Iraqi perspectives project : a view of Operation Iraqi Freedom as seen from Saddam's senior leadership

Released March 2006. Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) overthrew Saddam's regime and opened up one of the world's most secretive governments to outside analysis, presenting a once-in-a-generation opportunity for military leaders and historians to delve deep into the decision-making process of a former adversary. Kevin and his team have crafted a substantive examination of Saddam Hussein's leadership and its effect on the Iraqi military decision-making process. These 'reports 'are, for the most part, interviews of senior personnel from the former regime of Saddam Hussein. Chapters include: The Nature of the Regime, Skewed Strategy, Military Effectiveness, Crippled Operational Planning, The Regime Prepares for War, and Doomed Execution. Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) overthrew Saddam's regime and opened up one of the world's most secretive governments to outside analysis, presenting a once-in-a-generation opportunity for military leaders and historians to delve deep into the decision-making processes of a former adversary. This study presents a comprehensive historical analysis of the forces and motivations that drove our opponent's decisions through dozens of interviews with senior Iraqi military and political leaders and by making extensive use of thousands of official Iraqi documents. The author and his team have crafted a substantive examination of Saddam Hussein's leadership and its effect on the Iraqi military decision-making process Iraqi Perspectives Iraqi Perspectives Project - Cover 1 Forward from BG Anthony A. Cucolo III, Director, JCOA 3 A Note on Citations 4 Table Of Contents 5 Introduction 9 Chapter I - The Nature of the Regime 17 Chapter II - Skewed Strategy 41 Chapter III - Military Effectiveness 55 Chapter IV - Crippled Operational Planning 91 Chapter V - The Regime Prepares for War 105 Chapter VI - Doomed Execution 139 Illistrations 175 Annex. The Iraqi Perspectives Project: Methodology and Sources of Information 193 References 211 Abbreviations 225 Acknowledgements 229 David L. Mcnicol. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 107-109).