In this edition
Commanding General's Letter to the Troops on Transition
President Obama: U.S. Combat Troops to Leave Iraq by August 2010
Iraq Drawdown Decision Process Included Commanders, Gates Says
Iraqi Army achieves milestone at Taji Location Command
First Iraqi-taught Waterborne Ops Course graduates 19
Basra regional courthouse ready to serve justice
Commanding General's Letter to the Troops on Transition
Friday, 27 February 2009
Click here for the CG's Letter to the Troops on Transition,
Feb. 27, 2009. (PDF)
President Obama: U.S. Combat Troops to Leave Iraq by August 2010
President Barack Obama talks to troops and civilians during his visit to Camp Lejeune, N.C., Feb. 27, 2009. Obama was on the Marine Corps installation to discuss current policies and an exit strategy from Iraq. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Michael J. Ayotte.
Saturday, 28 February 2009
WASHINGTON — U.S. combat troops will redeploy from Iraq by August 2010, leaving about 35,000 to 50,000 American forces there to attend to Iraqi troop and police training, counterterrorism and other duties, President Barack Obama told servicemembers at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., yesterday.
“So, let me say this as plainly as I can: by Aug. 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end,” Obama told servicemembers gathered inside the post’s Goettge Memorial Field House.
“As we carry out this drawdown, my highest priority will be the safety and security of the troops and civilians in Iraq,” Obama said, noting he’d consult closely with U.S. commanders on the ground and with the Iraqi government as the redeployment gets under way.
Next month marks the sixth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq, Obama said. The situation in Iraq has improved, he said, thanks in great part to the efforts and sacrifices of U.S. servicemembers. There are about 146,000 U.S. forces currently in Iraq.
However, “we cannot sustain indefinitely a commitment that has put a strain on our military and will cost the American people nearly a trillion dollars,” Obama said of the U.S. military presence in Iraq.
“America’s men and women in uniform -- so many of you -- have 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,” Obama said.
Violence in Iraq “has been reduced substantially” from the horrific sectarian warfare experienced there in 2006 and 2007, Obama said. Also, al-Qaida in Iraq “has been dealt a serious blow” by U.S., Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces, the president said.
However, even considering the reduced violence, Obama acknowledged that “Iraq is not yet secure” and predicted “there will be difficult days ahead.”
There is renewed cause for hope in Iraq, Obama said. Yet, that hope, he added, depends upon “an emerging foundation” that supports efforts to transfer full responsibility to Iraqis so that they can superintend their own affairs.
And, the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq, Obama said, is the first part of a three-pronged U.S. strategy “to end the war in Iraq through a transition to full Iraqi responsibility.”
Obama said employing diplomacy and injecting comprehensive U.S. engagement across the broader Middle East to promote regional peace and prosperity comprise the other legs of the U.S. government’s Iraq strategy.
“After we remove our combat brigades,” Obama said, “our mission will change from combat to supporting the Iraqi government and its Security Forces as they take the absolute lead in securing their country.”
Around 35,000 to 50,000 U.S. troops will stay in Iraq after the combat forces depart, Obama said. These remaining forces, he said, will help train, equip and advise Iraqi Security Forces, conduct antiterrorism missions, and protect ongoing U.S. civilian and military efforts.
There will be additional redeployments of troops from Iraq, Obama said, noting he intends to withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011, as part of the U.S.-Iraq status-of-forces agreement.
The Iraq strategy “is grounded in a clear and achievable goal shared by the Iraqi people and the American people: an Iraq that is sovereign, stable and self-reliant,” Obama said. “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.”
The United States, Obama continued, will “help Iraq build new ties of trade and commerce with the world” and “will forge a partnership with the people and government of Iraq that contributes to the peace and security of the [Middle East] region.”
The United States and its allies cannot rid Iraq of all the people there who oppose America or sympathize with America’s enemies, Obama said. Neither can the United States wait until conditions in Iraq are perfect, he said.
Obama assured the Iraqi people that the United States “pursues no claim on your territory or your resources.” The United States respects Iraq’s sovereignty and the sacrifices of its citizens, he said.
“And 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 said.
(By Gerry J. Gilmore American Forces Press Service)
Iraq Drawdown Decision Process Included Commanders, Gates Says
Saturday, 28 February 2009
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s decision to redeploy all U.S. combat troops out of Iraq by the end of August next year emerged from a process that included input from military commanders and senior defense leaders, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday.
The president made his decision after in-depth talks with commanders on the ground and in Washington, Gates told the Pentagon press corps via telephone from Camp Lejeune, N.C.
The timeline takes into consideration Multi-National Force - Iraq Commander Army Gen. Ray Odierno’s concern about security during district and sub-district elections scheduled for the summer and another national election at the end of the year.
Odierno wanted to ensure enough U.S. troops remained to help the Iraqis and still allow time to redeploy the combat brigades, Gates said, noting that an earlier drawdown would pose some “significant logistical and security issues.”
The president will be flexible and reserves the right to make changes, Gates said. “He clearly does not anticipate having to do that,” he added. “He has balanced the risks of staying longer or coming out sooner.”
All those involved with the discussion believe U.S. forces will meet the president’s timeline, the secretary said.
Under the terms of the U.S.-Iraq status-of-forces agreement, all American forces must be out of the country by the end of 2011. Any U.S. presence in the country after that date would require a new agreement, Gates said.
“My own view is we should be prepared to have some very modest-sized presence for training and helping them with new equipment, and perhaps providing intelligence support and so on, beyond then,” he said. “But it’s a hypothetical, because no such request has been made and there is no indication there will be.”
The August 2010 timetable helps the Iraqis with their planning to take over security responsibilities.
“You saw in the performance of the Iraqi Security Forces in the provincial elections that they really did a superb job of maintaining security,” Gates said.
Media Roundtable: Brig. Gen. David Quantock, Feb. 23
 Brig. Gen. David Quantock, deputy CG of usf-I Detainee Operations and CG of Task Force 134 hosts a Media Roundtable. |
DoD News Briefing: Col. Joseph Martin, Mr. John Bennett, Feb. 23
 DoD News Briefing from Iraq with Col. Joseph Martin, commander, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, and John Bennett, ePRT-6 team leader. |
Iraqi Army achieves milestone at Taji Location Command
TAJI, Iraq –The Iraqi Army achieved a crucial milestone on their path toward self-sufficiency on Feb. 19 when they accepted 10 facilities as part of Phase 1 of the Taji Location Command project. The handover of the 10 buildings represents a partial completion of the first phase of a four-phase project designed to enhance the ability of the Location Command to provide support to all the units based at Taji and the surrounding area.
The ribbon cutting ceremony, hosted by Iraqi Staff Brig. Gen. Sabah, commander, Taji Location Command, was attended by U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Stevenson, Deputy Chief of Staff - G4; U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Steven Salazar, commander, Joint Headquarters Army Advisory Training Team, Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq; Gen. Nassar al-Abadi, Iraqi Vice-Chief of Staff; and Staff Lt. Gen. Abdullah, Iraqi Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics,.
Camp Taji is the largest Iraqi military installation and is often referred to as the heart of Iraqi military logistics. The base houses the National Maintenance depot, the General Depot Command, Medical Depot Command and the Joint Repair Parts Command, as well as the Iraqi Army 9th Division. Other tenants include the Iraqi Army Service Support Institute, the premier Iraqi logistics training facility, and several other Iraqi Army schools. The Location Command supports 8,000 Iraqi Soldiers, as well as units that operate in the Baghdad area.
Construction of the $25 million Location Command project began in June 2008 and will be completed in four phases. Approximately thirty buildings designed as offices and Soldier billeting are included in Phase 1 of the project, while subsequent phases will provide facilities such as warehouses, ice production capability, and a fuel storage site.
U.S. Army Col. Dan Leatherman, Senior Coalition Advisor, stated, “This is another step in the continuing development of the logistical capability of the Iraqi Army.” The next phase of the project is expected to be completed in May 2009.
MNSTC-I’s crucial assistance in the development of the Taji Location Command represents a vital step towards ensuring Iraq’s self-sufficiency during the critical transition from coalition to Iraqi-led operations in support of the Security Agreement between the Government of Iraq and the United States.
First Iraqi-taught Waterborne Ops Course graduates 19
BAGHDAD – Proudly standing in front of their recently-delivered River Patrol Boats, 19 Iraqi Policemen proudly accepted their certificates Feb. 26, marking them as the first class to graduate from the Baghdad River Patrol Station and Training Center under the tutelage of all-Iraqi instructors. This modest, but significant, accomplishment represents the handover of responsibility for training all future River Patrol classes to the Iraqis, with International Police Advisors serving as mentors.
“This first class is a step forward in this training academy and supports Interior Minister Bolani’s long-term vision in building a self-sustaining security force for Iraq,” said Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, Commanding General, Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq. “These police forces are critical to the security of Iraq because they have to operate in a non-sectarian manner with no political motives and uphold the standards associated with the Rule of Law.”
Graduates of the six-week Waterborne Operations Course learned not only basic police procedures, but also emergency response skills. The jointly-developed Iraqi/Coalition curriculum will help train waterway police from other Iraqi provinces as the Baghdad River Patrol Training Center transforms from a station and endeavors to become a national-level training center.
Iraqi Maj. Gen. Ali al-Yassiri, commander, Baghdad Patrol Police, said, “In the future, I want to have a training academy so I can have people from all over Iraq to train, not just those from here in Baghdad. I want to thank the Coalition forces for giving us a jump start on this program. This is actually providing us with the opportunities for complete control of not only our streets, but the rivers as well.”
Other dignitaries attending the graduation included U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jerry Cannon, Director General, Civilian Police Assistance Training Team, and Iraqi Col. Fadhel, commander, Baghdad River Patrol Station and Training Center.
MND-B Soldier death
BAGHDAD – A Multi-National Division–Baghdad Soldier died Feb. 26 from combat related injuries while conducting a patrol in Baghdad. The Soldier’s name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
The incident is currently under investigation.
Basra regional courthouse ready to serve justice
BASRA – Hundreds of people turned out to celebrate the dedication of a new six-court regional courthouse of justice in Basra Feb. 26.
The Union of Basra Court of Appeals was welcomed by Basra Governor Mohamad El Wa'eli, Iraqi Judiciary Commission Chairman Medhatt Al Mahmoud, Multi-National Division – South East Commander Maj. Gen. Andy Salmon, members of the Iraqi legal community, Iraqi Security Forces, other Coalition members and local media.
“This courthouse will be a monument of justice,” Mahmoud said. “Iraqi justice is very strong. It will not allow outside influences to keep it from serving justice.”
The regional courthouse is a $10 million U.S. funded project expected to be operational in about 10 days. It is the highest court in the province and is expected to handle civil and criminal cases.
“I think this building is a reflection of the progress that the Coalition and the Iraqis have made,” said Capt. Charles Bronowski, Multi-National Corps – Iraq Judge Advocate. “Rule of law is one of the most important aspects of self governance.”
The building took about one year to complete by Iraqi contractors with oversight by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In addition to courtrooms, the facility includes investigation rooms, legal offices, a conference room and training facilities for staff.
“This is a symbol of the establishment of the rule of law and an increase in the judicial capacity,” Salmon said. “This is exactly what is required at this stage on the road from where we’ve been to where we’ve got to get to, which is a stable and peaceful Basra.”
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Brian M. Connelly, 26, of Union Beach, N.J., died Feb. 26 in Adhamiya, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by an explosive device. He was assigned to the 40th Engineer Battalion, Task Force 1-6, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany.
Stumble It!
