Rumskull: And then there were eight

As reported on Fox News and the Financial Times, an eighth retired general has called for Rumskull's resignation. That would be retired Marine Lt. General Paul Van Riper.

As retired generals started calling for Rumskull to step down, I kept expecting to see Van Riper's name added to the list. It is no surprise that he has added his voice to that call. An April 15, 2006, Washington Post article had some statements by Van Riper.

"I admire those who have stepped forward, and I agree with the arguments they are making," retired Marine Lt. Gen. Paul K. Van Riper said in an interview yesterday. "I count myself in the same camp."

Van Riper, a lifelong Republican who voted for Bush in 2000 but did not vote in the 2004 election, said Rumsfeld has failed in a number of ways, including "disastrous" war planning and execution and fostering a poor command climate.

At that time, Van Riper was not calling for Rumskull to go. Now he has.

You can see Fox News video of Van Riper in at least two places. On the Fox News web site, click on "Videos," then click on "Politics," and finally choose "Wartime Incompetence." Chances are that video will not be on the site too much longer (as would be the case on other network news sites). You can also find video of Van Riper's comments here.

Among Van Riper's comments are the following:

When I look at where we are in this war to date, and imagine where we could have been if the right number of troops had been put in at the right time and had been employed correctly, then I think we need new leadership.

If this leader is not capable of doing it, now going in excess of five years, has not demonstrated he is, then perhaps it is time to find a new one. If I was the president, I would have relieved him three years ago.

And just who is Van Riper? You can read his official biography to get a good idea. Once you have done that, swing over to Millennium Challenge 02 and the Iraq War for much more. MC 02 was the major war game prior to the Iraq war, and Van Riper was the commander of the Opposing Force, which was in a "de-stabled Middle Eastern nation..with a very strong, strong rogue commander, very strong, that commanded over half of the country's land mass and had strong loyalties -- religious, ethnic loyalties -- across that nation and region[.]" Gee, sound like anybody we know? Anyway, Van Riper from the outset was using tactics and strategies unlike anything used in the West. He implemented unconventional techniques and cultural differences--and they worked. The Opposing Force was wreaking havoc. And then bit by bit Van Riper was prohibited from using those techniques (see How MC 02 actually played out for the OPFOR). Although--as discussed in other sections of my MC 02 site--that did not necessarily make MC 02 a sham, the point here is that Van Riper's actions showed before the war that our forces would be vulnerable to unconventional tactics, and it seems to me that lesson was not heeded until after the end of major combat operations.

And that is yet another reason why military commanders might distrust the civilian leadership.