Lt. Gen. Paul Van Riper: The American Officer That Defeated America (In a Wargame)
The Millennium Challenge 2002
In 2002, the US armed forces organized a giant war game called “Millennium Challenge.” It ran for over 20 days, involved over 13,000 participants, included both live exercises and computer simulations, and cost $250 million to run. For the purpose of that exercise, the might of the US armed forces was pitted against a fictional Middle Eastern enemy (Iran, *cough cough*).
The Armed Forces tasked Van Riper, a retired Marine General, with leading the Red Forces (The enemy). Paul Van Riper was an old-school warrior with 41 years of service in the Marine Corps. He saw combat from Vietnam to Iraq.
Van Riper’s Tactical Genius
When Van Riper was not busy stacking bodies on the world’s various battlefields, he studied at the Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School, The College of Naval Command and Staff, Army War College, and the Army’s Airborne and Ranger Schools. His Ribbon Rack is bigger than your dining table and he’s got an instinct honed by four decades spent in operational deployments. They wanted him to lead the OPFOR, and he did so beautifully!
From the word go, he improvised, thought outside of the box, and went asymmetric on the US forces opposing him. It started with a preemptive strike on a carrier battle group, blending land-based, aircraft-launched, and ship-based AshM with suicide speed boats. The whole battle group (19 ships, 20,000 men) was defeated and sank in under 10 minutes.
Resourcefulness in Communication
When the US forces destroyed his command and control nodes, he reverted to motorcycle-based couriers to carry messages and dispatches, alongside hidden messages broadcast from minarets during prayer times and other coded means of communications.
The Blue Force (officers leading the US forces) were less than impressed. The whole exercise was restarted and Van Riper was not allowed to oppose the landings on his shores, had no radar and could not shoot down incoming aircraft.
The Aftermath and Legacy
The whole thing was rigged for a US victory. The retired Marine said, “Nothing was learned from this, a culture not willing to think hard and test itself does not augur well for the future.” He walked out.
He subsequently submitted a complete report on the whole experience, which was instantly classified.
One thing for sure is that Lt. Gen. Paul Van Riper embodies the motto: “Beware of an old man in a profession where men usually die young!!”
-RBM
