Cobra II

Beyond Afghanistan

Shortly after September 11, 2001, US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld decided the US had to pursue Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. Rumsfeld knew the pursuit would not stop there. Early plans for war on Iraq called for as many as 500,000 troops, and months of preparation. In an early meeting, Rumsfeld said he thought it could be done faster, with fewer troops. He told General Tommy Franks to prepare a new war plan, but had Department of Defense civilians supervise him.

Rumsfeld envisioned a new approach to war, using the post-Persian Gulf War mobile, powerful military. That war took six months of planning. Contrary to well-prepared advice from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Rumsfeld continued to advocate a faster Iraq engagement based on better technology and intelligence, and fewer troops. He clearly indicated that he’d keep tight control over the Pentagon, even reducing the size of the Joint Chief’s staff.

Rumsfeld and President George W. Bush made Iraq their central target. They ignored advice from former President Bill Clinton, who said that US foreign policy priorities should be Al Qaeda, Mid-East diplomacy, North Korea and missile proliferation...