Iran Observer vía X
Millennium Challenge 2002 was a war exercise, conducted by the US against Iran.
The exercise cost 250 million USD, involved live exercises and computer simulations..... Iran won the drill!
The U.S. Lost a (Fictional) War With Iran 18 Years Ago
Millennium Challenge was a congressionally-mandated exercise designed to test new experimental concepts in warfare. The scenario was that the Blue Force, the U.S. military, was invading a smaller, yet scrappy Middle Eastern country (Iran), in a time frame set five years in the future, or 2007. A rogue commander within the Red force country initiated hostilities against his neighbors, leading to his invasion of disputed islands in the region. Blue Force’s goal was to reopen shipping lanes, neutralize Red’s weapons of mass destruction, and liberate the territory conquered by Red.
The Pentagon asked retired Marine Corps general Paul Van Riper to return to command Red forces, as Van Riper was known as a maverick with a reputation for unorthodox thinking. He was seen as a good fit for Red/Iran, which would seek to maximize every bit of capability it had to repel the American attack.
Faced with imminent attack, Van Riper decided to go on the offensive as soon as U.S. forces were in range. The Bush Administration had recently announced its doctrine of “pre-emption,” meaning the U.S. would strike first before threats grew too serious. Van Riper was reasonably sure then as two aircraft carriers, six amphibious ships, and their combined escorts bore down on him that war was likely. Van Riper decided to attack first, to “
pre-empt the pre-empters.” As War on the Rocks explained:
Once U.S. forces were within range, Van Riper’s forces unleashed a barrage of missiles from ground-based launchers, commercial ships, and planes flying low and without radio communications to reduce their radar signature. Simultaneously, swarms of speedboats loaded with explosives launched kamikaze attacks. The carrier battle group’s Aegis radar system—which tracks and attempts to intercept incoming missiles—was quickly overwhelmed, and 19 U.S. ships were sunk, including the carrier, several cruisers, and five amphibious ships. “The whole thing was over in five, maybe ten minutes,” Van Riper said.
Millennium Challenge 2002 was a military exercise that reminded the U.S. military that the enemy doesn't always do what you want it to do.
www.popularmechanics.com
