The Challenge Project refers to an insurgency plan developed by Saddam Hussein and his advisers prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States. It was orchestrated by a branch of the Iraqi Intelligence Service known as M14, the Directorate of Special Operations. According to an intelligence report by the United States Pentagon, as U.S.-led forces approached Baghdad, Iraqi intelligence officers dispersed to engage in guerrilla warfare, including bombings and other attacks.