Episode notes
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 – ...