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American Morning
Discussing Military Strategy
Aired April 07, 2003 - 08:13 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about that military strategy. General Wesley Clark is back with us live in Little Rock, Arkansas.
General, good to have you on this Monday. We do know a presidential palace, we do know the information ministry, we do know about the Al Rasheed (ph) Hotel. Based on that, if it's indeed the case on the ground in Baghdad, what does this tell you about the targets the U.S. Is choosing right now?
GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: These are regime targets, Bill, because essentially, there are no military, there's no hard military positions to occupy. This is an attack about regime change, it's about finding enemy centers of leadership and resistance, and demonstrating to the population and remaining Iraqi forces that the regime's days are numbered, that it's time to lay down their arms and cease resistance.
And So this foray today that's going to at least temporarily hold these positions, we don't know what their ultimate aims are, but this is a continuation of the pattern of opportunistic operations around Baghdad.
It was to encircle Baghdad, at least block the main arteries of communications, send reconnaissance in, special operations troops, run armored columns through, locating and defeating enemy centers of resistance, and as the opportunities presented themselves and the timing was right and conditions were set to seize and possibly hold key facilities or regions of the city, this falls in that pattern. It's a very smart, considered strategy.
HEMMER: If that's the case, then, general, what happens on Tuesday? What happens on Wednesday?
CLARK: This pattern is likely to be repeated, and we'll probably see another brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division come in or other force come in and seize other objectives. We'll see if these forces stay there and see them move beyond the locations they're in right now. We may see activities going underground and look for the underground storage facilities. It's unpredictable. This is reconnaissance-led operations.
HEMMER: What are you to make right now -- sorry, general. What are you to make right now of the so-called ring of steel and whether or not this thing ever even materialized in the first place?
And with that as a backdrop, the ring of steel that used to circle the capital city, so we were told prior to the start of this conflict, what do you make of right now in terms of command-and- control abilities at the special Republican guard, Republican Guard, regular Iraqi soldiers right now who are still willing to carry on this fight in Baghdad?
CLARK: My guess is, Bill, if another nation with 1970s and '60s technology had attacked the Iraqi capital, that the Republican Guards might very well have put up an effective defense. But these soldiers were no match for the combined arms, the high precision reconnaissance-led strikes by the Air Force and Navy fighter pilots, the stealth aircraft overhead, and then the very, very well-trained U.S. Army and Marine forces, who could take the fight to the enemy, tank for tank, fighting vehicle by fighting vehicle, infantryman by infantryman. They simply weren't a match; they were overwhelmed. It's what we would say in army training parlance, they couldn't execute. They may have generals that could draw plans on maps, they may have had leaders who could describe concepts like a ring of steel, but when it came down to where the battle is won or lost, at the level of fighting soldiers, the airmen, the people with their hands on the -- fingers on the triggers and their eyes gents the sights, the Iraqis were no match for the coalition.
HEMMER: Thank you, general. Wesley Clark, again, live in Little Rock.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired April 7, 2003 - 08:13 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about that military strategy. General Wesley Clark is back with us live in Little Rock, Arkansas.
General, good to have you on this Monday. We do know a presidential palace, we do know the information ministry, we do know about the Al Rasheed (ph) Hotel. Based on that, if it's indeed the case on the ground in Baghdad, what does this tell you about the targets the U.S. Is choosing right now?
GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: These are regime targets, Bill, because essentially, there are no military, there's no hard military positions to occupy. This is an attack about regime change, it's about finding enemy centers of leadership and resistance, and demonstrating to the population and remaining Iraqi forces that the regime's days are numbered, that it's time to lay down their arms and cease resistance.
And So this foray today that's going to at least temporarily hold these positions, we don't know what their ultimate aims are, but this is a continuation of the pattern of opportunistic operations around Baghdad.
It was to encircle Baghdad, at least block the main arteries of communications, send reconnaissance in, special operations troops, run armored columns through, locating and defeating enemy centers of resistance, and as the opportunities presented themselves and the timing was right and conditions were set to seize and possibly hold key facilities or regions of the city, this falls in that pattern. It's a very smart, considered strategy.
HEMMER: If that's the case, then, general, what happens on Tuesday? What happens on Wednesday?
CLARK: This pattern is likely to be repeated, and we'll probably see another brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division come in or other force come in and seize other objectives. We'll see if these forces stay there and see them move beyond the locations they're in right now. We may see activities going underground and look for the underground storage facilities. It's unpredictable. This is reconnaissance-led operations.
HEMMER: What are you to make right now -- sorry, general. What are you to make right now of the so-called ring of steel and whether or not this thing ever even materialized in the first place?
And with that as a backdrop, the ring of steel that used to circle the capital city, so we were told prior to the start of this conflict, what do you make of right now in terms of command-and- control abilities at the special Republican guard, Republican Guard, regular Iraqi soldiers right now who are still willing to carry on this fight in Baghdad?
CLARK: My guess is, Bill, if another nation with 1970s and '60s technology had attacked the Iraqi capital, that the Republican Guards might very well have put up an effective defense. But these soldiers were no match for the combined arms, the high precision reconnaissance-led strikes by the Air Force and Navy fighter pilots, the stealth aircraft overhead, and then the very, very well-trained U.S. Army and Marine forces, who could take the fight to the enemy, tank for tank, fighting vehicle by fighting vehicle, infantryman by infantryman. They simply weren't a match; they were overwhelmed. It's what we would say in army training parlance, they couldn't execute. They may have generals that could draw plans on maps, they may have had leaders who could describe concepts like a ring of steel, but when it came down to where the battle is won or lost, at the level of fighting soldiers, the airmen, the people with their hands on the -- fingers on the triggers and their eyes gents the sights, the Iraqis were no match for the coalition.
HEMMER: Thank you, general. Wesley Clark, again, live in Little Rock.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
