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Small Troop Drawdown Will Leave 'Robust Force' for Iraq's Elections
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ShareFebruary 27, 2009 7:00 PM
ABC News' Martha Raddatz reports: In a letter to the troops in Iraq, the top U.S. commander, Gen. Ray Odierno says that "following an initial drawdown over the next six months, our forces will remain at a robust level through the critical time leading up to and immediately following Iraq's national elections in late-2009/early-2010."
ABC News has learned from Defense Department officials that early indications are that the initial drawdown Gen. Odierno is referring to will consist of two brigade combat teams or the equivalent of 8,000-10,000 troops.
That small drawdown will leave the large "robust force" Odierno wants to have in place for the regional elections this summer and the national election in December, 2009. It also means that a significant portion of the 142,000 troops currently in Iraq will remain in place the remainder of this year.
These officials tell ABC News that the next series of combat troop drawdowns would begin in January-February of 2010, after the national election. That would require a huge logistical undertaking to reduce force levels by today’s announced target date of August 31, 2010 to the 50,000 minimum.
ABC News has also learned that Gen. Odierno will receive a Stryker Brigade to replace the one diverted to Afghanistan just a week ago. That means that he will continue to maintain the current level of two Stryker brigades in Iraq. The light armored vehicles are favored by military commanders for their mobility as a quick reaction force while providing greater protection for the troops.
The current Status of Forces Agreement requires all US forces to be out of Iraq by the end of 2011, though the possibility remains the agreement could be re-negotiated. After the President’s speech today in Camp Lejeune, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters that while that possibility was just a hypothetical, "my own view would be that we should be prepared to have some very modest-sized presence for training and helping them with their new equipment and providing perhaps, intelligence support and so on beyond that.” Gates has made similar comments prior to the finalization of the SOFA deal late last year.
Editor's Note: Over the weekend, additional information led us to rework this article. We have restored the original wording as additional reporting reconfirms the information posted Friday night.
Gen. Odierno will maintain a two-Stryker Brigade presence through the rest of this year even though a replacement Stryker Brigade had been redirected to Afghansitan. The Pentagon's announcement Monday that the 4th Stryker BCT, 2nd Infantry Division will head to Iraq in the Fall means both brigades currently in Iraq will be replaced by Stryker Brigades. In shorthand, the 4th SBCT/2nd ID will replace the 1st SBCT/25th ID and the 3rd SBCT/2nd ID will the 56th National Guard Stryker Brigade.
February 27, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (11)
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The sooner we get our troops out of a war we never should have started, cease offering our lives and let the Iraqis run their own lives, the better!
Posted by: Robert Hooper | Feb 27, 2009 11:14:24 PM
To hear O'Blamer's speech (Iraq is not yet secure, and there will be difficult days ahead. Violence will continue to be a part of life in Iraq....Under tough circumstances, the men and women of the United States military have served with honor and succeeded beyond any expectation...) it's a wonder that Saddam didn't personally run our troops out of Iraq.
"Beyond all expectation?" Whose expectation? Yours doesn't count, Obie...you don't know beans about our military anyway. I surely expected it.
Our Retreater-In-Chief has made a good start.
..."violence is on the rise"...)
Posted by: JCinOBX | Feb 28, 2009 12:41:37 AM
Oh, yeah, and I forgot...this bad ol' war wasn't his fault anyway.
Nothing was his fault!
Well, except for that massive deficit. And the higher taxes. And the collapsing stock market. And...
Obummer is the lamest person ever elected president.
Posted by: JCinOBX | Feb 28, 2009 12:44:07 AM
August 2010 is only a target date. The end of 2011 is renegotiable. It always was and still will be that we will be there until enough Iraqi police and solders are trained to take care of the security needs of the country. If violence remains low then the timetable could be met. This announcement may buy a peaceful year or two and by then maybe by then the insurgents may find they are no longer welcome. But maybe not so we will likely still have a sizable force present.
Posted by: Vin Huelsmann | Feb 28, 2009 1:08:31 AM
Yet another campaign promise where O'bama can't deliver... Man how much outright disrespect can his supporters take before they see the emperor has no clothes?
Posted by: hmn... | Feb 28, 2009 5:55:57 AM
Tough position he's in...how to satisfy his ego by getting re-elected thus playing it somewhat safe in foreign policy and at the same time promoting a Marxist agenda.
Posted by: RR GOP | Feb 28, 2009 10:04:40 AM
Why do Demi-Dems keep talking about those lost in Iraq as if they are the worst military losses in history ((don’t get me wrong ~ 5 thousand is bad but nothing like other wars that Dems started or supported – Vietnam – 56,000 == == WW II – 408,000 US Troops; 20+ ‘Million’ world wide when you consider disease and all the other complicating factors of that war – should we have “Preempted” Hitler !!! ).
So why when Libs talk do they make ~ 5 thousand sound like 50 thousand as they ‘Propagandize’ about Iraq.
If we pull out and have to go back in (as Obama has already said we might – which the liberal media has avoided repeating as best they could --- Propagandize what they like & Sweeping the rest ‘under the rug’) then unfortunately it ‘may be’ more like 50 thousand, if we have to land troops D-Day style (if we pull out and the area explodes this is very possible – 80% chance) as opposed to already being there. If we don’t go back in there may be mass genocide, and if the ‘Persian Gulf Oil’ stops flowing (even if you don’t care about US oil, all those other nation’s oil will matter too) you will see a Depression to make the present situation look ‘Child’s Play’. What is the likelihood all those Iraqi factions are just going to kiss and make up, and when they don’t it will pull in Iran, Saudi Arabia, possibly Turkey and possibly several others (why has our “Grand Illustrious Media” avoided informing the public about this issue – they even take the time to ‘drill in’ lesser points, but here No Mention !!)
Lets hope (for everyone’s sake) that Obama knows what he is doing here. I fear the ‘Inexperience Question’ may be very telling on this one.
Do you begin to get it yet ‘children’.
Posted by: Da Truth | Feb 28, 2009 2:12:01 PM
Why do we leave any troops at all in Iraq? Why can't they all be brought home (or sent to Afghanistan or Pakistan) as quickly as possible? Why can't we just hand our own perfectly good Constitution to the Iraqis and say "goodbye"?
Posted by: John Herling | Feb 28, 2009 6:37:34 PM
That is a good point. If they can't handle their own terrorists by now, I can't see when they'd ever be able to.
Posted by: RR GOP | Mar 1, 2009 12:42:52 AM
John Herling,
You failed to read the post directly above yours, didn’t you.
Read the 3rd paragraph !!!
Posted by: Da Truth | Mar 1, 2009 3:30:06 PM
ABC Busted by Mudville Gazette. (check the blog)
Hey ABC, connect the dots!
So, was there a net "drawdown" (as reported) or not?
How long will you carry the Obama administrations water in their deception?
Posted by: MBM | Mar 8, 2009 11:59:21 PM
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