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A six-member commission was appointed by the JCS to study the operation. Headed by Adm James L. Holloway III, the panel included Gen LeRoy Manor, who commanded the earlier Son Tay raid.

One issue investigated was selection of aircrew. Navy and Marine pilots with little experience in long-range overland navigation or refueling from C-130s were selected though more than a hundred qualified Air Force H-53 pilots were available.

Another issue was the lack of a comprehensive readiness evaluation and mission rehearsal program. From the beginning, training was not conducted in a truly joint manner; it was compartmented and held at scattered locations throughout the US. The limited rehearsals that were conducted assessed only portions of the total mission.

Also at issue was the number of helicopters used. The commission concluded that at least ten and perhaps as many as twelve helicopters should have been launched to guarantee the minimum of six required for completion of the mission.

The plan was also criticized for using the "hopscotch" method of ground refueling instead of air refueling as was used for the Son Tay raid. By air refueling en route, the commission thought the entire Desert One scenario could have been avoided.

>>> A bigger hurdle, however, was the condition of the US military, which had plummeted in size and quality <<<<

Pure BS And a insult to those who served then.

>>> The RH-53s already were on Nimitz, where they had been stored with minimal care for months <<<<

The worst thing you can do to a aircraft. Let it sit.

>>> Beckwith openly blamed the helicopter pilots immediately after the mission <<<

Instead of taking responsibility the first thing is looking for someone else to blame.

A poor Rube Goldburg plan With poor leadership at the top. Is why it failed

But I’m still pissed off at those Iranians. Was deployed to Masawa Japan at the time. & had more leave saved up that I could sell back.
China was just opened up as a place you could take leave. So I was gong to take a month off. Visit China. And some other places.
But Nooo. the Iranians had to pull this. And then the Russkeys started moving all there ships & sub’s around out of Vladivostock. So we had to fly more flights to follow them. So No leave. #$**#!.