The Rumsfeld Doctrine (named after its originator Donald Rumsfeld) is primarily concerned with the transformation of the United States Military. It would be considered Rumsfeld's own take on RMA (Revolution in Military Affairs). It seeks to increase force readiness and decrease the amount of supply required to maintain forces, by reducing the number in a theater. This is done mainly by using LAVs (Light Armoured Vehicles) to scout for enemies who are then destroyed via airstrikes. The basic tenets of this military strategy are: Donald Henry Rumsfeld (born July 9, 1932) was a U.S. politician and businessman, who was the 13th Secretary of Defense under President Gerald Ford from 1975–1977, and the 21st Secretary of Defense under President George W. Bush from 2001–2006. ... The armed forces of the United States of America consist of the United States Army United States Navy United States Air Force United States Marine Corps United States Coast Guard Note: The United States Coast Guard has both military and law enforcement functions. ... The military concept of Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) is a theory about the future of warfare, often connected to technological and organizational recommendations for change in the U.S. military and others. ... Piranha-derived LAV25 in USMC service Canadian Piranha-derived, six-wheeled Cougar AVGP, with Scorpion tank turret (76 mm gun) Prototype of a Mobile Gun System derivative of the Piranha, mounting a 105mm tank gun Piranha-derived Stryker, clad with a supplementary anti-HEAT shell slat armour Canadian Forces Piranha... A military strike is a limited attack on a specified target. ...

• High technology combat systems
• Reliance on air forces
• Small, nimble ground forces

Afghanistan and the Iraq wars are considered the two closest implementations of this doctrine.

Iraq War Controversy

The Pentagon has in the post-Vietnam period favored using overwhelming force (the opposite of limited engagement), the Powell Doctrine, with well defined objectives and exit strategies. This has often come at odds with Rumsfeld’s administration. With the apparent success of the Rumsfeld doctrine in Afghanistan, Rumsfeld pushed for the extension of the doctrine in Iraq. General Colin Powell made famous the so-called Powell Doctrine as part of the run up to the 1990-1991 Gulf War. ...

Rumsfeld wanted only 60,000 troops in the Iraq invasion. The Pentagon (General Franks) wanted 400,000. 140,000 went into Iraq. At issue was not the number of troops needed to topple the regime, but the number needed to maintain the peace afterwards. In the days before the invasion the Pentagon had declared that the invasion would last mere weeks, not months. However, the Pentagon maintained that “boots” were necessary to maintain the peace. For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ... General Tommy R. Franks (USCENTCOM photo) Tommy Ray Franks KBE (born June 17, 1945) in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, is a retired General in the United States Army, previously serving as the Commander-in-Chief of United States Central Command, overseeing United States Armed Forces operations in a 25-country region, including...

Supporting Opinion

Supporters argue that there is no way to prove that results would have been different if more troops were sent. Thus there is no way to actually prove that the doctrine was a huge and tragic mistake. They argue that the war was much more successful than the first Gulf War. They also argue a cost benefit analysis. A million troops (more than twice the number actually requested by the military) could have been sent to Iraq, but would have been extremely costly and would not justify any supposed extra benefit, such as being able to withdraw much sooner, saving lives and maintaining US military credibility. US support in Iraq was to be for the long haul. Therefore, no exit strategy is necessary, any statements about a campaign lasting "weeks, not months" to the contrary. Any public disclosure of such a strategy could potentially be harmful in emboldening insurgency more than it is emboldened under the current approach.

Four years into the Iraq war there had been over 3,000 US military deaths and many more civilian deaths. The Korean and Vietnam conflicts each had well over 50,000 US military deaths along with more civilian deaths. The Korean War lasted around three years. The Vietnam war lasted around fifteen years. Thus the number of US military deaths per year in Iraq is lower than in the Korea or Vietnam conflicts, which were fought with different military and medical technology, against different enemies and in different theaters. By this measure, the Vietnam conflict was considerably more successful than the Korean conflict.

The issue is complicated by other policies such as debaathification, put in place by the same administration that produced the Rumsfeld doctrine. This is perhaps the biggest difference between the conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq, other than Iraq's oil wealth, its large (if not well-trained) standing army, its ethnic and religious diversity, its geopolitical position, its history and the secular nature of the ousted regime. In Afghanistan the US utilized the existing war lords as opposed to disbanding the official army and giving sectarian militias free reign. Baath Party symbol Party flag The Arab Socialist Baath Party (also spelled Bath or Baath; Arabic: حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي Ḥizb al-Ba`ṯ al-`Arabī al-Ištirāki) was founded in 1947 as a radical, secular Arab nationalist political party. ...

Opposition Opinion

Opponents argue that the doctrine entails a heavy reliance on airstrikes to replace a lack of ground forces. Beginning with Saddam Hussein, there were at least 50 airstrikes aimed at decapitating the Iraqi leadership. Not a single one was successful. However, there was extensive collateral damage to civilians. [1] Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (Arabic: [1]; April 28, 1937[2] – December 30, 2006[3]), was the President of Iraq from July 16, 1979, until April 9, 2003. ...

Opponents also claim that without ground troops to secure the border, top Ba'athist regime members fled the country with vast Iraqi funds and foreign insurgents moved into the country. There were not enough troops to defend the Iraqi border from foreign-backed insurgents. This was not as much of a problem in Afghanistan because Soviet hostilities had long ended and Afghanistan benefits from geological border protections. Baath Party symbol Party flag The Arab Socialist Baath Party (also spelled Bath or Baath; Arabic: حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي Ḥizb al-Ba`ṯ al-`Arabī al-Ištirāki) was founded in 1947 as a radical, secular Arab nationalist political party. ... The Iraq resistance movement is the armed resistance by diverse groups within Iraq of the coalition occupation of Iraq. ...

They also claim that without sufficient troops the country could not be pacified. Without sufficient troops to guard the Iraqi military infrastructure large amounts of munitions were looted. This has led to the current problem of insurgents and their improvised explosive devices (IED)s. Notably, Thomas L. Friedman of the New York Times has referred to the Rumsfeld Doctrine as one of 'just enough troops to lose.' Munitions rigged for an IED discovered by Iraqi police in Baghdad, November 2005. ... Thomas L. Friedman (born July 20, 1953) is an American journalist, columnist, and author, currently working as an Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ...

See also

• Powell Doctrine
• Revolution in Military Affairs
• Network-centric warfare

General Colin Powell made famous the so-called Powell Doctrine as part of the run up to the 1990-1991 Gulf War. ... The military concept of Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) is a theory about the future of warfare, often connected to technological and organizational recommendations for change in the U.S. military and others. ... Network-centric warfare (NCW), now commonly called Network-centric operations (NCO), is a new military doctrine or theory of war pioneered by the United States Department of Defense. ...

External links

• Bruce Nussbaum Criticism of Rumsfeld Doctrine
• Greg Jaffe Take on the Rumsfeld Doctrine

United States Foreign Policy

Doctrines: Presidential doctrines: Proclamation of Neutrality • Monroe Doctrine • Roosevelt Corollary • Truman Doctrine • Eisenhower Doctrine • Kennedy Doctrine • Johnson Doctrine • Nixon Doctrine • Carter Doctrine • Reagan Doctrine • Clinton Doctrine • Bush Doctrine Other doctrines: Lodge Corollary • Containment • Domino theory • Rollback • Stimson Doctrine • Kirkpatrick Doctrine • Weinberger Doctrine • Powell Doctrine • Rumsfeld Doctrine • Wolfowitz Doctrine Bilateral relations: This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_States. ... It has been suggested that Neutrality Proclamation be merged into this article or section. ... U.S. President James Monroe The Monroe Doctrine is a U.S. doctrine which, on December 2, 1823, proclaimed that European powers should no longer colonize or interfere with the affairs of the nations of the Americas. ... A political cartoonists commentary on Roosevelts big stick policy The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine was a substantial alteration (called an amendment) of the Monroe Doctrine by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt in 1904. ... Truman delivering the Truman Doctrine on March 12, 1947. ... The Eisenhower Doctrine, given in a message to Congress on January 5, 1957 stated the United States would use armed forces upon request in response to imminent or actual aggression to the United States. ... The Kennedy Doctrine refers to foreign policy initiatives of the 35th President of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, towards Latin America during his term in office between 1961 and 1963. ... The Johnson Doctrine, enunciated by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson. ... The Nixon Doctrine was put forth in a press conference in Guam on July 25, 1969 by Richard Nixon. ... The Carter Doctrine was proclaimed by President Jimmy Carter in his State of the Union Address on 23 January 1980. ... The Reagan Doctrine was an important Cold War strategy by the United States to oppose the influence of the Soviet Union by backing anti-communist guerrillas against the communist governments of Soviet-backed client states. ... The Clinton Doctrine is not a clear statement in the way that many other doctrines were. ... The Bush Doctrine is name given to a set of foreign policy guidelines first unveiled by President George W. Bush in his commencement speech to the graduating class of West Point given on June 1, 2002. ... The Lodge Corollary was a corollary to the Monroe Doctrine proposed by Henry Cabot Lodge and ratified by the US Senate in 1912 forbidding any foreign power or foreign interest of any kind to acquire sufficient territory in the Western Hemisphere so as to put that government in practical power... Containment refers to the foreign policy strategy of the United States in the early years of the Cold War in which it attempted to stop what it called the domino effect of nations moving politically towards Soviet Union-based communism, rather than European-American-based capitalism. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Rollback was a term used by American foreign policy thinkers during the Cold War. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Kirkpatrick Doctrine was a political doctrine expounded by United States Ambassador to the United Nations Jeane Kirkpatrick in the early 1980s which attempted to justify U.S. support for right-wing, anti-Communist dictatorships in the Third World in the context of the Cold War. ... The Weinberger Doctrine was a list of points governing when the United States could commit troops in military engagements. ... General Colin Powell made famous the so-called Powell Doctrine as part of the run up to the 1990-1991 Gulf War. ... Wolfowitz Doctrine is a pseudo-name given to the 1992 Defense Planning Guidance authored by Paul Wolfowitz and I. Lewis Libby. ... Transatlantic relations: Anglo-American relations • Franco-American relations • German-American relations • Greek-American relations • Swedish-American relations • Turkey-United States relations Other relations: United States-Australia relations • Belarusian-American relations • Canada-United States relations • Indo-U.S. relations • Japanese-American relations • North Korean-American relations • Russo-United States relations • Sino-American relations U.S. military alliances: NATO • Anzus Atlantic derives from Ancient Greek mythology: Altas as one of the Titans at the Rockefeller Center in New York City Transatlantic relations refers to the historic, cultural, political, economic and social relations between countries on both side of the Atlantic Ocean, specifically between the United States, Canada and the countries... The term Anglo-American relations refers to bilateral relations between the United Kingdom and the United States, especially since 1900. ... Franco-American relations refers to interstate relations between France and the United States. ... German-American relations are the transatlantic relations between Germany and the United States and between the German and American people in particular. ... The United States and Greece have long-standing historical, political, and cultural ties based on a common heritage, shared democratic values, and participation as Allies during World War II, the Korean conflict, and the Cold War. ... Swedish–American relations are the transatlantic relations between Sweden and the United States, and between the Swedish and American people in particular. ... Turkey-United States relations evolved from Turkeys entrance into World War II on the Allied side shortly before the war ended and it becoming a charter member of the United Nations. ... United States-Australia relations have been close throughout the history of Australia. ... Interstate relations between the United States and Belarus began in 1991 upon the collapse of the Soviet Union, which Belarus was a part of. ... Canada-United States relations span more than two centuries, marked by a shared British colonial heritage, conflict during the early years of the U.S., and the eventual development of one of the most successful international relationships in the modern world. ... Indo-U.S. relations, the bilateral relations between the United States of America and the Republic of India are at an all time high. ... The relationship between Japan and the United States of America is one of very close economic and military cooperation, as well as great cultural proliferation. ... U.S.-North Korea relations developed primarily during the Korean War, but in recent years have been largely defined by the United States suspicions regarding North Koreas nuclear programs, and North Koreas perception of an imminent U.S. attack. ... The United States of America and the Russian Federation have had diplomatic relations since the 1800s and have been major players in world affairs post-World War 2. ... Sino-American relations (Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ) refers to international relations between the United States and China. ... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague. ... The Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty (ANZUS or ANZUS Treaty) is the military alliance which binds Australia and the United States, and separately Australia and New Zealand to cooperate on defence matters in the Pacific Ocean area, though today the treaty is understood to relate to attacks in...