WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2007
Study: Iraqi Army Should Take Over Combat
U.S. Should Hand Over More Daily Fighting To Iraqis And Reduce Its Presence, Panel Says
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Retired Marine Corps Gen. James Jones, chairman of the Iraqi Security Forces Independent Assessment Commission, right, discusses the commission's report during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 6, 2007. Joining Jones, from left are, former Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre, retired Gen. George Joulwan. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)
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A U.S. soldier secures an area from a helicopter carrying U.S. military and Iraqi Government officials for a meeting with tribal leaders to discuss cooperation and security matters at Patrol Base Murray south of Baghdad, Iraq on Monday, Sept. 3, 2007. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
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A man rushes an injured child into the hospital in Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2007. The child was injured after a roadside bomb exploded on the fringes of the capital's Shiite slum of Sadr City. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
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Special Report The Road Ahead Katie Couric reports from Iraq on the future of U.S. involvement there.
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Interactive Battle For Iraq The government, the insurgency, key players, background and photos.
The panel said significantly cutting down the number of U.S. troops and allowing Iraqi forces to take over more daily combat missions by early next year would be "possible and prudent."
"The force footprint should be adjusted in our view to represent an expeditionary capability and to combat a permanent-force image of today's presence," said retired Marine Corps Gen. James Jones, who led the 20-member commission.
"This will make an eventual departure much easier," Jones told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The readiness of Iraq's security forces will be an important element in the congressional debate over the war. Republicans see success by the Iraqi forces as key to bringing U.S. troops home, while an increasing number of Democrats who control Congress say the U.S. should stop training and equipping such units altogether.
The review is one of several studies that Congress commissioned in May, when it agreed to fund the war for several more months but demanded that the Bush administration and outside groups assess U.S. progress in the four-year war.
Jones' report, released Thursday, concluded that Iraqi security forces would be unable to take control of their country in the next 18 months. If Iraqi troops were to be given more of a lead, as envisioned by the panel, it is still expected U.S. troops would still play a substantial role by providing logistics and other support, as well as continued training.
Jones said he personally would not support setting a deadline for troop withdrawals, as many as Democrats want.
"I think deadlines can work against us," Jones said. "I think a deadline of this magnitude would be against our national interest."
Instead, Jones said the U.S. would have to adjust force levels carefully so as not to lose security gains made by the recent troop buildup.
"The foundation of all U.S. policies with regard to Iraq is predicated on the ability of this sovereign nation to muster the forces . . . to take over security," said Sen. John Warner, the No. 2 Republican on the Armed Services Committee who drafted the legislation that commissioned the study.
Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said the study challenges the Pentagon's assertion that more than half of Iraqi army and police battalions can operate in the lead so long as they have U.S. support.
"It's my observation that fewer, far fewer, are actually now in the lead," said Levin, a Democrat. "That raises questions, which I hope the commission will address, as to why more Iraqi units should not be given the lead responsibility that they are capable of now."
A senior Pentagon official said Wednesday that the U.S. military does not believe the Iraqi national police should be disbanded but acknowledges that getting the Iraqi army up to speed will take a while.
"We've always recognized that this was a long-term project," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said.
The study found that the Iraqi military, in particular its Army, shows the most promise of becoming a viable, independent security force with time. It predicted that an adequate logistics system to support these ground forces is at least two years away.
"They are gaining size and strength, and will increasingly be capable of assuming greater responsibility for Iraq's security," the report says of military units, adding that special forces in particular are "highly capable and extremely effective."
Worse off is the Iraq police force. It describes them as fragile, ill-equipped and infiltrated by militia forces. And they are led by the Ministry of Interior, which is "a ministry in name only" that is "widely regarded as being dysfunctional and sectarian, and suffers from ineffective leadership."
Jones' panel recommended scrapping Baghdad's national police force and starting over.The United States has spent $19.2 billion on developing Iraq's forces and plans to spend another $5.5 billion next year. According to Jones' study, the Iraqi military comprises more than 152,000 service members operating under the Ministry of Defense, while the Ministry of Interior oversees some 194,000 civilian security personnel, including police and border control.
A separate independent study released Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office found that Iraq had not met 11 of 18 political and security goals - a blunt assessment that challenges President Bush's findings on the war as he prepares to announce plans for the U.S. military campaign..
Meanwhile, Mr. Bush vigorously defended his troop buildup on Wednesday, and got a boost when Australian Prime Minister John Howard said his country's forces would remain in Iraq for the foreseeable future.
"If I didn't think we could succeed, I wouldn't have our troops there," Mr. Bush said. He added that it was important "that we hang in there with the Iraqis and help them."
In other developments:
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Add a Comment See all 203 Comments
- Acording to the Monroe doctrine were supposed to stay out of civil wars. Those that forget the past are condemed to repeat it.
- Reply to this comment
- "tuckerndfw/nyckate/feelfree,
"All I said was I don''t believe that Bush was responsible for the Golden Temple blast simply because I see no possible benfit for his policy in destabilizing the situation when he''s trying to claim success.
"In response I get a diatribe of prisonplanet conspiracy theories gone wild, referneces to the Bush Crime family, Bush purposely sewing chaos to justify the occupation, Bush doesn''''t give a *** about the troops,Al Quaeda in Iraq is imaginary, and nyckate has a bridge to sell me.
"This is almost as emotionally irrational as when notblue called me an enemy of America yesterday because I said Bush had a vision that other people weren''t seeing.
"I was wrong, you people aren''t on drugs, you need to be on drugs(mood stabilizers).
"Have a good night and get some rest, you all need it." Posted by realpatriot1
You described the typical response I get from these three as well, realpatriot1. They don''t seem to be here for the purpose of debating as much as bashing Bush, and substituting their opinions for facts as the basis for doing so. - Reply to this comment
- Think about this...if George Sr. had got his nut repository blown off in WWII, and if *** Cheney''s dad hadn''t been so adamant about putting it to his son, and if Bill Clinton hadn''t been a worthless piece of feces with a scholarship, would we be as screwed, now?
- Reply to this comment
- Bush is fudging the numbers - bush is saying that insurgent attacks violence and deaths are down for august ...
Posted by nyckate at 12:22 AM : Sep 07, 2007
A look at this website shows the true picture:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_casualties.htm
It looks to me to be as bad as ever. - Reply to this comment
- Ahhh Gee - Bush is fudging the numbers - bush is saying that insurgent attacks violence and deaths are down for august ... problem is that this is a completely false statement.
Bush has changed the the way stats are counted - for instance -- they don''t count "large" bombs anymore - that means that large bombing that killed 500 people last month is no longer counted as part of insrugent sectarian violence.
If Bush were head of a company he''d be indicted for "cooking the books", then we could inprison the entire bunch of SOBs. - Reply to this comment
- I''m listening to the so-calleed Independent Commission on Security Forces of Iraq --
- Sounds like stay the course, with no plans establishing transitions to Iraq security once the drawdown of 30,000 is done...
... 18 month deployment extensions for the Marine Corps & no answers to how long it will take insurgents to backfill the gaps..
.. Sounds like too many Bush loyalist Generals are in charge. - Reply to this comment
- News you won''t hear Katie talking about:
" BAGHDAD (AFP) - US combat helicopters and tanks bombarded a Baghdad neighbourhood in pre-dawn strikes on Thursday, killing 14 sleeping civilians and destroying houses, angry residents and Iraqi officials said. "
And people wonder why they hate us? - Reply to this comment
- I can''''t wait for Nov.''''08. & Jan ''''09
Posted by usmcvn
For the poodles to race in the Itarod, the Whippet and the Greyhound sponsored by the "golden donkeys and the golden elephants"? - Reply to this comment
- Fox polls routinely have Bush''s approval rating much higher relative to all other polls but Bush supporters and Bush himself say none them matter.
Hmmmmm.... isn''t are Democracy based on a one night poll; I think its called VOTING!!! There has got to be a some way to get rid of this monkey who''s destroyed and bankrupted every business he was ever responsible for, and the U.S. is no exception. - Reply to this comment
- Yea, ya gota roll ''''em in flour to find
the wet spot.
Posted by usmcvn
Thats one big greasy tortilla.I''ll pass, I want real seafood. - Reply to this comment
- Osama is making videos and thumbing his nose at Chimp and the rest of America.
Osama Bin Ladin dead or alive? He can run but he can''t hide? Who uttered these famous lines?
I''ll give you a clue, he''s also the heroic genius who said "Bring it On" and "Mission Accomplished". - Reply to this comment
- You know what the really pathetic part of the whole Bush regime is? Not even his must ardent supporters have a single good thing to say about him or anything he''s done.
There are a few who consider him a hero but they fall in the criminally insane category. How can anyone call Bush a hero? Oh yeah, he lied about WMDs and started a war that''s literally killed a million people and is or already has bankrupted the United States treasury. Oh yeah, as of today, there''s been an all time record for home foreclosures. Viva Bush, Viva Bush!!!! - Reply to this comment
- I''''m 25 miles inland, Fox Lake,ILL. All we have
around here are fat women.
Posted by usmcvn
OoGh AAAGH fat women in bathing suits?????
Thats a safety hazard better get a lifeguard and report before someone puts their eyes out. - Reply to this comment
- The perception of the typical American by the rest of the Planet? They''re a bunch of fat, ignorant, lazy arrogant idiots who were stupid enough to elect a monkey to lead them not once but twice.
- Reply to this comment
- The new "single" by OBL
"I Want to Rule the World" its appearing in all of the Grecian formula ads. - Reply to this comment
- Bush supporters are incurable morons who want to tell you and everyone else what to do because they believe in "God" and wrap themselves in the U.S. flag and support the Presidunce.
These Bush supporters were the one''s calling everyone against Bush and invasion "Liberals", "Idiots" , "UnAmerican", blah, blah, blah...believed what they were told by Bush, Fox News and Limbaugh about Iraq''s WMDs (these idiots still believe it when there''s been zero evidence of it), Iraq''s alleged involvement in 911 and that it was "bring it on", a "cakewalk", "Oil will pay for the war"
on and on and on.
The bottom line is Bush supporters are unadulterated, incurable, morons who have the critical thinking skills of a pet rock; gullible idiots who won''t question anything told to them because they don''t have half a brain cell in their noggins.
But since they''re church goers and wave the flag, they have the morale high ground and because they follow blindly and obediently to whatever is told to them by King Chimp, they know better than you even if they barely passed Middle School.
Bushco and his supporters should carve out some land in Iraq and they should all move there permanently to "Free" the Iraqis and bring "Democracy" to Iraq. - Reply to this comment
- radiob,,, Clorides, a few bugs & a touch of radiation left from McCellan AFB, they say it''s not dangerous, but I''m growing a 3rd arm... Do you know what''s in yours ???
- Reply to this comment
- Where I''''m at the humans are in the water. The Fox River.
Posted by usmcvn
Near Lake Michigan? Are they babes skinny dipping? - Reply to this comment
- What is in your water?
- Reply to this comment
- Jowand,,, What ???? People aren''t dying in Iraq because of Assad, where did you come up with that ???? Do they have a problem with a border ? Yes.... It isn''t in any Middle East countries intestst to destabelize Iraq,, Except Isreal''s & that''s because of thier Zionism.
,, Assad helped Bush in the war on Terror & he will help in Iraq, but Syria has to come 1st,,, Something Bush forgot... - Reply to this comment
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