LESSONS LEARNED–MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE 2002

Exercising for war against Iran–a lesson from Millennium Challenge 2002

Iran recently ended its military exercise in the Strait of Hormuz. Soon, in the coming days or weeks, the U.S. intends to initiate a joint exercise throughout the Middle East with Israel. A game of chess is being played and some pieces are likely missing from the chessboard. Not only are pieces to the exercise equation likely missing, a high likeliness of political correctness will entail during the U.S.-Israeli exercise.

Back in 2002, the largest military exercise of its time occurred throughout the Persian Gulf known as Millennium Challenge 2002. Some military leaders believed that the U.S. was victorious in this war gamming exercise however, others believed differently. Needless to say, the opposition incorporating complete asymmetric tactics and techniques likely founded from a rogue regime was the real victor against the United States military might.

According to the Army Times, the three week “$250 million Millennium Challenge exercise involving well over 13,500 participants” engaging in 17 simulated locations with nine live-force training sites was set to test modern joint service war fighting capabilities.

The exercise, according to Military.com, “involved a crisis moving toward war in the Persian Gulf and in actuality was a barely veiled test of an invasion of Iran.” Retired General Van Riper led the opposition known as “Force Red” while, then head of Joint Forces Command, General William Kernan led the friendlies known as “Force Blue.” Like virtually every military exercise, Millennium Challenge was scripted allowing only the U.S. to be victorious.

Mark H. Gaffney had written a disturbing account of Millennium Challenge 2002. In his writings, he reveals some scary truths about how a low tech, highly motivated, outside the box thinking OPFOR led by Gen. Van Riper actually defeated the bold and aggressive U.S. military might. As observed in the U.S. Air Force’s Eagle Flag or Silver Flag exercises, the Navy’s “FLEETEX” now known as JTFEX, or any exercise founded within the U.S. Army’s four combat training centers, U.S. forces rarely, if ever, lose.

Unfortunately, a politically correct phenom has saturated even the world’s greatest military. Often times during these exercises, U.S. forces and their assets are destroyed yet they are swiftly brought “back to life.” This is what happened in Millennium Challenge 2002.

Regrettably, during the real battles of war, there are no miraculous acts of reincarnation bringing our warriors back into the fight. There is no script written demonstrating exactly what the opposition will do next. There are no “rigged” outcomes.

We fight an incredibly aggressive and capable enemy today. They utilize low tech gadgetry. They think outside the box. Oftentimes they are supported by rogue nation states like Iran. This is why we refer to today’s threat as asymmetric or unconventional. The U.S. military does not practice like we fight. We continue poorly executed exercises only later to be faced with stark reality.

America is no safer today then we were prior to the start of this ten plus year war. In fact, many would argue that the world is much more dangerous which implies that the United States is actually less safe than we were prior to 9-11. Believing that the Iraq War has ended, troops are coming home, and a drawl down of U.S. forces in Afghanistan demonstrates that we have accomplished our mission is utterly wrong.

While we have fought in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, other nations have strategically aligned themselves, observed our tactics, techniques, and procedures, and strengthened their own military might. Out of all the countries, Iran has taken the lead through the purchase of military upgrades, uranium enrichment, and strengthened relations with allies such as Cuba, Russia, and Venezuela capable of launching Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM’S) towards the United States.

Even with the possible closure of ten years of war in places like Afghanistan and Iraq, the United States is doing its best to prepare for war against the inevitable–Iran. Exercises are incredible tools when conducted appropriately. Hopefully, lessons were learned in scripting and rigging the Millennium Challenge 2002 exercise. We will soon find out whether those lessons were truly learned when our best and brightest work alongside our Israeli counterparts in the coming weeks.

Kerry Patton, a combat service disabled veteran, is a senior analyst for WIKISTRAT and owner of IranWarMonitor.com. He has worked in South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, focusing on intelligence and security and interviewing current and former terrorists, including members of the Taliban. He is the author of Sociocultural Intelligence: The New Discipline of Intelligence Studies and the children’s book American Patriotism. You can follow him on Facebook.