Bergen
ADC
This was how outgoing SecDef Donald Rumsfled was described by Darth Cheney and Stumblebum George at his Gala Leaving Bash at the Pentagon yesterday. It sorta got me thinking about the multiple levels of lying that were going on in the lead up to the invasion of Iraq. I focused in on the operational aspects and the so-called Rumsfeld Doctrine and one event in particular.
In 2002 there was a $250,000,000 US all-arms exercise initiated. Named Millenium Challenge 02 it was the most expensive military exercise ever carried out. Background to the ex was the US fighting a war against a fictional Middle Eastern arab country. The identity of the country was a closely guarded secret but it was acknowledged that it was almost land-locked and had an I and a Q in it's 4-letter name.
Millenium Challenge was designed to have one purpose and one purpose only. It had to prove the Rumsfled Doctrine and silence the naysayers in the US military. The entire ex was being closely monitored by Rumsfled and his assistant Stephen Cambone; a man hated by the military.
The first mistake made was that the Red Team [enemy] command was given to Lieutenant-General van Riper USMC. This guy is a peculiar animal to say the least. He's highly combat decorated, extremely intelligent and takes shirt from no-one.
Van Riper ripped up the script that he had been given, rolled up his sleeves and went to war using 4GW techniques and tactics. Midway through the exercise Blue Forces were in complete dis-array and horror of horrors not only were Red Team winning but the critics of the Rumsfled Doctrine were being proved correct.
At this point the ex was stopped, the Blue Team losses were re-floated and their casualties nullified. New scripts were issued and the exercise re-started.
Van Riper resigned in silent protest and shortly thereafter Millenium Challenge completed and was declared a resounding success and the Rumsfled Doctine approved and forced on the military. A very dubious battle-plan was now being fixed for the invasion of Iraq based on this doctrine. Meanwhile the US Army top-dog General Eric Shinseki had taken onboard what van Riper had achieved and had agreed with his conclusions. He went face to face with Rumsfled claiming that the US force structure was too light and that no post-war planning was in place.
Rumsfled fired him. There was a disaster in the making.
So now we have the architect of the present fiasco being feted and declared to be the "Finest Secretary of Defence in US History".
Is he?
RM
In 2002 there was a $250,000,000 US all-arms exercise initiated. Named Millenium Challenge 02 it was the most expensive military exercise ever carried out. Background to the ex was the US fighting a war against a fictional Middle Eastern arab country. The identity of the country was a closely guarded secret but it was acknowledged that it was almost land-locked and had an I and a Q in it's 4-letter name.
Millenium Challenge was designed to have one purpose and one purpose only. It had to prove the Rumsfled Doctrine and silence the naysayers in the US military. The entire ex was being closely monitored by Rumsfled and his assistant Stephen Cambone; a man hated by the military.
The first mistake made was that the Red Team [enemy] command was given to Lieutenant-General van Riper USMC. This guy is a peculiar animal to say the least. He's highly combat decorated, extremely intelligent and takes shirt from no-one.
Van Riper ripped up the script that he had been given, rolled up his sleeves and went to war using 4GW techniques and tactics. Midway through the exercise Blue Forces were in complete dis-array and horror of horrors not only were Red Team winning but the critics of the Rumsfled Doctrine were being proved correct.
At this point the ex was stopped, the Blue Team losses were re-floated and their casualties nullified. New scripts were issued and the exercise re-started.
Van Riper resigned in silent protest and shortly thereafter Millenium Challenge completed and was declared a resounding success and the Rumsfled Doctine approved and forced on the military. A very dubious battle-plan was now being fixed for the invasion of Iraq based on this doctrine. Meanwhile the US Army top-dog General Eric Shinseki had taken onboard what van Riper had achieved and had agreed with his conclusions. He went face to face with Rumsfled claiming that the US force structure was too light and that no post-war planning was in place.
Rumsfled fired him. There was a disaster in the making.
So now we have the architect of the present fiasco being feted and declared to be the "Finest Secretary of Defence in US History".
Is he?
RM
