Serious Planning Gaps

The US State Department warned US Central Command before the invasion of Iraq of ''serious planning gaps' for postwar security:

In a memorandum dated February 7, 2003 - one month before the beginning of the Iraq war - State Department officials also wrote that 'a failure to address short-term public security and humanitarian assistance concerns could result in serious human rights abuses which would undermine an otherwise successful military campaign, and our reputation internationally'.

The documents were acquired by George Washington University's National Security Archive under the Freedom of Information Act.