Gates on Iraq: We must get the endgame there right

“The surge helped achieve a lower level of violence. It has not yet achieved its stated purpose- political accommodation among Iraq’s leaders,” Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich) said in his opening statement at the Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing on the Situation in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our “open-ended commitment in Iraq” is an invitation to “continued Iraqi dawdling and dependency,” and it’s carrying the costs of the lives of Americans and billions of dollars.

Senator John Warner (R-Va) expressed his respect for Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and said that he’d had the opportunity to work with every Secretary of Defense since 1969, and that “you never shot from the hip.” Gates, Warner said, understood that they needed bipartisan support and that Gates had it like Warner had never seen before. We thank you, Warner said, but there is much to be done. I commend the concept of the surge, he said, and I commend most heartily the courage of the troops. By any fair and pragmatic judgement, it has been a success.

The withdrawal of approximately 3,400 non-combat forces began this month, Gates began, saying that it will continue through the fall and winter, and finish in January. The drawdown is possible, he said, “because of the success achieved in reducing violence and building Iraqi security capacity.” There has been a fundamental change in the nature of the conflict, and “no matter what you think about the origins of the war in Iraq, we must get the endgame there right.”

In response to a congressional question of the assessment of the new government in Pakistan and their willingness to work with the United States, Gates said they're already seeing positive signs with Pakistan, because Pakistan has suffered a lot of casualties and they’ve captured terrorists. What’s important in Pakistan, is to forge a new stronger partnership with the civilian government. The recent attacks have made it clear to them that there is an existential threat to Pakistan.

Gates said he is not satisfied with the civil reconstruction and the development of the capacity of the Afghan government. “That war on terror started in this region, and it must end there.” The reality is, Gates continued, is that in the last 18 months, we have added over 20,000 troops to Afghanistan, and there are two considerations about the situation. One, we need to think about how heavy a “military footprint” the United States ought to have in Afghanistan, and are we better off channeling resources instead into “building the Afghan Army” as quickly as possible. Two, (which he says he feels is evident to all), is that without changing deployment patterns, and length of tours, we do not have the forces to send three additional brigade combat teams to Afghanistan at this point, but they will probably become available in the spring/summer of 2009. That’s a decision that will ultimately be up to President Bush’s successor.

Code Pink, an anti-war group, proliferated the audience, wearing “Bail out of Iraq” placards and multitudes of pink buttons, signs, and t-shirts. They mainly sat quietly in the audience, appropriately not holding signs above their heads, but at one point one member started calling out “shame!” during Gates’ speech.

Iraq troop reduction benefits Afghanistan

Following an announcement by the Bush administration to withdraw 8,000 further troops from Iraq by February and funnel more troops to Afghanistan, the Secretary of Defense said that both the war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan are top military priorities. "With positive developments in Iraq, the strategic flexibility provided by ongoing troop reductions there , and the prospect of further reductions next year-- I think it is possible in the months to come to do militarily what we must in both countries," said Sec. Robert Gates in his written statement, referencing earlier Defense Department statements that in Afghanistan the U.S. does what it can and in Iraq it does what it must.

Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who drew the earlier distinction prioritizing the two wars, told the House Armed Services Committee that both conflicts are military priorities. "These [wars] are our priorities and they've been our priorities," he said. Mullen also enumerated the differences between the two conflicts including the nature of the enemy to the terrain on the ground. "We treated the needs of each war separately-- and weighed out decisions for each solely-- against the risks inherent and resources available."

Both Gates and Mullen made statements indicating united military decision making in reference to a new book by journalist Bob Woodward and a subsequent series in the Washington Post on the surge and how the military may have been circumvented by the White House. Mullen who is quoted in the book, emphasiezd that he was not interviewed about his statements. Mullen said that his advice, as chairman to the president was allowed up the chain of command unimpeded. "I think that is a very important part of our democracy and how the system is supposed to work."

Speaking about the recent 45-day period of review of troop levels in Iraq Mullen said that the decision was "candid, transparent, and thoroughly collaborative...including the Joint Chiefs of Staff."

Additionally Gates announced that a procurement process for a new air tanker fleet would be postponed until July of 2009. The original bidding and selection process had been contested by Boeing and the GAO ordered a new request for proposals. Gates said because of the changes that need to be made to the "emotional" and "complicated" process, this procurement should be left to the next administration.

Evaluating U.S.-Russian relations based on "realities"

"In the days and weeks ahead the Department of Defense will reexamine the whole gambit of our relationship with the Russian military," said Secretary Robert Gates during a press briefing at the Pentagon. Gates said that not only was the Russian offensive against Georgia designed to punish Georgia for their claim and involvement in the breakaway provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, but to send a message on those seeking to build relationships with western nations." I think that the Russian further message was to all of the parts of the former Soviet Union as a signal about trying to integrate with the west and move outside of the longtime Russian sphere of influence," he said.

Gates and the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. James Cartwright laid out the details of the U.S. humanitarian mission to Georgia, which has been involved in heavy fighting with Russia over the past week.

"Generally they are moving out of the cities," said Cartwright of Russian forces which had gone as far as Gori, a town in central Georgia. "The air activities have slowed dramatically over the last 24 hours," he said.

President Bush has charged the Department of Defense with a humanitarian mission to bring relief supplies to Georgians. Gates said that the relief mission will be the focus point. "I don't see any prospect for the use of military force by the US in this situation," said Gates. He also said that American support is "sequenced" with the humanitarian mission coming first and then security to execute that mission and then some kind of economic reconstruction.

Gates set the tone for a slow rebuilding of relations between the U.S. and Russia. When asked if he trusted Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Gates said, "I have never believe that one should make national security policy on the basis of trust. I think that you make national security policy based on interests and on realities."

Senators tour Afghanistan, hear the need for more troops

"The situation is good, but we feel that there is a lot more work to do," said Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on a conference call with reporters to discuss his trip to Afghanistan to meet with President Hamid Karzai. Senator Reid was accompanied by other members of the U.S. Senate including Jeff Bingamen(D-N.M.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and John Isakson (R-Ga.). The delegation flew first to Kyrgyzstan. After visiting troops and commanders in Afghanistan, they are staying for a day in Kazakhstan.

The Senate majority leader said there is concern about the resurgence of the Taliban, but that the ability to "deal with them" has been increased. Principal areas of concern are in eastern Afghanistan, as well as increasing violence in the south on the border with Pakistan.

Ried reported that the senators had met commanders in Afghanistan, principally Gen. David McKiernan, commander of International Security Assistance Force - Afghanistan (ISAF). "They generals made it clear that they need more resources," he said.

ISAF commanders have requested three additional combat brigades, specifically citing the need for trainers and mentors for Afghan army and national police. At the April summit in Bucharest, the Department of Defense increased pressure on NATO allies to increase troop levels to Afghanistan and remove caveats that keep certain countries' troops from combat. Recently the Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has said that the DoD is considering sending more troops to Afghanistan "sooner rather than later." The Defense Department recently extended the deployment of about 3,450 Marines in Afghanistan by one month. Additionally, about 200 trainers were slated to go to Afghanistan last week.

Reid emphasized that he wants to give Afghanistan the attention it needs, saying it would have been better is Afghanistan had been given consistent troop level from the beginning.

Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain have said they would send 10,000 more troops to Afghanistan if elected president.

Pentagon: Strategic reserve force stays put

The problem in Afghanistan is urgent, said Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell, but not so urgent that the U.S. combat reserves in Kuwait are being considered for deployment there.

"Yes there are problems in Afghanistan, there are pockets of problems that we are concerned about and we are determined to get the commanders the troops they need to address them. But the situation is not precarious, it is not urgent, the sky is not falling in Afghanistan," he said speaking to the Pentagon press corps. He added that Central Command has decided to hold the strategic combat reserve in the event of other contingencies in the region should they arise. Morrell declined to specify, but the U.S. faces many potential conflicts in the region, including Iran, which Morrell described as "hell bent" on obtaining nuclear weapons and capabilities.

Additionally Pakistan has recently been highlighted by the Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates as having a porous border with Afghanistan. Gates discussed the issue of foreign militants crossing into Afghanistan from Pakistan, after a U.S. outpost was attacked near the border region earlier this month. The new government of Pakistan is struggling to provide internal defense from terrorist groups, while at the same time bolster a failing economy and control lawless northern territories. Morrell spoke about the slow progress of reimbursement measures, which repay the Pakistani military for actions taken against mutual threats on behalf of the coalition. "Those reimbursements are taking an awful long time to get back to the Pakistani government," he said.


In advance of a congressional hearing scheduled for July 30, investigating electrocution deaths of U.S. soldiers on Iraq in relation to work done by military contractors, Morrell explained the Defense Department's position.

"There seems to be a misperception out there that our facilities in that theater are replete with electrical hazards, that have caused hundreds of fires and multiple fatalities. What's more, some seem to believe that this department and one of the Army's lead logistical support contractors are so negligent and callous that we have failed to address these dangers. I am here to tell you that is flat out wrong." He went on to explain that while 16 soldiers have died in Iraq in electrical accidents, more than half have died from loose electrical wiring outside of bases and improperly grounded generators.