THE MILITARY STRATEGY
Background, Application and Critical Analysis
By Doug DuBrin, an English/History teacher and editor/ writer.

Overview and Background:
The U.S. military's impending campaign against Iraq is intended to be relatively brief, overwhelming in force and clear in its objectives; essentially, the military intends to "shock and awe" the Iraqi forces into submission. The campaign will for the most part follow the Powell Doctrine, a combat philosophy formulated after the Persian Gulf War in 1991. The Doctrine calls for the use of massive force along with a decisive and publicly supported battle plan. The Doctrine also requires the campaign to have an exit strategy in place for the American troops that will not be hindered by other interests in the region, be they political or economic.

Each branch of the military will have a crucial role in this endeavor, and they intend to create together a strategy that is virtually guaranteed a victorious outcome. There also is to be a coordinated effort of simultaneous air strikes and ground-troop movements; this is a departure from the Persian Gulf War in which there were weeks of air campaigns before the ground forces were activated. Below is a summary of the expected strategy as well as some specific components of the three primary areas of engagement --air, sea and land.

1. Air

Iraq's air-defense systems have already been under fire for several months in the "no-fly" zones in the south and north of the country, where Iraqi military aircraft are forbidden flight as per terms of the Persian Gulf War.

Once the air assault begins in earnest, though, it will likely be unprecedented in scale and intensity. At this point, close to 1,000 combat planes are stationed for battle. The Air Force currently has at least two bombs that can inflict staggering damage to either infrastructure or troops. One is the 30,000-pound "Big Blu" ("Blu" stands for "bomb live unit") that is so massive that it must be transported by a cargo plane, not a fighter jet. There is also the Massive Ordnance Air Blast, or MOAB, a 21,000-pound bomb which has the destructive capabilities of a small nuclear weapon but without the radioactive fallout. Also to be used in the impending conflict are Apache, Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters that will both patrol the terrain in order to destroy Iraq's artillery as well as place thousands of ground forces throughout the field of battle.

2. Sea

Navy ships stationed in the Persian Gulf will be responsible for launching both combat aircraft as well as the seemingly ceaseless missile attacks. This will be part of the U.S. plan to "shock and awe" the Iraqi military into submission. The aircraft will be dropping satellite- and laser-guided bombs that will target military headquarters and bases within and surrounding Baghdad. Missiles such as the Tomahawk cruise, equipped with a satellite-assisted Global Positioning System (GPS), will bombard their respective targets with astounding ferocity.

Also, technology untested in battle will be put to use. "E-bombs" transported by cruise missiles will be detonated in order to dismantle electronic-communications systems that control lights, radios, telephones and computers. The bombs unleash a massive surge of electromagnetic energy that cripples a wide array of power sources.

3. Land

Special Operations Forces: By the time combat begins, these highly trained soldiers will have already been stationed throughout Iraq, working in small and lightly equipped groups, attempting to secretly penetrate enemy ranks. At this moment, they are scouring the terrain in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq, collecting intelligence and forming alliances with opposition forces. The Special Operations troops will also be responsible for seeking and monitoring suspected stashes of chemical or biological agents that could be unleashed on the U.S. and its allies. Another component of their combat role will be to apprehend or kill certain Iraqi military or political heads.

Delta Force: Considered the military's most highly trained and skilled commando unit, this small Army force of only 360 personnel will primarily be responsible for seeking out and apprehending (or killing) Saddam Hussein and his family.

General Ground Forces: The Army and Marines will work in conjunction with the air attacks to steadily and quickly move into Baghdad in order to fulfill their mission of removing Hussein from power and dismantling his weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. has recently stated that if Iraq's regular army, which contains about 375,000 troops, mostly conscripts (draftees), is willing to step aside, they will be left alone in the wake of the U.S. military's march to Baghdad. At this point, the ground troops of the U.S. and its allies (chiefly Britain) number close to 300,000. Although this is significantly less than the Persian Gulf War in 1991, they are now considered better equipped and more efficient.

Hussein's 100,000-strong Republican Guard along with the 25,000-man Special Republican Guard, the most loyal and highly trained of his army, are expected to be stationed in and around Baghdad to counter the assault. Experts also speculate that Hussein will bring these forces into Baghdad in order to draw the U.S. military into perilous and unpredictable urban-combat.

4. Potential Problems

Of course, in any combat situation, the potential for mishaps is limitless. Exhaustive preparation for battle can lessen the likelihood for breakdowns in strategy but certainly cannot eliminate the possibility. Listed below are some examples of problems that could occur during the execution of the intended military strategy:

• Urban combat: If Hussein and his army is able to draw U.S. forces into Baghdad, the war could get bogged down into a lengthy, unpredictable, and bloody war of attrition.
  
  
• Human shields: It is suspected that Hussein might place sectors of the civilian population --such as schools and mosques-- in harm's way in order to generate an international backlash against the U.S. war effort.
  
  
• Scorched-earth policy: If Hussein believes that his regime is on the verge of collapse, he may decide to wreak havoc on his own country, including destroying waterways and dams, igniting oil wells, and in general devastating the country's infrastructure.
  
  
• An attack on Israel or other U.S. allies in the region: Once the war begins, Hussein may elect, as he did in the Persian Gulf War, to attack Israel with Scud missiles or weapons of mass destruction. He may also attack his immediate neighbors allied with the U.S., such as Kuwait or Turkey, with chemical or biological agents.
  
  
• Friendly fire: With the intent to coordinate ground and air assaults simultaneously, the chance for friendly fire casualties is significantly increased. The assaults, therefore, have to be extraordinarily well calibrated and monitored in order to minimize the risk.
  
  
• Weather: The U.S. would like to complete its mission before the summer, when the scorching desert climate in Iraq is almost unendurable. Also, there is the ever-present threat of a sandstorm, an unfamiliar foe that can dramatically restrict visibility and thus mobility.
  
  
• Erosion of public support: If the war continues on well beyond expectations, and casualties begin to mount, even those who were previously committed to the campaign may begin to have serious doubts. From a public-relations perspective alone, the military would like to complete its mission as quickly and safely as possible.

Materials:
1. A series maps highlighting the political and physical geography of Iraq and the Middle East region. Using the maps as a supplement can help the student see more clearly how the military plan, along with its obstacles, will unfold. A helpful geography Web site is: http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/nytmaps.pl?iraq
2. Handout with quotes by famous personages regarding war (provided in the lesson plan).

Correlation to national standards

Procedure:
1. Introduction: Begin by reviewing the general strategy for the war explained earlier. It may be helpful to frame the strategy in the context of the Powell Doctrine or the "shock and awe" mentality. Stress that the military campaign the U.S. is about to undertake will be unprecedented in its scope and intensity of force. Coupled with the likelihood for success, therefore, is the considerable potential for mishaps, some with unfathomable consequences

2. Next, have the students either individually or in small groups re-examine the military strategy and determine what they envision to be some of the obstacles and risks involved it. Each student could make a heading for each part of the strategy (air, sea, and land) then note under each what he/she perceives as the potential dangers of that particular component. For example, under "air," the student could note: "refueling jets; pilot fatigue; enemy antiaircraft fire." The student should then compare his/her discoveries with those listed above under "Potential Problems," or with any number of others that emerge from study and discussion. Guide the students to see the remarkable potential for problems in a combat situation, whether they be adverse weather, mechanical failures, disease and injuries, or, perhaps most common, crippling fear and psychological distress.

3. For Consideration: After the students have gained a solid foundation on the war strategy, have them respond either in essay or discussion format to any or all of the following:

• How might this war be different from previous ones with which you are familiar, such as the Persian Gulf War, Vietnam, World War I and World War II? How are they all similar?
  
  
• How do you imagine you would react in a real combat situation?
  
  
• How much do you agree or disagree with the statement "War is hell."
  
  
• Have you known anyone who has been in combat before? If so, what has he/she shared with you regarding the experience?

4. Extension Ideas: The following quotes may be used either to facilitate further discussion or as prompts for essay responses. You may also wish to have the students work in small groups in order to critically examine the meaning of each quote and then report back to class their findings.

QUOTES- printable handout

• "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
  
  
• "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)
  
  
• "What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?" Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)
  
  
• "Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed." Mao Tse-Tung (1893-1976)
  
  
• "It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)
  
  
• "One is left with the horrible feeling now that was settles nothing; that to win a war is as disastrous as to lose one." Agatha Christie (1890-1976)
  
  
• "Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the sgnal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events." Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

Correlations to National Standards:

For detailed explanations, please consult
www.socialstudies.org/standards/teachers/vol1/home.shtml

Thematic Standards

Standard 6: Power, Authority, and Governance
Standard 8: Science, Technology, and Society
Standard 9: Global Connections

Disciplinary Standards

Standard 1: History
Standard 2: Geography
Standard 3: Civics and Government

Works Cited:

"A Checklist for war." USATODAY.com 9 Mar. 2003
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-03-09-checklist-war_x.htm

Hoare, Michael. "U.S. war strategy: Shock and awe." The Straits Times Foreign Desk. 19 Mar. 2003

McWethy, John. "A new Approach: If the U.S. Attacks Iraq, expect New Air War Strategy." ABCNEWS.com 28 Oct. 2003.

Moniz, Dave. "How the war against Iraq could unfold." USA TODAY 20 Feb. 2003.

"Pentagon says troops ready; Defiance from Baghdad." CNN.com 19 Mar. 2003
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/03/19/sprj.irq.main.index.html

"Pentagon: U.S. troops ready." CNN.com 19 Mar. 2003
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/03/19/sprj.irq.main.index.html

Quotes on War - The Quotations Page. http://www.quotationspage.com/subjects/war/11.html.

Scarborough, Rowan. "Top General lays out strategy for war with Iraq." The Washington Times. 16 Jan. 2003

"U.S. Air Attack to Be a Web of Missions." ABCNEWS.com 19 Mar. 2003.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/Primetime/iraq_airwar030318.html.

"U.S. Tests Super Bomb in Fla." CBSNews.com. 11 Mar. 2003.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/03/11/iraq/printable543611.shtml

Whitworth, Glenn. "Iraq War Strategy." Geocities.com Nov. 2002.
http://www.geocities.com/glenn744/iraq-war-strategy.html

"With the 101st Airborne Division, Kuwait, March 17" ABCNEWS.com 19 Mar. 2003.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/Primetime/iraq_airwar030318.html.

Author Doug DuBrin taught Social Studies and Literature at the Arizona School for the Arts for 4 years. Before that he taught at the Near North Montessori School and the Monroe Middle School in Rochester, NY. He has a BA from the University of Rochester and a MA from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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