Strategic Reflections: Operation Iraqi Freedom July 2004-February 2007

Strategic Reflections Casey Strategic Reflections Operation Iraqi Freedom July 2004–February 2007 George W. Casey, Jr. Strategic Reflections Strategic Reflections Operation Iraqi Freedom July 2004–February 2007 By George W. Casey, Jr. General, U.S. Army Retired National Defense University Press Washington, D.C. October 2012 Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of the Defense Department or any other agency of the Federal Government. Cleared for public release; distribution unlimited. Portions of this book may be quoted or reprinted without permission, provided that a standard source credit line is included. NDU Press would appreciate a courtesy copy of reprints or reviews. Cover image: U.S. Army Sergeant Nathaniel Patterson, of the 320th Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Mahmudiyah, Iraq (U.S. Army/Richard Del Vecchio). Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Casey, George W. Strategic reflections : Operation Iraqi Freedom, July 2004–February 2007 / by George W. Casey. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. 1. Casey, George W. 2. Iraq War, 2003–2011—Campaigns. 3. Iraq War, 2003–2011—Decision making. 4. Iraq War, 2003–2011—Personal narratives. 5. Iraq—Politics and government—2003– 6. Generals—United States—Biography 7. Combined operations (Military science) 8. Civil-military relations—United States—History—21st century. 9. Civil-military relations—Iraq—History—21st century. 10. Iraq—Strategic aspects. I. Title. DS79.769.C38 2012 956.7044’34092—dc23 [B] 2012030244 First printing, October 2012 NDU Press publications are sold by the U.S. Government Printing Office. For or- dering information, call (202) 512-1800 or write to the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. For GPO publications online, access its Web site at: http://bookstore.gpo.gov. For current publications of NDU Press, consult the NDU Press Web site at: www. ndu.edu/press/index.html. To the men and women from 38 countries, represented by the Soldier on the cover, and the families that supported them, who gave 27 million Iraqis the opportunity for a better life. Contents List of Illustrations ........................................x Acknowledgments ........................................xi Introduction ..............................................1 Chapters 1 PREPARING FOR THE MISSION (MAy–June 2004) ............................... 5 Framing the Mission . .6 Building a Key Relationship ��10 Consultations and Direction ��12 Direct Insights . .14 Confirmation . .16 2 EsTABLISHING THE MISSION AND PREPARING FOR THE FIRST ELECTIONS (JULy 2004–JanuARY 2005) .......................19 Organizing for Success ................................33 Military Operations ��40 Election Planning and Preparation .......................42 Looking Beyond the Elections ..........................44 The First Elections: January 30, 2005 .....................49 3 COMPLETING THE UN TIMELINE AND SETTING CONDITIONS FOR A NEW IRAQ (JANUARy–DECEMBER 2005) ................ 51 Adapting in Transition .................................55 Completing the UN Timeline ��66 vii CONTENTS 4 GOVERNMENT TRANSITION AND THE RISE OF SECTARIAN VIOLENCE (JANUARy–June 2006) ...........................81 Government Transition ................................84 The Samarra Bombing and Its Aftermath .................89 Building New Partnerships ��98 Camp David and June D.C. Consultations ��104 5 THE TOUGHEST DAYS (JULy 2006–FEBRUARY 2007) .................. 109 Adjusting the Plan . .110 Civil-Military Relations . .120 Military Operations in Baghdad ��126 Washington Policy Review ��135 6 INSIGHTS FOR LEADERS .................. 153 Developing Vision and Strategy ��154 Creating Unity of Effort ��156 Continuous Assessment and Adaptation ��159 Influencing Organizational Culture ��162 Civil-Military Interaction ��165 Political-Military Integration . .170 Momentum and Transitions . .172 Sustaining Yourself . .175 viii CONTENTS Appendices 1. Abbreviations ��179 2. The Coalition, July 2004 ��183 3. Leadership in Iraq, 2004–2007 . .184 4. Iraqi Security Forces Progression, 2004–2007 ��188 5. Operation Iraqi Freedom Chronology, 2004–2007 . .192 Notes ..................................................203 About the Author .......................................207 Index ..................................................209 ix Illustrations Figures 2-1. Multi-National Force–Iraq, July 2004 ................23 2-2. View of the Threat, Summer 2004 ��27 2-3. Initial Campaign Framework .......................31 2-4. MNF-I Staff Organization . .35 2-5. Counterinsurgency Practices ��45 3-1. Army Partnership Alignment ...................... 59 3-2. Commanding General’s FARs, February 2005 ........ 63 4-1. Post-Samarra Security Environment, March 2006 ......93 4-2. Strategy for Post-Samarra Security Environment .......95 4-3. Campaign Framework, April 2006–December 2009 ........................97 5-1. Framework for Integrating Political-Military Efforts, Fall 2006 .................127 Graphs A4-1. Iraqi Security Forces Growth . .189 A4-2. Army Transition Readiness Assessment Growth .....190 A4-3. Special Police Transition Readiness Assessment Growth ............................191 x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This book would not have been possible without the efforts of Sandy Cochran and Kelly Howard, who have been involved in this effort since Iraq and who assisted me in researching, writing, and fact-checking. I am also appreciative of the comments from many who read the paper, and of the support of the National Defense University Press, particulary Frank G. Hoffman, Jeffrey D. Smotherman, and Tara J. Parekh. Finally, my wife, Sheila, was my strongest supporter throughout my career and particularly during my time in Iraq. She is also a tireless advocate for the families of the men and women of our Armed Forces. xi INTRODUCTION Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom were the first major wars of the 21st century. They will not be the last. They have significantly impacted how our government and military think about prosecuting wars. They will have a generational impact on the U.S. military, as its future leaders, particularly those in the ground forces, will for decades be men and women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.* I believe it is imperative that leaders at all levels, both military and civilian, share their experiences to ensure that we, as a military and as a country, gain appropriate insights for the future. As the Army chief of staff, I encouraged leaders at the war colleges, staff colleges, and advanced courses to write about what they did in Iraq and Afghanistan so that others could be better prepared when they faced similar challenges. This book is my effort to follow my own advice. I believe that we have not seen the last of the challenges and demands that I faced during my 32 months of combined command in Iraq, and I offer these insights so that future leaders can be better prepared. During my command tenure, the Multi-National Force–Iraq (MNF-I) mission transitioned from one of occupation to one of partnership with three Iraqi governments. We used this period to lay the foundation for and begin the transition to a self-reliant Iraqi government, our mandate from the United Nations (UN). This book primarily addresses the events, decisions, and actions of MNF-I as I perceived them at the time. I have occasionally offered retrospective * The last U.S. Army general with Vietnam experience retired in 2011. 1 STRATEGIC REFLECTIONS insights that come from experience and hindsight, but I felt it is more important to focus on what I thought and what I did then to provide the best insight into the challenges I faced and how I dealt with them. It reflects my insights as a commander in one theater of a broader war. In preparing this book, I relied on the historical records that I kept from Iraq—personal notes, briefings, plans, assessments, meet- ing notes—that, while decidedly incomplete, greatly sharpened my personal recollections and offered insights into how we viewed the situation over time and what we conveyed to our political leaders. They are available for research at the National Defense University. As in any major endeavor, personalities mattered. Throughout my entire command tenure, I interacted with an extremely profes- sional group of civilian and military leaders. My Commander in Chief was President George W. Bush, who was served by two Secretaries of State, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, and two National Se- curity Advisors, Dr. Rice and Stephen Hadley, whom I interacted

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