Wednesday
Jul092008
Declaring success in Iraq too early a big risk
Wednesday, July 9, 2008 at 12:57PM
House Armed Services Committee members today examined whether or not Iraqi security forces have been receiving the necessary support needed to maintain calm throughout Iraq. Hearing from Army Lt. Gen. James Dubik who deals with the security transition issues for Iraq, the committee heard testimony ranging from security funding to training of Iraqi security forces.
Funding Iraqi operations as well as payment for their services seemed to dominate discussion. Ranking member Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) stated “Iraqi forces leave their units to go home because we don’t have a pay system to go along with them.” Hunter’s concern stemmed from the province of Bosrah which has had some success in keeping the peace but has struggled to maintain an adequate number of security forces. “Bosrah was tactically and strategically successful in the end,” said Dubik.
Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) asked whether the estimated 640,000 troops that Iraq’s Defense Ministry have promised would be able to handle security for the country. Dubik, who just retired from his position said that Iraq is “handling much of their own security.” Dubik added “nine of the eighteen provinces are under Iraqi control.”
Having Iraq under full security control by the Iraqi security force caused Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Tex.) to ask whether continuing success would prove to cause unintended consequences. Durbik responded with what the military has maintained all along that “declaring success too early is a risk, but full success is not yet at hand.”
Funding Iraqi operations as well as payment for their services seemed to dominate discussion. Ranking member Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) stated “Iraqi forces leave their units to go home because we don’t have a pay system to go along with them.” Hunter’s concern stemmed from the province of Bosrah which has had some success in keeping the peace but has struggled to maintain an adequate number of security forces. “Bosrah was tactically and strategically successful in the end,” said Dubik.
Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) asked whether the estimated 640,000 troops that Iraq’s Defense Ministry have promised would be able to handle security for the country. Dubik, who just retired from his position said that Iraq is “handling much of their own security.” Dubik added “nine of the eighteen provinces are under Iraqi control.”
Having Iraq under full security control by the Iraqi security force caused Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Tex.) to ask whether continuing success would prove to cause unintended consequences. Durbik responded with what the military has maintained all along that “declaring success too early is a risk, but full success is not yet at hand.”
Obama's new strategy will leave Iraq to be responsible
By August 31, 2010 the U.S. combat mission in Iraq will end.
Today at a Press Conference held at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, President Obama addressed his new strategy to end the war in Iraq.
President Obama said that his new strategy would end the war by working on transitioning Iraqis to full responsibility. “To achieve that goal, we will work to promote an Iraqi government that is just, representative, and accountable, and that provides neither support nor safe-haven to terrorists...America’s men and women in uniform, so many of you, fought block by block, province by province, year after year, to give the Iraqis this chance to choose a better future. Now, we must ask the Iraqi people to seize it.”
The first part of Obama’s strategy is to responsibly remove our combat brigades from Iraq. “As we carry out this drawdown, my highest priority will be the safety and security of our troops and civilians in Iraq.” Obama said that once the U.S. has removed combat brigades the next mission is to change from combat to supporting the Iraqi government and its security forces. “As I have long said, we will retain a transitional force to carry out three distinct functions: training, equipping, and advising Iraqi security forces as they remain non sectarian; conducting targeted counter-terrorism missions; and protecting our ongoing civilian and military efforts within Iraq.”
The second part of the strategy is to sustain diplomacy between U.S. and Iraq but Obama stated that since Iraq is a sovereign country, America cannot, and should not, take their place. “Diplomacy and assistance is also required to help the millions of displaced Iraqis. These men, women and children are a living consequence of this war and a challenge to stability in the region, and they must become a part of Iraq’s reconciliation and recovery.”
The third part of the strategy would be to help establish productive and normalized relationships with the Middle East region. “Going forward, the United States will pursue principled and sustained engagement with all of the nations in the region, and that will include Iran and Syria.”
Obama also spoke about working on the United States’ relationship with Iraq as well. “Our nations have known difficult times together. But ours is a bond forged by shared bloodshed, and countless friendships among our people. We Americans have offered our most precious resource, our young men and women, to work with you to rebuild what was destroyed by despotism...The United States pursues no claim on your territory or your resources...Going forward we can build a lasting relationship founded upon mutual interests and mutual respect as Iraq takes its rightful place in the community of nations.”
Obama went on to honor U.S. soldiers for their sacrifice and talked about implementing a 21st century GI Bill, and identifying and treating wounds of the war like post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury that many soldiers endure after. “Your sacrifice should challenge all of us, every single American, to ask what we can do to be better citizens.”