Korb “Plan” – DOA

OK folks, let’s first define our terms. Korb’s “Plan” is a political directive/document, not a military plan as people are talking about.

Dust off your Junior War College books and we will start out back-of-a-cocktail-napkin review of Military Planning (I’m doing off the top of my head, so don’t nickel and dime me to death War College Schoolmarms). First, at the top, you have the political leadership that decided it wants to do something. They then go to their Strategic Level Military Commanders, who develop the broad “M” part of D.I.M.E. (Diplomatic, Information, Military, Economic) guidelines of how to achieve the Political End-state.

The Strategic Commander (like SACEUR on the NATO side of the house) then tells his Operational Commander, in very broad terms, what militarily he wants tone to accomplish his Mission and End-state within certain Constraints, Restraints, Limitations, and Goals.

This Operational Commander (4-Star level) then will develop the “Who” will do; “What” action; located “Where” in the world; inside the temporal “When” inside his Strategically bounded Operational Mission and End-state.

The Operational Commander will then task his Tactical Commander (Component Commander, ie Air, Land, Maritime. etc) to figure out the “How” it is going to be done inside the Operational Commander’s chose Courses of Action. Rinse, repeat.

Now that I have lost 90% of you, let’s get to the bucket of political FOD being trolled around the beltway like a Tomics lure. Once again, this isn’t a “Plan” this is a political concept. If I hear one more person call this a “Plan” I am going to have a Dean.

After months of trying unsuccessfully to develop a common message on the war in Iraq, Democratic Party leaders are beginning to coalesce around a broad plan to begin a quick withdrawal of US troops and install them elsewhere in the region, where they could respond to emergencies in Iraq and help fight terrorism in other countries.

Concepts are nice in 9-pages. I have a concept to invade Canada in order to keep all the Newfie women to myself that is about 9 pages long. I don’t micromanage how the flower of Newfoundland is to be brought to my shack on the Redneck Riviera – it is just my concept that I want them. John will outline the plan, Bubblehead will develop it, and Skippy will execute. Nice concept.

Howard Dean, Democratic National Committee chairman, has endorsed Korb's paper and begun mentioning it in meetings with local Democratic groups.
…
The party remains divided on some points, including how much detail to include in a party-produced document, fearful of giving too much fodder for attacks by Republicans.

…or military professionals will tear it to shreds. Show. It. To. Me.

''We're not going to cut and run -- that's just Republican propaganda," Dean said in a speech Feb. 10 in Boston. ''But we are going to redeploy our troops so they don't have targets on their backs, and they're not breaking down doors and putting themselves in the line of fire all the time. . . .

OK, we'll call it, “cut and hide.”

''It's important to note that it's not withdrawal -- it's redeployment,"

BAAAWAHAAHAH. “She isn’t ugly; she has a cute personality." Call it “Spring Break” if you want, but it doesn’t change what it is. Withdrawal, retreat, extraction – quitting. Pick a grab of goo.

The idea of a phased deployment of troops out of Iraq

Dunkirk was a “phased deployment of troops” out of France.

Under Korb's outline, all reservists and National Guard members would come home this year. Most of the other troops would be redeployed to other key areas -- Afghanistan, Southeast Asia, and the Horn of Africa -- with large, quick-strike forces placed in Kuwait, where they could respond to crises in neighboring Iraq.

I’ll translate for you. “Wait for things to get worse and then fight for the same ground twice – or run away further.”

Korb said in an interview that setting dates for troop withdrawal would send a message to the Iraqi people that the United States does not intend to set up permanent military bases in Iraq.

No, it sends the message, “Hunker down Haji, and keep your powder dry. Uncle Sam will be out of here and out of your hair soon enough. Oh, and remember what OBL said about America and Somalia – he was right.”