Offense and Defense

Veteran investigative reporter Seymour M. Hersh writes that US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has dominated logistical planning of the US military operation in Iraq. Taking control of day-to-day logistical planning to an unprecedented extent, Rumsfeld has angered several senior war planners in the Pentagon. Hersh says "On at least six occasions, the planner told me, when Rumsfeld and his deputies were presented with operational plans… he insisted that the number of ground troops be sharply reduced. Rumsfeld’s faith in precision bombing and his insistence on streamlined military operations has had profound consequences for the ability of the armed forces to fight effectively overseas. 'They’ve got no resources,' a former high-level intelligence official said. 'He was so focussed on proving his point—that the Iraqis were going to fall apart.'" Hersh goes on to paint a dire picture of mismanaged military resources and dangerous consequences for American troops in Iraq. – YaleGlobal