War Game Planned For Iran Conflict
The Pentagon is planning to conduct a war gaming exercise involving a military conflict with Iran.
War gaming is not unusual for the DOD, but what is different about this one is that members of Congress will be participating.
The July 18 exercise at National Defense University's National Strategic Gaming Center will include members of Congress and top officials from military and civilian agencies...
It's the latest example of how otherwise routine operations are helping the United States prepare for a possible military confrontation with Iran. On Tuesday, President Bush refused to rule out military action--even a nuclear strike--to stop Iran's nuclear program...
The exercise is one of five scheduled this year, including others envisioning an avian influenza pandemic and a crisis in Pakistan. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld started the exercises involving members of Congress in 2002 to help the legislative and executive branches discuss policy options.
Such exercises do not involve military members simulating combat. Instead, officials gather for a daylong conference and discuss how to react to various events presented in a fictional scenario.
The July exercise may have real-world consequences since Iran could interpret it as evidence the United States plans to attack, said Khalid al-Rodhan, an Iran expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"Anything the U.S. will do in the region will be seen as further provocation," al-Rodhan said. "Given what's happening in Iraq, it's clear the Iranians are afraid of U.S. intentions."
In the meantime, the Pentagon is also collecting and interpreting photos and other intelligence data about Iran's facilities, developing weapons to attack hardened targets and laying the policy groundwork for a possible strike, Gen. John Abizaid, head of U.S. Central Command, said in recent congressional testimony.
July's war game will be the first on Iran to involve members of Congress, but several other military exercises have focused on Iran. Last week, for example, the British military confirmed a London newspaper's report that it joined the United States in a July 2004 war game involving Iran at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. A report in The Guardian said U.S. and British officers played out a scenario involving a fictitious country called "Korona" with borders and military capabilities corresponding with Iran's.
Similarly, a 2003 Marine Corps planning document envisioned a conflict in 2015 with Korona, again a country corresponding to Iran.
A 2004 war game coordinated by the Army's Training and Doctrine Command featured an invasion of "Nair," another Iran equivalent.
Interesting how the military exhibits the political sensitivity to dream up code names for their targets, yet intentionally leaks the details of the war games to the press.
A cynic might think it is being leaked to put added pressure on Iran.
War gaming is not unusual for the DOD, but what is different about this one is that members of Congress will be participating.
The July 18 exercise at National Defense University's National Strategic Gaming Center will include members of Congress and top officials from military and civilian agencies...
It's the latest example of how otherwise routine operations are helping the United States prepare for a possible military confrontation with Iran. On Tuesday, President Bush refused to rule out military action--even a nuclear strike--to stop Iran's nuclear program...
The exercise is one of five scheduled this year, including others envisioning an avian influenza pandemic and a crisis in Pakistan. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld started the exercises involving members of Congress in 2002 to help the legislative and executive branches discuss policy options.
Such exercises do not involve military members simulating combat. Instead, officials gather for a daylong conference and discuss how to react to various events presented in a fictional scenario.
The July exercise may have real-world consequences since Iran could interpret it as evidence the United States plans to attack, said Khalid al-Rodhan, an Iran expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"Anything the U.S. will do in the region will be seen as further provocation," al-Rodhan said. "Given what's happening in Iraq, it's clear the Iranians are afraid of U.S. intentions."
In the meantime, the Pentagon is also collecting and interpreting photos and other intelligence data about Iran's facilities, developing weapons to attack hardened targets and laying the policy groundwork for a possible strike, Gen. John Abizaid, head of U.S. Central Command, said in recent congressional testimony.
July's war game will be the first on Iran to involve members of Congress, but several other military exercises have focused on Iran. Last week, for example, the British military confirmed a London newspaper's report that it joined the United States in a July 2004 war game involving Iran at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. A report in The Guardian said U.S. and British officers played out a scenario involving a fictitious country called "Korona" with borders and military capabilities corresponding with Iran's.
Similarly, a 2003 Marine Corps planning document envisioned a conflict in 2015 with Korona, again a country corresponding to Iran.
A 2004 war game coordinated by the Army's Training and Doctrine Command featured an invasion of "Nair," another Iran equivalent.
Interesting how the military exhibits the political sensitivity to dream up code names for their targets, yet intentionally leaks the details of the war games to the press.
A cynic might think it is being leaked to put added pressure on Iran.
posted by Effwit at 9:28 AM
15 Comments:
I'm a cynic too. It *is* the kind of thing that will put added pressure on Iran...
But pressure to do what, exactly? (-- I mean what is the position that Iran would have to take to appease the U.S. ? Here take our oil, and we don't want any nuclear war heads to protect ourselves -- and we'll do whatever American corporations want -- feel free to walk all over us??)
This kind of thing will only increase and escalate the hostilities between the U.S. and Iran.
Those generals, etc. are so smart, why can't they see that? Perhaps because they don't want to... I feel they're purposely painting Iran into a corner in pretty much the same way they did to Iraq... Although you'd think they'd complete one catastrophe before starting another...
IMHO the U.S. is spreading itself a little too thin with all its aggression and it can't help but end badly for everyone -- including the U.S.
Dena
Dena:
The American government is speaking with (at least) two voices.
We are saying, one, that we do not want Iran to build a nuclear weapon. And, two, we are saying (not as loud) that we want regime change over there.
Bearded, flea-ridden Mullahs to be replaced by suit and tie wearing globalization types.
It is all very unrealistic in the extreme. You are right that the U.S., like Britannia before us did, is spreading itself too thin to maintain a proper empire.
Also, there are real savvy people who say that the whole game (Iraq and Iran) is to--rather than secure oil for Americans--create a instable Middle-East oil market to drive petrol prices up. Such an outcome, which we are witnessing, is quite good for Big Oil interests.
That's what I like about writing a comment on your blog, Mr. F, I always get a response :-)
With respect to what America is saying -- I kind of get it... I just don't know with what authority they can make demands... They've completely lost any moral authority they might have had -- and now all they have is the threat of physical violence...
... And BTW, to Americans, the Mullahs may appear to be bearded, flea-ridden gas-bags who talk in high-pitched voices -- but my guess is that to at least some of the Iranian population they have an integrity that these shinny-suit-wearing-smooth-talking paragons-of-freedom-and-democracy-Iranians-that-are-sympathetic to-American-interests-and-installed-by-Rumsfeld lack...
I think I'll go back now to listening to Leonard Cohen and building ads.. the world will have to take care of itself!
Dena
Dena:
Thank You.
America demands that the rest of the world complies with the program with no authority greater than brute force.
We used to have actual integrity.
Re: the bearded flea-ridden gasbags. The young folks in Iran probably view them the same way the hip young folks in the U.S. view the Bush administration. As embarrassments. You are right that many Iranians turn to the mullahs for moral leadership. Probably the exact percentage of Americans who look to the Bushies to keep them safe. Both constituencies are bound to be disappointed shortly...
Leonard Cohen. How fine. The world will indeed take care of itself.
Take care.
The inspector generals office has some interesting stats on what has been accomplished with reconstruction money (both U.S. tax revenue based and seized Iraqi assets held in U.S. banks).
I'll try n dig up a link to those numbers.
M1:
Are they saying that Iraq been repaired yet to pre-war levels?
The pockets of some of the contractors have been repaired quite nicely, though.
If you find the numbers, I will certainly have a look. Thanks.
No, that's the cool thinga-ma'jig. The numbers show clearly that from a net perspective...there are no good stories to tell about Iraq. Leading indicators of infrastructure reconstruction show that Iraq today is much worse off than Iraq was before the invasion.
Apparently Bush is even worse than Saddam at running the place.
...ie, all the monies have been redistributed back into Western pockets through de facto bogus projects and Iraqis haven't got dick out of it all.
M1:
Could have fooled me (not). The way the admin has been saying that the press never gets out of the Green Zone to cover all the abundant good news--I was thinking that we must have missed seeing the story of the complete restoration of Iraq to pre-war levels.
Now you tell me that things are still shitty?
That's a big disappointment.
Are you sure? Could you go back and check those numbers?
;-)
I would but my body armour is all shot up and I can't afford to replace it.
One of my fav sites for Iraq OSINT is:
the Office of da Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR).
http://www.sigir.mil/
SIGIR is the successor to the Coalition Provisional Authority Office of Inspector General (CPA-IG).
SIGIR reports administratively to the Secretaries of State and Defense. In addition, SIGIR provides quarterly and semi-annual reports directly to the U.S. Congress.
Check out some of the testimony by its director Bowen, also he a former Texas fundraiser superstar for Genocide George.
More specificly, check out his Feb testimony at:
http://www.sigir.mil/reports/pdf/testimony/SIGIR_Testimony_06-002T.pdf
Just in case you have a hot date tonite and need all the time you can muster to shower and sandblast your dentures, here's a shitty recap. Remember, these are the U.S. gvt's own numbers!:
-Less electricity in Iraq today than before the invasion (Feb 2003! and not Feb 1943)
-Less water today vs Feb 2003
-Less sewage treatment today vs Feb 2003
-More phones today
-More television (to watch Al Jazeera)
-What little electricity there is, it is more equitably distributed now. Where once most of it went to Baghdad, now B-City has less an rural areas have more
Gasoline is being smuggled in from Iran to meet some of the demand in Iraq. People need it not only to run their cars but to run small electricity generators if they want more than a few hours of electricity per day.
There's stories like the one of how Halliburton has built a power plant in Southern Iraq but built it where there was no grid to connect it to. Bechtel delivered turbines that were the wrong size so shit was fucked with or without a grid.
Summary, Iraq is worse off now than preinvasion in terms of basic civil infrastructure - plus now there's deadly chaos aplenty added to the misery.
And the news is not reporting the progress? What fucking progress. There is none. Just degradation by the gvt's own numbers. It's hilarious..
btw, sorry for commenting this story in the wrong post but hell, I can't even pee straight into the toilet unless I do so sitting.
M1:
Nice find. Good summary too.
I was expecting a 40-80 pager. I was pleasently surprised to find it only 10 pages.
The Reconstruction Gap. Grim indeed.
I didn't notice this was the wrong thread. There are no wrong threads. Remember, No snowflake ever falls in the wrong place.
M1:
Mu.
meow
M1:
LOL
Dharma combat.
Nansen's cat vs. Joshu's dog.
Post a Comment
<< Home