WP: Army Historian Cites Lack of Postwar Plan

[Pirate Smile]

Army Historian Cites Lack of Postwar Plan
Major Calls Effort in Iraq 'Mediocre'

The U.S. military invaded Iraq without a formal plan for occupying and stabilizing the country and this high-level failure continues to undercut what has been a "mediocre" Army effort there, an Army historian and strategist has concluded.

"There was no Phase IV plan" for occupying Iraq after the combat phase, writes Maj. Isaiah Wilson III, who served as an official historian of the campaign and later as a war planner in Iraq. While a variety of government offices had considered the possible situations that would follow a U.S. victory, Wilson writes, no one produced an actual document laying out a strategy to consolidate the victory after major combat operations ended.

"While there may have been 'plans' at the national level, and even within various agencies within the war zone, none of these 'plans' operationalized the problem beyond regime collapse" -- that is, laid out how U.S. forces would be moved and structured, Wilson writes in an essay that has been delivered at several academic conferences but not published. "There was no adequate operational plan for stability operations and support operations."

Similar criticisms have been made before, but until now they have not been stated so authoritatively and publicly by a military insider positioned to be familiar with top-secret planning. During the period in question, from April to June 2003, Wilson was a researcher for the Army's Operation Iraqi Freedom Study Group. Then, from July 2003 to March 2004, he was the chief war planner for the 101st Airborne Division, which was stationed in northern Iraq.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24891-2004Dec24.html

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

1. kick

[slor]

2. How appropriate...

that a member with the name "Mayberry Machiavelli" would be the first to respond, though I know, deep down, that even Barney Fife and Gomer Pyle, would have done a better job than the chimp and all of his staff have done.

[baby_bear]

6. Heck, Opie would have had better sense

Even Aunt Bee.


I keep reminding myself that many, many were swept up by the sociopathic charm of Adolph Hitler. I don't see much difference, though I don't know if half the national population could see through that man the way one-half of the US population so readily sees through * and his neocon puppeteers.

b_b

[UpInArms]

3. PNACers' plan for post-war activities

only included arranging the flowers in a vase and eating the sweets.

:argh:

Wilson contends that a lack of sufficient troops was a consequence of the earlier, larger problem of failing to understand that prevailing in Iraq involved more than just removing Hussein. "This overly simplistic conception of the 'war' led to a cascading undercutting of the war effort: too few troops, too little coordination with civilian and governmental/non-governmental agencies . . . and too little allotted time to achieve 'success,' " he writes.

[despairing optimist]

7. PNACers' plan: kill all the historians

How did that one slip through?

"We don't need brains, just loyalty."

[katinmn]

4. here's another expert confirming we are up a creek w/o a paddle

to add to the other hundreds who spoke out before and after the reckless invasion.

[leftchick]

5. We all know that! Tell it to this guy....

[saltpoint]

8. U.S. foreign policy --

-- is a betrayal of our soldiers, our citizens, our allies, and our principles, not to mention the many thousands of Iraqis killed or wounded in Bush's war.

Shame on the president.

[caligirl]

9. If the Bushies try to dis the guy about his rank(Major) don't buy it

This guy was in a key position to see the paperwork the Generals saw. The fact that he is a Major( mid level field grade just above Captain but below Lt. Col and Colonel)has no importance. It is the job he had that is important here.

[indepat]

10. Rummy dum-dum?

[leftofthedial]

11. how did rummy let this one slip through?

it's incredible to me that there are enough supporters of these thieves to keep them in power

[Historic NY]

12. Plans, we don't need no stinking plans........Rummys ad lib war.....n/t