Personal knowledge of Van Riper,Pronounced like ripe with an r,

[caligirl]

Before the blue suiters, Rummy and Bush, go after Van Riper,who is a green suiter, I thought I would get this down for information sake and because men like Van Riper are the real truth tellars and we need to know this is a professional we can rely on for his truth and expertise.

Van Riper is a legend, know one comes more strategically and operationally proficient. If you want someone who can defeat an army he can do it. Prior to the first gulf war, Central Command, people responsible for military operations in the middle east and headquartered in Tampa Florida, war gamed a situation of the first Gulf War to validate their plans. Van Riper played the enemy or opposing forces commander and conducted a brilliant campaign defeating the coalition forces led by Schwartkopf. Van Riper's operational brilliance was rewarded by Cent com Commanders, Schwartzkopf and others around him, telling Van Riper that the war game had to be done over, and this time he could not be so smart in his operations as the enemy. So Van Riper was told he had to do the game again and 'dumb down' the enemy operations. Van Ripers brilliantly won war game may have convinced some in the military planning that they had to plan thoroughly with limited objectives. You may recall in 1991 we didn't advance on Bagdad.

The significance of the establishment telling Van Riper he couldn't play smart is that they planned for the first gulf war as if the enemy was dumb. Once that becomes a cultural part of your institution your headed for defeat.
You can't assume insurgents are stupid people. In the current war Rumsfeld and Cheney characterized insurgents as left overs, and dead enders and trouble makers. If your commander can't get the job done you fire him. Rumsfeld should have been fired years ago.

One other thing, Van Riper was acting as a consultant, I think, when he fought the war game, he may have quit when they told him he had to fight it again but dumbed down for centcoms coalition forces team. Van Riper is a legend in the Marine Corps. Known for his operational and strategic brilliance.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2588205#258846

[H2O Man]

1. Nominated.

Thanks!

[chieftain]

2. Great post, thanks for the info and nominated.