INTERVIEW: The Colonel Who Planned the Invasion

He was in the room when the invasion was planned.

Colonel Kevin Benson takes us inside Operation Iraqi Freedom — the war games, the chaos, and why “catastrophic success” became the Army’s nightmare phrase.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction to Why Wars Happened

00:45 – Meet Colonel Kevin Benson

01:30 – Operation Iraqi Freedom overview

04:52 – Challenges & planning the Iraq War

08:11 – Naming operations & historical context

09:31 – Colonel Benson’s military career

17:52 – Impact of 9/11 on operations

20:28 – Logistics & planning complexities

27:19 – Introduction to “Snowflakes”

30:35 – Tactical execution challenges

31:50 – War gaming & adjustments

41:13 – Exit strategy & post-war planning

44:07 – Catastrophic success explained

49:52 – Final reflections

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