civil unrest.
• Citadel — Australia's contribution to the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET). Later ongoing peacekeeping actions were known as Operation Tanager.
• Chiron — Training of East Timorese military forces by the Australian Defence Force.
• East Timor — Deployment of New Zealand military forces to East Timor.
• Faber — Deployment of United Nations military observers to East Timor in support of the UNAMET-monitored popular consultation.
• Poinciana (1975) — Or Operasi Flamboyan (a name of a tropical tree); seaborne capture of Dili in 1975.
• Seroja (1975) — Indonesian invasion of East Timor in 1975.
• Stabilise — Also spelled as Operation Stabilize; Australian Defence Force's involvement in the multinational force United Nations International Force in East Timor (INTERFET) in East Timor
• Scorched Earth — Or Operasi Sapu Bersih in Indonesian, also known as Operation Clean Sweep; campaign of violence and arson allegedly committed by the TNI-supervised pro-integration militias following the 1999 United Nations supervised plebiscite.
• Spitfire — Evacuation of foreign nationals from East Timor by Australian defence assets, as a result of post-referendum violence.
• Toucan — Canada's contribution to the United Nations' International Force in East Timor (INTERFET) and the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET)
• Warden — Military operation involving all contributing forces conducted under the multinational peacekeeping mission known as United Nations' International Force in East Timor (INTERFET)

[edit] Croatian War of Independence 1991-1995

• Operation Otkos 10 (end Oct-Nov 1991) — Croatian actions against rebel Serbs and regular Serbian forces on area from Mount Bilogora to Mount Papuk (on west of Slavonia)
• Operation Orkan 91 (1991) — Follow-up offensive after Otkos 10.
• Harmony — Canada's contribution to the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), which was created in February 1992 to ensure the protection and demilitarization of three UN Protected Areas in Croatia
• Operation Tigar (July 1992) — Croatian military actions in occupied Dubrovnik hinterland, held by Serbomontenegrin regulars.
• Medački džep (September 1993) Croatian offensive against rebel Serbs with aim of relieving the city of Gospić from Serb shelling attacks.
• Bljesak (Flash) (March 1995) — Croatian offensive against rebel Serbs, with aim of liberating occupied western Slavonia
• Oluja (Storm) (August 1995) — Croatian major offensive against most areas under control of rebel Serbs.

[edit] War in Bosnia and Herzegovina 1992-1995

• Maritime Monitor (July 1992 - November 1992) — in support of UN resolutions 713 and 757, operation which subsequently became:
  • Maritime Monitor (November 1992) — in support of UN Resolution 787
• Sky Monitor (October 1992 -) — NAEW orbit over the Adriatic. On 31 October an additional NAEW orbit was commenced over Hungary
• Deny Flight (April 1993 - December 1995) — to prevent the violation of the Bosnia-Herzegovina airspace, declared No-Fly Zone
• Neretva '93 (1993) — offensive of Bosnian Muslim forces against Bosnian Croats in northern and eastern Herzegovina
• Bøllebank (Hooligan-bashing in Danish) (April 1994) — UN-forces' use of tanks against Bosnian Serbian forces.
• Amanda (1994) — Danish UN-forces' second engagement against Bosnian Serb forces.
• Summer '95 (July 1995) — Croatian offensive in west Bosnia
• Sword '95 (1995) — Bosnian-Serb offensive against Bosnian-Moslem forces in west Bosnia
• Koridor '92 (1995) — One of the most successful Bosnian-Serb operations against Moslem and Croatian military forces
• Deliberate Force (August - September 1995) — NATO air campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Tiger (1995) — offensive of pro-government Bosnian Muslim forces against forces of Fikret Abdić
• Maestral (September 1995) — Major Croatia offensive in western Bosnia
• Južni Potez (October 1995) — Croatia offensive in area around Mrkonjić Grad
• Sana (19