How would you organise Iraq's defences?

[Sandman]

If you were Saddam, how would you defend Iraq against an American onslaught, given the vast inferiority of your forces?

Here's my plan:

It's hopeless to even contemplate victory, the best that can be hoped for is a glorious, rather than ignominous, defeat.

Build fake everything, fake tanks, fake command centres, even fake troops. It worked for the Serbs, but the US may be prepared for fake stuff because of this, so it had better be well-faked, maybe even with a fake heat signature.

Hide everything important in nondescript buildings or underground. Turn barns into command centres, wells into ammunition stores, etc.

Stockpile resources in every urban area, place tank defences, trenches, barbed wire and booby traps all over the place.

Use floodlights to spot the initial wave of stealth fighters, even though floodlights are a sitting duck to normal aircraft, stealth fighters don't have enough firepower to attack them all. Mount the spotlights on trucks and keep moving them around, switching them on and off. An additional use of spotlights could be to attract enemy planes into a trap by using them as bait.

Use oil as a weapon, start a burning oil slick to prevent marines landing, fill trenches with burning petrol to slow down American advance. The pall of smoke will also give aircraft problems. Equip troops with flame throwers.

Rather than using civilans as human shields, cause a huge refugee crisis, sending them fleeing in all directions, spreading propaganda about American brutality. Refugees get more media coverage than corpses anyway. Set up a 'government in exile' in some sympathetic state.

Pull off every propaganda trick in the book, refer to the US (and Britain)as the infidels, try to stir up revolt across the Arab world. Recall past Arab victories (or heroic defeats).

Use gas in a battlefield setting only, and do not attack Israel under any circumstances.

[Paul Hanson]

Yeah, all that, pretty much. And I'd do all the stuff that Van Riper guy did in that simulation a while back.

[Bereta_Eder]

Call on "brother muslims" all around the world to strike hard at the heart of the "beast" if it attacks.

Fake resistance and move all my armies in the cities which means that the US can't do anything without inflicting heavy civilian casualties that would hopefuly spark international and american condemnation.

Stall the UN and agree with it only marginally and if the sh!t is about to hit the fan.

Scout my territory with secret police to root out american subversive agents.

Try as best as I can to have good relations with my big neighboors.


Keep giving Germany and France lucrative oil deals.

This way I can stay in power indefinitely and there will not even be an attack.

Actually that's exactly what he does.

[nationalist]

I send hitmen to try and assassinate Bush if I were Sadaam. He's going to go down, so why shouldn't try to take Bush down. I'd also do as much as I possibly could to terrorize the American population. If I had weapons I'd use them on Israel to disrupt the whole Middle East. After that I'd hop into a private jet and try to make it to a tropical paradise and live comfortably in retirement, basking in the fact that I had done more to hurt the U.S. than any leader before me.

[DinoDoc]

How would I assure myself of the loyalty of my troops, given that they surrendered to TV newsmen last time?

[SlowwHand]

Put the worst troops closest to the front, with corresponding lines of defense based on worst to first .
The hope being that by the time the Americans and Allies get to last lines of defense, they're worn out from gathering discarded weapons of Iraq's soldiers.

[BeBro]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
How would I assure myself of the loyalty of my troops, given that they surrendered to TV newsmen last time?

To reduce loss of life: equip all your forces with TV cams!

[chequita guevara]

The best offense is a good defense. Attack Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Don't let the US have a base to attack from.

[BeBro]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
The best offense is a good defense. Attack Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Don't let the US have a base to attack from.

I´d say this is the best way to Iraqs defeat, because than the Arabs would give the US full support to stop the invasion (and finish the job this time)

[Kyle]

I'd give up weapons of mass destruction and make a deal with the US for reduced prices on oil. Right about now I'd be doing anything to keep a war from coming.

[SlowwHand]

"The best offense is a good defense. Attack Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Don't let the US have a base to attack from."

I think you reversed your line of thought from the name, Che.
Going on offensive as you outlined might be their best hope.

[Sandman]

I'd keep my troops fighting by reminding them that there is no way to surrender to America's flying machines. They're also fighting for their homeland, so that should count for something. Drugs could come in handy, as well.

[Andrew1999]

Tell the people that if the U.S. wins they will put the Zionists in charge. Also, use whatever chemical and biological weapons may be available on the troop buildups in Turkey and Kuwait. Don't just sit there and let the U.S. build up for 6 months in perfect safety like last time.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Sandman
I'd keep my troops fighting by reminding them that there is no way to surrender to America's flying machines.

They found that out the first time and found the nearest news crew to use as a substitute.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by BeBro
I´d say this is the best way to Iraqs defeat, because than the Arabs would give the US full support to stop the invasion (and finish the job this time)

There is no way Iraq could possibly win against the Americans. None. The best for which they can hope is to prevent the Americans from having an area to build up their forces.

[BeBro]

There is no way Iraq could possibly win against the Americans. None. The best for which they can hope is to prevent the Americans from having an area to build up their forces.

Hm, but hasn´t the build.up already begun?

[ixnay]

[Sandman]

More ways to ensure loyalty:

Barbed wire, flaming baricades and booby traps work to keep your troops back as well.

Get loyal units to pretend to surrender, before killing their captors with concealed weapons. Before long, the US will be taking no prisoners.

[Thrawn05]

Simple: Line up all of the military and have them hold Welcome signs.

[Nubclear]

What would I do? Call on brother muslims to help me. And to convince them, I would put on a light show in Haifa, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv (Sorry Siro)

[Pekka]

I refuse to think Iraq's situation is hopeless in this field. It's bad, but not hopeless. If I were in control, I would not make big movements of troops now. Recon will know what's happening, but why make it too easy.

Start stocking and hiding weapons right away, all over the country. They will be needed when the majority of weapons are destroyed, or unreachable. Also stock food and communication devices. Everything that is needed for massive regroupings, and smaller guerilla attacks afterwards.

Start building of rather weak trenches. No point of making strong holds that requires much work, they'll be destroyed in the bombings and they won't hold too much anyway. Manufacture lots of fake stuff, cannons etc. Just like Sandman said earlier.

Go mad with mines.. just put them randomly, not being cheap. Tons and tons of nasty mines. Everything should be carefully reported, so they can be taken off too when it's needed.

Start making them allies already that backs up in these kind of situations. Pressure the arab world. Start making assasinations of important people who are in the way of making it possible. Really start the big engine and pump it up.

Start more serious training for the troops. Forget the shouting for jihad, start working more.
The basic idea is to keep the main striking force alive and going, and it's not going to happen standing in trenches and defending. Put everything on mobility. Forget the 'we need every man here' stuff. Start fighting superior enemy like it's supposed to be fought..

It is absolutely essential to get initiative. I'd build my strategy on that. To get the initiative, mobility is the only way to keep it in this situation. With troops so much weaker, they need to focus on striking somewhere, not everywhere. Getting to decide where to fight and when is also important. Pick the battles. They won't be able to win big ones, so focus on winning the small ones with troops that can move fast and change the pressure points. Establish the pressure points. Can't afford letting the enemy to decide these things.

This could be farely possible, but in a terrain like Iraq.. I don't know.. and with their famous fighting moral.. uh oh.

Key elements: movement, pressure points, initiative and choosing battles, and when surviving the first few waves of the war, getting them allies fast.

[loinburger]

Goad Isreal into attacking by launching SCUD's with mustard/nerve gas warheads at Isreali population centers, then call on support from brother arabs to help eliminate the Zionist threat.

[Lord Merciless]

A lot depends on whether Saddam wants to stay alive and still live a retired dictator's good life, go down in history "heroically".

If opting for the previous choice, then he can cooperate with UN, behave reasonably, and try to drive a wedge between US, Russia, and Europe. That's probably the best outcome for Saddam.

If the war breaks out, then Saddam is sooner or later toast. So it's probably in his best interest to cause as much damage to the US and its allies as possible. He can do the following:

1. Target Israeli population centers with bio-chemical weapons. Goad Israel into an all-out war with Arabs.

2. Attack with everything he has on the ground Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Then torch all the cities and oilfields.

3. Use the same bio-chemical weapons against US forces.

[orange]

basically a lot of what's been said, but stage elaborate eco-terrorism to occur at the first sign of invasion involving oil...and announce that any such attempt to invade will result in this catastrophe...get more people (mainly environmentalists, greens, and lefties) against the war...

Fight guerilla battles, try to hold major cities but don't let cities be taken...spread force thin...use snipers to pick off ground troops...make it an internal battle...Saddam would flee to the north east portion of the country.

Call for an attack on Israel. Send some civilian bombers, and launch SCUDs at cities. Try to provoke a massive Israeli response.

[SlowwHand]

Hussein did that last time. No doubt he will again.

[orange]

i know...but it's a good plan...

I'm totally against it, and think it's an awful thing to do...but when you're looking down the barrel of a gun nothing else seems to matter...might as well go out with a legacy right?

[monkspider]

Iraq has a chance. I think if Sadaam hired a bunch of Apolytoners as military advisors (as well as that Vietnam vet who participated in that simulation) he very well could win.

[JCG]

If by "win" you mean "lose less horribly", then yup.

[Capt Dizle]

Saddam should look for opportunities to attach ships and bases with small mobile units. Play hell with the logistics of getting troops into jump off areas.

Drop some deserters with information that they believe is correct but it actually wrong.

Set up skimishing and entice the invaders to attack poision pills containing lots of civilians.

Identify major staging areas and hit with biochem weaps hard. This can be out of country, no matter.

Sign a treaty with Iran granting territory in Iraq as a protectorate. In which Iran assets can't be hit without forcing a wider conflict. Tanks and anti-aircraft go up there. Move the people into the urban areas, arm them, and put the infantry in there with them. Add chemical and bios and let it be known that an air attack will release the bogey man. Force urban warfare.

If you lose a section, just gas it all to hell.

Pay Arafat to coordinate an uprising against Israel and fake some massive Israel atrocities. Retalitate with biochemscuds.

[Vesayen]

As morbid as it sounds, I'd develop a HUGE bio weapons program as fast as I could, sink EVERYTHING I have into it, then set it off in say, London or NYC. I threaten if the fighting dosent stop, I release them in another western city etc...

See how hard the west wants to fight Iraq when millions are dying of plague.