The war strategy was screwed from the beginning

[chesty]

This whole war was planned with the notion that the Iraqi wouldn't fight, they were ill equipped, and had much smaller numbers of elite fighters than they really have and that they would fight fair.

Well boys and girls, we planned this war around those pretex's and had no back up (secondary or reactionary plan) This can be seen by the fact that they have been stalled at about 50-60 miles from Baghdad, and were not prepared to have to control all of souther Iraq.

We have no northern front, the east will be covered eventually as soon as the Marines are done securing all of those damned cities and the west is going to take time to build up as well as the north.

We should have not gone in until all of these areas were covered. In fact the opening ground war should have been to secure the west and north airfields and to start bringing in the troops. We could have flown from Kuwait to do this unabated. But no, we put all our eggs into Turkey and then went ahead even though we weren't ready.

Now we are going up against 80K plus in Replublican gaurd with only 60k in US troops. We have to now wait for reinforcents not only to the front lines but to the rear and to make sure that all avenues of escape are sealed off.

I say, by this time next year the war (fighting part) will be winding down. That is if the Iranians, Palestinians, Jordanians, Turks, Syrians, Lebanese, Egyptians don't get into it. Because if it takes us any amount of time and we are not absolutely brutal on the battlefield, these people we then see us as really weak and will decide maybe they can kick our ass.

 

[spongebob]

didnt they just drop para-troopers in the north. stalled 50-60 miles short of baghdad???? who said thier stalled? the media? and you believe that. why on earth would they advance into baghdad without surrounding the entire city and making sure backup was there? isnt the republican gaurd advancing towards the coalition away from baghdad and taking on heavy airstrikes?

and you didnt mention that we also are trying to hard to limit civilian casualties.

 

[spongebob]

I duly agree. The war was TOO quickly planned and executed. Even now, we're already starting to hear the state department say "We UNDERESTIMATED the republican guard". Ghee, only took 5 days before we heard the first mention of "underestimated".

So who's neck should be on the line there?

Bush was too anxious to start the war and push it through so fast. Much much more time should'v ebeen spent analyzing, gathering intelligence, organizing rebel factions, recruiting iraqi soldiers to fight with the rebels, test our equipment, perform drills, wear down the soldiers with bombing, etc. etc. etc.

Bush wants the war started and done with in 11 days or something. I guess it's because Americans ar the poster children of ADD.

-= nav =-

lol. quite ironic for you to say it took them 5 days as if that is a lifetime, yet you say he wanted it over in 11 days because of our ADD.

 

[spongebob]

I duly agree. The war was TOO quickly planned and executed. Even now, we're already starting to hear the state department say "We UNDERESTIMATED the republican guard". Ghee, only took 5 days before we heard the first mention of "underestimated".


-= nav =-

i forgot to add, they started planning this war over a year ago. is that too fast or should thay have started before bush was elected. and how slow should you execute it??

 

[chesty]

You are not kidding. As for being stalled yes they are and they also stated they wanted to start the attack on Baghdad itself by Tuesday which has come and gone. Guess what there was no perimiter that would have been performed. And on top of that, the pentagon is denying the claims of the 3/7 that a large column of Republican gaurd numbering around 1000 is on the way from Baghdad to retake the bridge at Nasirya.

Funny, I remember the US gov't denying the claims of MacAurther in Korea that Chinese regulars had been killed fighting us in Korea and that they were massed on the border ready for a strike and denied him the assets he needed to counter this.

Guess what, he was there they weren't. But it was politically acceptable to acknowledge that the Chinese were there. This is the same thing all over again. The 3/7 is there the gov't isn't yet they are telling us what is going on? Go figure.

When they are attacked in the next day or so what do they say then? Ooops! We didn't realilze you meant those 1000 Iraqi Republican troops. Sorry boy's suck it up and die.

I thought the military was running this war? But you know what? Our generals in charge right now are fucking us over!

 

[Testosterone boy]

We had to start in March because bio chem suits in the summer would be torture.

If we knew it would come to this, and I think we did, we should have started months earlier and given the ultimatum a few months ago. That is overly reminiscent of Busg Sr's schedule, perhaps they wanted to avoid it for that reason.

 

[spongebob]

chesty im surprised at your impatience. they were to attack baghdad by tuesday??? its only wednesday.

 

[chesty]

Last time they wanted to start in February. The planning was not fast, the tactics based on the percieved intelligence is flawed. As well as it is totally apparent that they did not have a secondary/reactionary plan or tertiary. These guys on the battlefield are kicking ass despite piss poor planning otherwise known as the three p's.

The grunt despite his inept command staff will get the job done.

 

[Golfer18]

Last time they wanted to start in February. The planning was not fast, the tactics based on the percieved intelligence is flawed. As well as it is totally apparent that they did not have a secondary/reactionary plan or tertiary. These guys on the battlefield are kicking ass despite piss poor planning otherwise known as the three p's.

The grunt despite his inept command staff will get the job done.

Chesty a qoute from my dad

7 p's to success.

Piss Poor Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

 

[p0ink]

im shocked so many of you are falling for this....

who in the administration EVER said this war was going to be a cakewalk? no one to my knowledge.

who has been pumping your brains full of the idea that it will be? the media. excuse me while i get a bit 'conspiracy theorist' here, but could it be they are trying to make this war look like a complete and utter boondoggle to hurt bush in the next election?

besides that, it has only been a week and we control around 75% of the country! name one fucking war that went that smoothly that fast. how many casualties have we had versus how many have they had.

i know the media likes to drive home the point that we are in trouble and might lose, but that is not the case, at all.

saddam hussein knows he cannot beat us militarily, so he is trying to repeat what happened in mogadishu, by bringing down american sentiment by showing pictures of our dead/captured, because he thinks americans dont have the ability to stomach it, and will soon be demanding the administration pull the troops out.

people, this war has so far been a success. try to have some faith and some confidence in the people running the show. stop listening to what these *retired* generals on cable news netowrks have to say about the battle plans, because they do not know what the battle plan is.

 

[SUST-MAN]

You know, Iran has warned Turkey NOT to come into Northern Iraq. If turkey comes in to take mosul and Kirkuk....which they are alreayd threatening ti do....Iran will com in from the east and battle them in northern iraq.....

Again...the Kurds get screwed...

Oh yeah....and lets not forget the other casualty of a long war.....the US economy.

 

[chesty]

It is not my impatience, that is what they wanted to do. If it were me I would have waited till I had 800,000 to 1 million troops ringing Iraq and then methodically take over every single square inch leading up to Baghdad from all sides. While maintaining constant bombing over Baghdad the whole time.

 

[~HOUNDOG~]

I agree with Chesty 100%. He sees what's up. So do I.

 

[chesty]

Every single us planner, and source inside the gov't was quoted as saying this. Even General Clark has changed his mind about the easiness of the war. People, if you listen to the speach's by Rumsfield, Bush, Powell, they all stated that the Iraqi military was not going to be a problem and that we would not be involved in a long war. Just look at the funding. 75 billion which INCLUDES enough money for 30 days of fighting! What does that tell you?

Wars generally are good for the economy, especially the long ones. They bring in all kinds of defense contracts and jobs. The pitfall is the years after the war is over. Then you get into problems.

 

[Burning_Inside]

I think whoever planned out this war needed to spend more time playing some decent military war game sims on the PC.

 

[XBiker]

You know, Iran has warned Turkey NOT to come into Northern Iraq. If turkey comes in to take mosul and Kirkuk....which they are alreayd threatening ti do....Iran will com in from the east and battle them in northern iraq.....

Again...the Kurds get screwed...

Oh yeah....and lets not forget the other casualty of a long war.....the US economy.

Notice how quickly the turk's granted us airspace and their troops?

They want to steamroll in to northern Iraq and demolish the kurds.

We declined their troops, but took them up on the airspace.

Now we have special forces as well as regular units in the north.

If we're not careful, the whole region could get their balls in an uproar and start fighting each other.

 

[SUST-MAN]

thats right Xbiker.

The whole region could become VERY unstable...and i fear we will get cought in the middle sending many more troops to try and stabablize it.

We just sent in 30,000 more of our finest...

 

[gotmilk]

Just because Rumsfield was a grandmaster at Dungeons and Dragons....his qualifications should have nevered allowed him so much control.

I can see Powell walking by snickering "I told you so".

And to think...Rumsfiled only wanted 150,000 troops total.

Anyone catch the picture of the British Marine who took four rounds to the helmet?

www.drudgereport.com

 

[WODIN]

Adapt and overcome.....

 

[john937]

Whether we're going fast or slow doesn't particularly matter to me at this point.
In either case, after the initial takeover, I'm having a Vietnam deja-vu.
One of the big problems in that war, the enemy dressed as civilians and blended in, and struck from the shadows.
Looks like the same thing is begining to happen, and it's really dumb if the generals didn't see it coming.

Also, I've been watching the media coverage of the war, and I have not seen any of Poink's complaints with the media.
If anything the news I've seen bends over backwards to put a good face on it.

 

[SUST-MAN]

And its not like they are showing all the dead iraqi civilians.

Not that it shouldnt be expected or anything....but they could be showing all the dead civilians...

 

[muscle_geek]

The bad weather and sandstorms has been the only cause for any delay in this war. Sure there are under-estimations and over-estimations that have happened, but come on. Does anyone think military intelligence will ever be perfect. We are right on schedule and have experienced lower casualties than expected and we're right on Baghdad's doorstep with a working supply line. The sad thing about this war is that we will need to start tageting civilians because of Sadaam's tactics. In my opinion the war strategy has been extraordinary to this point. Frank's expedition will be studied in the future as one of the most effective and fast expedtions to have ever occured in history.

 

[AAP]

Personally, I think air strikes and presicion bombings should have gone on longer and stronger. Considering our troops are hitting resistance in the middle of no fucking where, we should have those wiped out already.

 

[Steroid_Virgin]

Golfer:

Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performace..

 

[Hengst]

Chesty a qoute from my dad

7 p's to success.

Piss Poor Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

That's a double negative. It's actually the 6 P's

Piss poor planning prevents proper performance.

 

[manny78]

Look at the Inchon landing in North Korea by MacArthur, that was a surprise. They should have done the same with Iraq. You go for Baghdad straight. Ignore Basra, Fao and the Northern front (Turkey would take care of that with a big smile). Just bomb Baghdad massively, drop paratroopers and supply, have a column of troops and armors move from the south to Baghdad.

 

[SUST-MAN]

Hindsite is always 20/20

I think the miscalcualtions were...

We thought the iraqi's would give up...
We thought the people would support us...
The Sandstorms are definitly a factor...

Regardless, its only a matter of time before we defeat their army....the question is, how will we defeat the civilians?

 

[spongebob]

I agree with Chesty 100%. He sees what's up. So do I.

lol. you agree with anything anti-bush admin 100%. no surprise here.

 

[chesty]

It has nothing to do with anti bush. It has to do with military tactics and strategy.

As for a suprise attack that could not happen as Baghdad's only open sea port is all the way south. Land there and you still have to take on everything from there to baghdad. The sandstorm was only part of the reason the front stalled, the other was that the were running low on fuel and the other part was that they were running low on fuel and supplies because there supply lines were too long and thin and unprotected.

Guess who is now protecting the Army's supply lines? Yep, Marines. We are also securing a shit load of cities along with Royal Marines while the Army looks for the Jewel. Go figure. I like the Army, but sometimes they amaze me with their tactics.

 

[SUST-MAN]

Chesty,

We are still fighting in basra, najaf, etc......

Cant you atleast admit, that the iraqi's are putting up a good fight?

CMON CHESTY! We are sending 150,000 more troops into the area! either we are coming under fierce battle.....or we are preparing to attack iran immediatly.

 

[p0ink]

Chesty,

We are still fighting in basra, najaf, etc......

Cant you atleast admit, that the iraqi's are putting up a good fight?

CMON CHESTY! We are sending 150,000 more troops into the area! either we are coming under fierce battle.....or we are preparing to attack iran immediatly.

if we didnt have to worry about civilian casualties, this war would be over in a matter of days.

 

[SUST-MAN]

Poink...

Yes, we could drop nukes on baghdad and end it right now...

But remember, 1 of Bush's main arguments is....WE WANT TO LIBERATE THE PEOPLE OF IRAQ.

funny thing is.....i dont think they want to be liberated. But we shall see!

You can look at it from 2 sides....(a) saddam is threatening his people to fight for him....(b) The people are with saddam and our media is making shit up.

BOTH are credible.