47. Discussing 'Expectation of Valor: Planning for the Iraq War' with Dr Kevin Benson

On this episode, Mark welcomes Dr Kevin Benson, a retired Colonel from the US Army who was a key planner for Operation Cobra II, the US led Invasion of Iraq in 2003. Mark and Kevin discuss his book titled 'Expectation of Valor: Planning for the Iraq War'. Kevin discusses how the book is to correct the belief that their was no planning for what was to happen after the initial invasion of Iraq by the US led coalition in 2003. That significant effort was placed not only into the invasion planning itself, but also all the eventualities that could come next. Kevin discusses that while the invasion was taking place, the types of planning and questions that were being conducting. Candidly appreciating what happens, Kevin discusses the anticipation of an insurgency but not the scale that it became. A remarkable and candid appraisal of the operation, Kevin expertly convey's his experience during this pod. Kevin also introduces his future work 'Raising the Bar' on the first 10 years of the US Army's School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, USA to be available from February 2026.From the macro to the micro topics of history, The History Syndicate Podcast is the forum for all with a common interest in all things history.The views expressed are those of the author and guest. They do not necessarily represent any views of any other organisation or institution.Hosted by Mark Martin.With Dr Kevin Benson.Edited and produced by Mark Martin.Music: Throughout History available via Podcastle.Audio: Mixed using Podcastle.Cover Art and images created using Canva and Canva DreamLab AI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.