12.07.2015 Views

On Point: the United States Army in Operation Iraqi ... - Boekje Pienter

On Point: the United States Army in Operation Iraqi ... - Boekje Pienter

On Point: the United States Army in Operation Iraqi ... - Boekje Pienter

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

<strong>in</strong>telligence, <strong>the</strong> pilots consistently reported that <strong>the</strong>y were far more effective than <strong>the</strong>ir lessfortunatebrethren. 76Military Police and Enemy Prisoner of War Plann<strong>in</strong>gFigure 34. 18th MP Brigade headquarters, Baghdad18th Military Police Brigade<strong>On</strong>e of <strong>the</strong> coalition’s fundamentalassumptions was that <strong>the</strong> <strong>Iraqi</strong> militarywould not resist. Indeed, most strategic<strong>in</strong>telligence assessments predictedlarge-scale surrenders and capitulationson <strong>the</strong> order of those experienced dur<strong>in</strong>gDESERT STORM. 77 This assumptionwas central to <strong>the</strong> decision to limit <strong>the</strong>amount of combat power deployed <strong>in</strong>to<strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>ater and played a significant role<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> development of <strong>the</strong> CFLCC’scampaign plan. Given <strong>the</strong> anticipatednumbers of enemy prisoners of war(EPWs), CFLCC required a robustmilitary police capability. Moreover,as <strong>the</strong> combat forces moved north,Lieutenant Generals McKiernan andWallace appreciated <strong>the</strong> need formilitary police to help stabilize <strong>the</strong>liberated territories. Clearly, militarypolice would be critical <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> campaign,both <strong>in</strong> Phase III and IV.CFLCC EPW Capture Rate Estimate<strong>Iraqi</strong> Unit <strong>Operation</strong>al Ready RatesRegular <strong>Army</strong> Infantry Units = 65% Ready RateRegular <strong>Army</strong> Mechanized Units= 75% Ready RateRegular <strong>Army</strong> Armor Units= 80% Ready RateRepublican Guard Units= 90% Ready RateSpecial Republican Guard Units= 90% Ready RateProjected Capture Rates50% of Regular <strong>Army</strong> Units20% of Republican Guard Units10% of Special Republican Guard UnitsEstimates of EPWs by <strong>Iraqi</strong> Defensive Strategy<strong>Iraqi</strong> Units <strong>in</strong> Positional Defense In Depth49,000 to 57,000<strong>Iraqi</strong> Units <strong>in</strong> Urban-Centric Defense31,000 to 35,000Early Regime Collapse16,000 to 18,200CFLCC EPW Methodology Brief<strong>in</strong>g,CFLCC G2 plans69

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!