"Why The Current Commander-in-Chief Must Be Replaced"

Some Do's & Don't for A Successful Military Incursion

     The successful use of military force requires extensive planning.  After a military objective has been identified, you do develop a 'Main Battle Plan', which is exhaustively refined, amended and questioned.  Then, 'Murphy's Law' is applied and it undergoes further revisions and refinements before any implementation.  This requires the very best military minds available.  You do not disregard or dismiss planning advice from men like US Army General Shinseki, USMC Gen. Anthony Zinni, US Army LtGen. William Odom and former Chief-of-Staff, US Army Gen. Colin Powell.  Moreover, to have hasten the retirement of some of them is the height of tactical ineptitude and arrogance.  Gen. Shinseki and Gen. Franks agreed that a force roughly twice the size of that which was actually deployed would be necessary to secure the military victory. 

You don't implement your 'Main Battle Plan' when a crucial element, such as a second front, is denied to you just before D-Day.  When Turkey refused transit for the 4th Inf Div to launch its coordinated invasion of Iraq, the Bush military planners brazenly proceeded with a two-pronged attack by the 1st Marine Expeditionary and the Army's 3rd Inf. Div. (with a minor diversionary by the 173rd ABN well within Kurdish-held territory).  Even more incredibly inept was the fact that the 4th ID would be at sea and undeployable for a month during the crucial initial phases of the battle!  The available 'ready-reaction' forces, i.e., the necessary reinforcement reserves, were practically non-existent.  There was no real 'Plan B' for the eventuality that the Iraqi Army and the Republican Guard would make a concerted effort to sever what was a very long supply line.  That the combat phase ended fortuitously can be attributed in some degree to collapse of Iraqi command and control and pure luck.    

Once the battle has commenced and the situation is fluid, you do assume that the worst will happen and make further amended plans (based on events on the ground) to ameliorate any potential disasters.  Perhaps one of the finest military planning managers of the 20th Century, Supreme Allied Commander (ETO) General Dwight D. Eisenhower, though confident that the planning by his subordinates was thorough and extensive, still went so far as to pen a letter assuming total responsibility in the eventuality of failure.  You don't  assume that the best possible reception awaits your triumphal entry: to have relied on the assessments of longtime exiles, such as Chalabi and the Iraqi National Congress, was sheer ignorance of the potential complications inherent in such a large military operation.   Remember, the largest element of your available reinforcements is still onboard ships at sea! 

An essential element of successful military operations is to do an accurate assessment of the quantity and condition of the men and equipment (TO&E) and the morale of the troops.  This is a continuing task: resupply, replacement and reinforcement of men and worn-out or destroyed equipment,  and a constant awareness of any morale issues among the troops.  They should be well-equipped and well-informed of their mission.  You do not expose them unnecessarily by under-equipping them, changing the mission that they were trained for, extending them beyond their individual & unit obligations.  The troops were so dangerously lacking in personal body armor and some combat equipment that their families were purchasing and shipping essential gear to them.  Even now, 15 months later, the troops are reliant on their families and Iraqi civilians for many of their supply needs.

Another essential factor in keeping troop morale high is maintaining their honor and integrity throughout the Area of Operation.  America led all nations in formulating The Geneva Conventions  in order to promote the safety and well-being of American soldiers in the unfortunate event of their capture on the battlefield.  You do not unilaterally, by deed or design, abrogate or ignore treaties that are implemented to protect our own troops, as the Bush administration has done from Day One.  As has recently come to light, Bush and Rumsfeld's legal advisors have counseled since 2002 that they are no longer bound by the Geneva Conventions when 'national security' is involved.  This supreme contempt for international law impies that 'national security' has never been at issue until Bush's "Doctrine of Preemption" was implemented.  

The present administration, from the Commander-in-Chief, George W. Bush, and his National Security staff all the way through the Sec'y of the Dept. of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, and his entire staff of civilian over-seers, has demonstrated unacceptably inept and ineffectual leadership.  They have promoted only the generals that deign to agree with them on the 'Mission' and the 'Plan'.  There are no Eisenhowers among them! 

Support The Troops! Replace the chain of command, from the top down!    

               signed:

"Real American Patriots" (RAP)

Honorably Discharged American Military Veterans of War