Once 'Stormin' Norman,' Gen. Schwarzkopf Is Skeptical About U.S. Action in Iraq

Rince

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By Thomas E. Ricks
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 28, 2003; Page C01


TAMPA--Norman Schwarzkopf wants to give peace a chance.

The general who commanded U.S. forces in the 1991 Gulf War says he hasn't seen enough evidence to convince him that his old comrades Dick Cheney, Colin Powell and Paul Wolfowitz are correct in moving toward a new war now. He thinks U.N. inspections are still the proper course to follow. He's worried about the cockiness of the U.S. war plan, and even more by the potential human and financial costs of occupying Iraq.

And don't get him started on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

In fact, the hero of the last Gulf War sounds surprisingly like the man on the street when he discusses his ambivalence about the Bush administration's hawkish stance on ousting Saddam Hussein. He worries about the Iraqi leader, but would like to see some persuasive evidence of Iraq's alleged weapons programs.

TO READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52450-2003Jan27.html
:crosseye:
 

Deltapooh

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I very critical of Norman Schwarzkopf. First, he never understood politics, nor had any interest to. Secondly, he was skeptical about going to war in 1990. I personally don't believe he is a military wizard. His behavior during the campaign was anything, but professional. Just because Lt. Gen. Franks didn't praise his military plan, Schwarzkopf held a deep grudge that actually impacted how the war was conducted. He never took responsibility for overestimating the Iraqis, which made it possible for the RGFC to even have a chance to escape.

Instead Schwarzkopf placed the blame on Franks and VIIth Corps for not moving fast enough. He never thought about the problems the heavy corps commander was having. He commanded 150,000 troops, 50,000 vehicles, and 820 aircraft. He had spent months preparing to fight the battle as it was planned, and couldn't just switch plans in about 8hrs. Unlike what the media reports, VIIth and XVIIth Corps were constantly engaged with the Iraqis. Worse, in the only phone conversation between the CINC and Franks, Schwarzkopf never mentioned the priority to move fast. Franks had heard about his temper tandrum the day before. However, Schwarzkopf failed to say anything to him about the situation. I guess he expected Franks to know what was happening in the entire theater. In reality, he knew very little about what was happening outside VIIth Corps' zone.

Schwarzkopf is only restating an opinion shared by many within the highter military echelon. Few are concerned about the war Marko. The problem comes when we get into the Nation-building operation. They know how difficult that will be. It's very likely Bush has heard an earful from some of these generals. Unlike what people think, they don't have to just follow orders. Congress have provided the military with a number of powers that don't always allow them to overrule their political leaders. However, they can certainly tell them if they think the risk are too great or military can't complete the mission given the conditions.

There was an intense dispute between the commanders and the White House in November of last year. They made it known they didn't like the plans. However, since then that has quieted. Either problems were solved, or the military suddenly got stupid and continue to make their case. Given how far these commanders went, including making public statements if I recall correctly, to make their position known, I doubt they've just caved in.

Now there is an opinion you to respect. A soldiers opinion.

Well Marko, you've been hearing from soldiers, past and present, as well as some knowledgable people with college degrees concerning politics and various military related issues. Soldier, like most military men, could care less about the political issues related to war. However, it's why we go to war.
 

Dr Zaius

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Here is one subject where I part ways with a lot of other soldiers. I'm not saying that Schwarzkopf is the finest military commander ever, but all things being equal I do believe he did a pretty good job. There was a hell of a lot more that went into the Gulf War than meets the eye, and the general public is unaware of the true level of difficulty in planning an executing such a large operation with such complex political overtones.

Many people look at Iraq as a paper Tiger and offer harsh criticism of General Schwarzkopf for overestimating the Iraqis, however, that is a distortion of the facts in my opinion. First, prior to Desert Storm the US military hadn't been involved in high intensity land warfare since the Korean War and a huge amount of new doctrines as well as new technology was being tested. In hindsight it worked quite well. We didn't know that for 100% certain at the time. We also didn't know exactly how hard the Iraqis would resist. They fought with grim determination against the Iranians and contrary to popular belief the Iraqi military isn't a complete bunch of clowns (If they were we wouldn't be deploying 250,000 troops to deal with them!). Given all this, it seemed prudent for Schwarzkopf to err on the side of caution.

As for his harsh assessment of General Franks, perhaps it could have been handled a bit more tactfully. Having said that, it seems a lot of people don't like Schwarzkopf based on the way he talked to subordinates and not on how the military campaign was planned and executed. Patton suffered from the same criticism but is still regarded as a fine commander.
 

Tex

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Schwarzkopf looks like a genius in retrospect if he did indeed initially oppose the Gulf War. What was really accomplished? Some corrupt, despotic Kuwaitis continue to get wealthier instead of retiring to Geneva with more money than even they could possibly spend in a lifetime and we get our embassies and buildings blown to bits because we keep troops on supposedly sacred soil, defending corrupt and despotic Saudi's.
 

Tzar

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Originally posted by Tex
Schwarzkopf looks like a genius in retrospect if he did indeed initially oppose the Gulf War. What was really accomplished? Some corrupt, despotic Kuwaitis continue to get wealthier instead of retiring to Geneva with more money than even they could possibly spend in a lifetime and we get our embassies and buildings blown to bits because we keep troops on supposedly sacred soil, defending corrupt and despotic Saudi's.
Blame it on George Bush Sr.

Schwarzkopf has nothing to do with this. His only job and orders coming from the White House was to liberate Kuwait, period.
 

Chuck?

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Originally posted by Tzar


Blame it on George Bush Sr.

Schwarzkopf has nothing to do with this. His only job and orders coming from the White House was to liberate Kuwait, period.
True, the Politicans politic and the Generals general.
 

Deltapooh

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I don't question Schwarzkopf decision. My disapproval centers on how he behaved after some questioned his decision. He didn't take responsibility for any mistake made. He simply blamed Franks and VIIth Corps. That was wrong.

The Schwarzkopf took the better of two evils. His planners wanted him to let VIIth Corps go first, then attack into Kuwait with Marines 24hrs later. This would have given Franks a good head start.

On the other hand, if the Iraqis chose to fight and committed the RGFC to defend Kuwait, the Marines would be in serious trouble. They would have to wait until VIIth Corps could move into position to support their attack. In the meantime, chemical weapons could have inflicted many casualties. Considering few people thought the Marines would get more than 8km before being stopped, Schwarzkopf chose not to gamble. That's fine.

However, Schwarzkopf had a serious grudge with Franks. It started in November when Franks didn't praise the CINCs plan and suggest a two corps attack. Schwarzkopf never seemed to let that go. He took every opportunity to demoralize VIIth Corps commander.

Schwarzkopf should have taken responsibility for whatever happened and did more to praise VIIth Corps.

Schwarzkopf came close to undermining US military doctrine by sending that bad plan to Washington. He just assumed the Bush Administration simply wanted him to attack Kuwait with his "defensive force." So he sends this stupid plan the Oval Office. Scrowcroft immediately saw the insanity of the direct attack. He asked why the military didn't out flank the Iraqi defenses. The answer he got was "we don't have enough trucks and we don't know about the sand." Cheney decided to organize a planning team in Washington (undermining the CINCs command authority). Powell told everyone to wait a bit and he raced to Saudi Arabia to talk with Schwarzkopf. They drew up the "Hail Mary Play" on a hotel napkin. Then Powell returned with a new plan.

You're right Maddog. Schwarzkopf's behavior is not that much different from great generals of the past. However, I feel his arrogant mistreatment of Franks and VIIth in general went beyond unethical and into down right cruel. He *itched and moaned behind the man's back, but never sat down to explain to Franks the overall situation. I just have a problem with how Schwarzkopf behaved. Although, I must admit, part of his actions are due to the heavy stress he endured. At one point, he had it out with Powell after accusing him of not caring for the troops. When he calmed down, Schwarzkopf said, "Collin I think I'm loosing it. I feel like my head's in a vice." That admission provided a glimpse into the extreme conditions he operated under.
 
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