- #1
edward
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- 166
We had the correct information long before the war. The Bush administration choose to ignore it.
http://www.nbc6.net/news/10243429/detail.html#
http://www.nbc6.net/news/10243429/detail.html#WASHINGTON -- The U.S. government was tipped off years ago that invading Iraq would likely be problematic.
A series of secret war games in 1999 predicted that an invasion of Iraq would require 400,000 troops, and even then chaos might ensue.
In its "Desert Crossing" games, 70 military, diplomatic and intelligence officials assumed the high troop levels would be needed to keep order, seal borders and take care of other security needs. The game also predicted that "a change in regimes does not guarantee stability."
160,000 is most certainly not more than we had for the invasion, though I'm having trouble finding that number. (edit: near as I can tell, we had about 250,000, but I'm looking more reliable sources)There are currently about 144,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, down from a peak of about 160,000 in January.
Visiting with U.S. troops in Iraq December 23, Rumsfeld announced adjustments in troop deployments that "reduce forces in Iraq by the spring of 2006 below the current high of 160,000 during the [Iraqi] election period to below the 138,000 baseline that had existed before the most recent elections."
About 137,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq now, and that number was supposed to have dropped to 115,000 by May. But Rumsfeld said Gen. John Abizaid, the overall commander of the Iraq war, wants to keep the force level at about 135,000 troops.
russ_watters said:I finde the article somewhat confusing: it talks about the invasion requiring 400,000 troops, then says: 160,000 is most certainly not more than we had for the invasion, though I'm having trouble finding that number. (edit: near as I can tell, we had about 250,000, but I'm looking more reliable sources)
Regardless, they are mixing unrelated facts to support their conclusion. I'd like to read the actual report...
WASHINGTON | The U.S. government conducted a series of secret war games in 1999 that anticipated that an invasion of Iraq would require 400,000 troops, and even then, chaos might ensue.
In its Desert Crossing games, 70 military, diplomatic and intelligence officials assumed that the high troop levels would be needed to keep order, seal borders and take care of other security needs.
The documents came to light Saturday through a Freedom of Information Act request by George Washington University’s National Security Archive.
“The conventional wisdom is the U.S. mistake in Iraq was not enough troops,” said Thomas Blanton, the archive’s director. “But the Desert Crossing war game in 1999 suggests we would have ended up with a failed state even with 400,000 troops on the ground.”
The 1999 war games were a series of military exercises called the "Desert Crossing" held by the United States Central Command to simulate a hypothetical invasion of Iraq.
The war games revealed that an invasion of Iraq would likely face significant challenges, including prolonged urban warfare, a lack of international support, and potential use of chemical weapons by the Iraqi government.
Many of the findings from the war games proved to be accurate, including the challenges faced during urban warfare and the lack of international support. However, the use of chemical weapons by Iraq did not occur during the invasion.
It is unclear if the war games directly influenced the decision to invade Iraq in 2003. However, some officials have stated that the results of the war games were considered during the planning of the invasion.
The 1999 war games serve as a reminder of the importance of thorough planning and consideration of potential challenges before engaging in military action. They also highlight the potential consequences of disregarding or downplaying the findings of such exercises.