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Truman Library Symposium 15JUL10
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A 21ST CENTURY WAR
Kevin Benson, PhD
Colonel, US Army (ret)
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Purpose
• Offer useful information to fellow teachers.• Tell the story of how we developed our
plans for operations in Iraq.• Explain, from my perspective, the external
and internal pressures on the planners.• Share my observations and reflections.
Truman Library Symposium 15JUL10
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Britney !!!
Do you know who this is?
Truman Library Symposium 15JUL10
Prof. Weaver Class 13 MAR 08 4Do you know who this is?
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Policy and War • War is merely the continuation of policy by other means.
– We see, therefore, that war is not merely an act of policy but a true political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse, carried on with other means. What remains peculiar to war is simply the peculiar nature of its means. War in general, and the commander in any specific instance, is entitled to require that the trend and designs of policy shall not be inconsistent with these means. That, of course, is no small demand; but however much it may affect political aims in a given case, it will never do more than modify them. The political object is the goal, war is a means of reaching it, and means can never be considered in isolation from their purpose.
Clausewitz, ON WAR, paragraph 24, p. 87
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Damned Reality
Having a Plan
Executing a Plan
Easy (relatively)
HARDThe enemy always
gets a vote!
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A comment that made me go, “HMMM …!!
“It’s hard to conceive that it would take more forces to provide stability in post-Saddam Iraq than it would take to conduct the war itself and to secure the surrender of Saddam’s security forces and his army. Hard to imagine.” Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, remarks to the House Budget Committee, 27 February 2003
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EVOLUTION OF THE CFLCC OPLAN
VIGILANT GUARDIANSEP 01 – MAR 02
OPLAN BLUEMAR 02 – APR 02
COBRA IIJUL 02 – MAR 03
One CorpsLimited Objective Attack
To create Battlespace and Secure the
Southern Iraqi Oil FieldsTPFDL
Two CorpsSimultaneous
Attack to IsolateBaghdad
Generated Start ForceTPFDL
Two CorpsSequential
Attack to Isolate BaghdadRunning Start Force
TPFDL / Force Packages
Two CorpsSimultaneous
Attack to Remove RegimeTPFDL / Force Modules / RFF’s
? ? ? No TPFDL ? ? ?
Northern Line of Operation• Heavy / Light BCT – Demonstration• Heavy / Light BCT – Limited Objective Attack• Two Division (Coalition) – Supporting Attack• Division Combat Team – Supporting Attack
Continuous tensionregarding amount of
Force required “on theGround” to begin
the Ground Operation
IMMINENTBADGER
APR 02 – JUL 02
ECLIPSE IIJAN 03 – APR 03
Initially Two CorpsRestore Stability
Planning began JUN02
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UNKNOWN
PHASE III
PHASE IV
PHASE II
Preparation
Air Ops
Deployforces
~ 5 DAY
S
PHASE I~ 11
DAYS
N-Day
N= POTUS Decision C = Forces flow BeginA = Air Operations Begin G = Ground Operations Begin
G-Day
A- DayC-Day Air attacks (C+11)
Flow begins
~ 16 DAYS
POTUS Decision
Air bridge
Mobilization
PHASING CONSTRUCT “5-11-16-125” Nov 02
CFLCC LD
~ 125 DAYS (WORST CASE)
Decisive Maneuver Regime Removal / Transition
Shaping Operations
PHASE IV
PHASE III
PH II
PHASE I
Decisive Maneuver Regime Removal / Transition
Setting Theater
ConditionsShaping
Opns
CENTCOM
*Limited Pre-C Day Movements
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Phase III D+15 – D+18
Phase III: Scheme of ManeuverD+15 – D+18 (3- 6 April)
III
Tallil
Jalibah
LSAAdder
3XX
1XX
I I I11
A
M
XXXV
LSA BUSHMASTER XXXI
1
XX
UK
XTF
TARAWAXX
V
XX(-)82
I MEF: Supporting EffortD+15• Established blocking positions prior to
attacking Baghdad DivisionD+16• Attacked to destroy Baghdad Div• Isolates SE Baghdad• Continues destruction of Regime Death
Squads (RDS)• UK forces conducts aggressive patrolling
in zone to destroy RDS
D+17• 1st MARDIV secures OBJ Ravens• 1UK DIV conducts raid on Said Traffic
circle in AL Bashrah (WEST)
D+18• Attacked to extend isolation of Baghdad
V CORPS: Main EffortD+15• 3ID advanced through Karbala Gap
and secure key objectives• F-15E dropped one GBU on friendly
troops D+16• 2BCT, 3ID seized OBJ Saints and
established roadblocks along HWY 1,8 and 9
• 1BCT, 3ID engaging 2 pockets of infantry and a T72 near BIAP
• 82d ABN attacks north of As Samawah
D+17• 3ID secures BIAP and OBJ Saints• 101 AASLT secures AN NAJAF and
FARP ShellD+18• 3ID conducts armored raid through
Baghdad
352CA CMD D+16402d CA BDE delivered 17280 HDR’s and 120 pallets of water to LSA Adder
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PHASE III
Phase IV Concept and Nesting
Decisive Maneuver
Regime Removal / Transition
PHASE III
Decisive Maneuver
Regime Removal / Transition
CFC
CFLCC
IVa Stabilization IVb Recovery IVc Transition
BaghdadIsolated
CJTF-IRAQ
Regime Collapse/Military Defeat
CFLCCRedeployed
OFFENSESTABILITY
SUPPORT
The Nature of Operations
IndependentIraqi Govt
PHASE IV
CFLCC exercisesmilitary authority on
regional basis
Interim administration
DP DP
DP DP
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Irbil
Kirkuk
Mosul
Baghdad
Karbala
An NajafAl Amarah
Al Basrah
KDP, PUK and Turkomans• Territorial / oil infrastructure
claims.• Score settling against
Sunnis (Arabization).
KDP, PUK and Turkomans• Territorial / oil infrastructure
claims.• Score settling against
Sunnis (Arabization).
Shia holy cities*• Inter Shia power struggles • score settling against
Sunnis.• religious rioting in the past.• An Najaf is the location of
the shrine of Imam Ali B. Abi Talib and the grave site of the martyr Imam Husayn is in Karbala.
Shia holy cities*• Inter Shia power struggles • score settling against
Sunnis.• religious rioting in the past.• An Najaf is the location of
the shrine of Imam Ali B. Abi Talib and the grave site of the martyr Imam Husayn is in Karbala.
• Intra Tribal factionalism.• Score settling against
Sunnis.
• Intra Tribal factionalism.• Score settling against
Sunnis.
Threats to Coalition Force • Resistance from remnants of Iraqi Armed Forces.• Asymmetric Threat .
• Terrorist attacks on LOCs.
• Unconventional use of WMD.
• Atks against Key Oil Nodes.
Threats to Coalition Force • Resistance from remnants of Iraqi Armed Forces.• Asymmetric Threat .
• Terrorist attacks on LOCs.
• Unconventional use of WMD.
• Atks against Key Oil Nodes.
= Internal/ External Threats to Regime
= Direct Threats to Coalition Forces
= Internal/ External Threats to Regime
= Direct Threats to Coalition Forces
Kurd
Kurd/Sunni
Sunni
Shia
Sunni/Shia
Sunni Turkmen
Kurd
Kurd/Sunni
Sunni
Shia
Sunni/Shia
Sunni Turkmen
Phase IV – Flash Points & Threats to Coalition Forces
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CFLCC/CJTF-7 Initial Battle space
Border Crossing
XXXV
XXXX
CFLCC
XXX
I
CFLCC/CJTF-7 Initial Battlespace Phase IV Operations
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CFLCC/CJTF-7 Initial Battle space
Border Crossing
XXXX
CJTF-7
CFLCC/CJTF-7 Coalition Battlespace Phase IV Operations
XXMND-CSPOL
MND-S
XX
UK
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What does this all mean?
• “The first, the supreme, the most far-reaching act of judgment that the statesman and commander have to make is to establish … the kind of war on which they are embarking; neither mistaking it for, nor trying to turn it into, something that is alien to its nature. This is the first of all strategic questions and the most comprehensive.”
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Why we are in the war• U.S. Strategic Objectives. Operations in Iraq will support the
following U.S. strategic objectives:– A stable Iraq, with its territorial integrity intact and a broad-based
government that renounces WMD development and use and no longer supports terrorism or threatens its neighbors.
– Success in Iraq leveraged to convince or compel other countries to cease support to terrorists and to deny them access to WMD.
• Military Objectives. Operations in Iraq will accomplish the following strategic military objectives:– Destabilize, isolate, and overthrow the Iraq regime and provide
support to a new, broad-based government. – Destroy Iraq WMD capability and infrastructure.– Protect allies and supporters from Iraq threats and attacks.– Destroy terrorist networks in Iraq. Gather intelligence on global
terrorism, detain terrorists and war criminals and free individuals unjustly detained under the Iraq regime.
– Support international efforts to set conditions for long-term stability in Iraq and the region.
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How we've handled it
• Tactically – Not Bad• Operationally – Not Bad• Strategically – Remains to be seen• Policy – Remains to be seen
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DJIMO Class 4JAN10 18
Phase III D+15 – D+18
The Challenges of Leaving Iraq
Tallil
Jalibah
650 miles
One SeaportTwo Kuwaiti airports
Baghdad Airport
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Observations
• The information age has not suspended the laws of Newtonian physics.
• What can be “controlled” from Washington/Ottawa/London/etc., WILL be “controlled” from there…
• Policy is too important to be left to politicians. Understand the policy making process and when in the position to inform policy makers tell the truth to power.
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Observations
• Read history critically, not how we WANT it to be
• Our country is strong, vibrant, and will get through all of this in fine form. You already know this as you teach young people who are, by and large, really good.
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What the future might hold
• If I could predict the future I’d be living in the Virgin Islands and be invited to Davos to prognosticate.
• I agree with the Army Chief of Staff– I believe the next decades are likely to be ones of persistent
conflict—protracted confrontation among state, non-state and individual actors that use violence to achieve their political and ideological ends. George W. Casey Jr., General, US Army, “The Strength of the Nation” Army Magazine, October 2007.
• The challenge for all of YOU is to encourage young people to THINK, they are the national leaders of the future.
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What we intended to do
• Present our opinions on √ why we are in the war, √ how we've handled it, √ what the future might hold.
• Provide useful information to fellow teachers
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!!
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Operation Iraqi FreedomChain of Command
CENTCOM
CFLCC
V Corps I MEF
CFACC CFMCC MARCENT CFSOCC
President/Secretary of Defense
CENTCOM = US Central Command
CFLCC = Combined Forces Land Component Command
CFACC = Combined Forces Air Component Command
CFMCC = Combined Forces Maritime Component Command
MARCENT = Marines Forces Central Command
CFSOCC = Combined Forces Special Operations Command
MEF = Marine Expeditionary Force
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ACRONYM LISTTruman Library Presentation
• A- Day = day air combat operations begin• AO = area of operations• BCT = Brigade Combat Team• BDE = Brigade• BN = Battalion• C3 = command, control, communications• CFC = Coalition Forces Command (also
known as CENTCOM)• CGAs = coalition government agencies• CJTF = Combined Joint Task Force• CMO = Civil Military Operations• CMOC = Civil-Military Operations Center• COMCENT = Commander, Central Command
(GEN Franks)• COMCFLCC = Commander, Combined
Forces Land Component Command• CPA = Coalition Provisional Authority• CSS = Combat Service Support (supply &
logistics)• DC = Displaced Civilians, District of Columbia• DoD = Department of Defense• DoE = Department of Energy• DoJ = Department of Justice• DoS = Department of State• DP = Decision Point
• EPW = Enemy Prisoner of War• G-Day = Day ground combat operations begin• HA = Humanitarian Assistance• HACC = Humanitarian Assistance Coordination
Center• HN = Host Nation• HOC = Humanitarian Operations Center• HOC-IZ = Humanitarian Operations Center –
Iraq• HVT = High Value Target• IA-DART = Inter-Agency-Disaster Assistance
Response Team• IOs = international organizations or information
operations• ISG = Iraq Survey Group• IZ = military short hand for Iraq, IR is Iran• JSOA-N = Joint Special Operations Area –
North• KDP = Kurdish Democratic Party• LOC = Line of Communication• LOGCAP = Logistics Civil Augmentation
Program• LSA = Logisitic Support Area
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ACRONYM LISTTruman Library Presentation
• MeK = Mujahadin e’ Khalq, Iraqi backed anti Iranian group based in Iraq• MSC = Major Subordinate Commands• NBC = Nuclear, Biological, Chemical• NGOs = non-governmental organizations• NIC = New Iraqi Corps (the project to rebuild the Iraqi Army)• OGA = Other Government Agencies• OPLAN = Operations Plan• PUK = Patriotic Union of Kurdistan• RA = Regular Army (Iraqi)• RFF = Request for forces• RGFC = Republican Guard Forces Command (Iraqi ground forces)• SCIRI = Supreme Committee for the Iranian Revolution in Iraq (Iranian backed Shia
group that opposed Saddam)
• SF = Special Forces• SOF = Special Operating Forces• SRG = Special Republican Guard (elite unit of the Republican Guard with personal
loyalty to Saddam)• SSE = sensitive site exploitation• SSO = Special Security Organization (Iraqi secret police)• TPFDD = Time phased force deployment data• TPFDL = Time phased force deployment list• UXO = unexploded ordinance• WMD = weapons of mass destruction
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Recommended Reading List
• COBRA II, by Michael Gordon• ON POINT, by Greg Fontenot,
et al• ON POINT II, by COL Tim
Reese, ed.• FIASCO, by Tom Ricks• Tell Me How This Ends, by
Linda Robinson• The Good Soldiers, by David
Finkel
• Rumsfeld: On His Own Terms, by Gordon Bradley
• In the Company of Soldiers, by Rick Atkinson
• Baghdad at Dawn, by Peter Mansoor
• THUNDER RUN, by David Zucchino
• Not A Good Day To Die, by Sean Naylor
• Black Hearts, by Jim Frederick
Truman Library Symposium 15JUL10
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