Free Republic

Failure of Rumsfeld's 'War Lite' strategy leads Allies to bring in the heavies By Paul Vallely 29 March 2003 It was the day the war changed gear. As the Iraqis preened themselves on the success of their battlefield strategy to date and another apparently misdirected missile reaped the worst civilian death toll of any single incident in Baghdad, Washington and London tacitly acknowledged it was time for a rethink. They had tried it the easy way but Donald Rumsfeld's business-school approach of War Lite, with just-in-time levels of troops and supplies had failed. It was time to do it the...

Iraq unsettles US planners By Jonathan Marcus BBC defence correspondent at Central Command headquarters With the weather fast improving, US and British air attacks against the Republican Guard units south of Baghdad are moving into high gear. Military sources also say that US marines have pushed northwards closer to the town of al-Kut on the Tigris river. But the difficulties of fighting a multi-front war could well slow the pace of this military operation. Invading forces have not met the reception they were told to expect "The enemy we're fighting is different from the one we had war-gamed against,"...

Here on the frontline this conflict is taking its toll on morale. I can see the signs in the US marines I am with outside Nasiriyah. Quite a few of the troops have said to me that this isn't what they were expecting. They have had a tiring week of guerrilla-style fighting and it continues. They are frustrated that their political masters gave the American public the impression that it would be easier than it's turned out to be. But, also that they should have given them more expectation about Iraqi resistance like this. They don't want to admit they...