Reply #14: Probably not an assigned mission [View All]

[Jai4WKC08]

But whether it was or wasn't, the simple facts are that Bush and Rumsfeld sent the military in with insufficient force to do everything it needed to, and they required the planners to base all their post-war plans on a "flowers and candy" scenario.

The Army Chief of Staff is the #1 go-to guy for planning and advising on manpower requirements. Shinseki told 'em what was needed and they blew him off. The commanders in the field probably knew they needed to secure weapons storage areas, but they were fighting a war, remember? You can only do what you can do.

War on the cheap and out in 6 months. A "low hanging fruit."

Yeah, right.