Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
New York Times
September 14, 2007
Pg. 10
By David S. Cloud
WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 — Though President Bush said he would withdraw five Army combat brigades and several Marine units from Iraq by next summer, as the top commander in Iraq had recommended, the White House was careful on Thursday not to be pinned down on just how many soldiers would remain.
There are about 169,000 American troops in Iraq — that includes 20 combat brigades, a number that is to drop to 15 under the new plan — as well as a roughly equivalent number of support forces.
The announced withdrawals would remove the same number of combat units as were sent to Iraq as part of the increase in forces ordered by President Bush this year. But the White House said troop totals may not return to exactly 133,000, the number deployed before the so-called surge began early this year, because of the need to keep in place specialized units, like the military police and helicopter squadrons.
“It’s not a fixed number, because things change over time,” said a senior administration official, briefing reporters before the speech on the condition of anonymity.
Officials also said it was difficult to give a firm figure for how many soldiers there are in a combat brigade, noting that there can be from 3,500 to 4,500 soldiers, or even more.
“It’s not simply five brigades times 3,500, plus 2,000 here and 4,000 there,” the official said. “So if you ask for White House math, whatever number we give you, we can guarantee you one thing: that won’t be the right number.”
The administration official said Gen. David H. Petraeus, the senior commander in Iraq, “won’t necessarily be taking out the exact five brigades that surged.”
“So, for example, today,” the official said, “would you expect him to take out a brigade along a sectarian fault line in Baghdad? No. He’s not going to create a vacuum there. He’ll take a brigade someplace where the security situation allows it.”
When the administration announced in January that it was sending the additional forces to Iraq, officials estimated the increase at roughly 20,000 troops, including 4,000 marines. The actual buildup ultimately amounted to more than 30,000 personnel, after counting combat support units and additional forces subsequently requested by General Petraeus.
As the reinforcements arrived month by month, the force level rose to slightly more than 160,000 by July. It is even higher now, but the current level is an artificial bulge, military officials said, because units just arriving for their tours in Iraq and others due to go home overlap as part of the normal exchange of equipment and responsibility.
But with a Marine Expeditionary Force and the first combat brigade due to come out later this year and not be replaced, the force total will fall below 160,000 in December.
One replacement Marine unit will not be far away, ready for action while at sea in the Persian Gulf region, an official said.
Troop levels have fluctuated since the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The lowest level was reached in February 2004, at 115,000. Before the national elections in January 2005, more soldiers were sent in temporarily to provide security, briefly raising the total to about 160,000.
Troop totals for other countries assisting the American effort in Iraq have come down steadily, to just more than 11,000 now from a high of 25,600 in early 2004. The number of people in Iraqi Army and police units has risen to around 445,000, military officials said.
September 14, 2007
Pg. 10
By David S. Cloud
WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 — Though President Bush said he would withdraw five Army combat brigades and several Marine units from Iraq by next summer, as the top commander in Iraq had recommended, the White House was careful on Thursday not to be pinned down on just how many soldiers would remain.
There are about 169,000 American troops in Iraq — that includes 20 combat brigades, a number that is to drop to 15 under the new plan — as well as a roughly equivalent number of support forces.
The announced withdrawals would remove the same number of combat units as were sent to Iraq as part of the increase in forces ordered by President Bush this year. But the White House said troop totals may not return to exactly 133,000, the number deployed before the so-called surge began early this year, because of the need to keep in place specialized units, like the military police and helicopter squadrons.
“It’s not a fixed number, because things change over time,” said a senior administration official, briefing reporters before the speech on the condition of anonymity.
Officials also said it was difficult to give a firm figure for how many soldiers there are in a combat brigade, noting that there can be from 3,500 to 4,500 soldiers, or even more.
“It’s not simply five brigades times 3,500, plus 2,000 here and 4,000 there,” the official said. “So if you ask for White House math, whatever number we give you, we can guarantee you one thing: that won’t be the right number.”
The administration official said Gen. David H. Petraeus, the senior commander in Iraq, “won’t necessarily be taking out the exact five brigades that surged.”
“So, for example, today,” the official said, “would you expect him to take out a brigade along a sectarian fault line in Baghdad? No. He’s not going to create a vacuum there. He’ll take a brigade someplace where the security situation allows it.”
When the administration announced in January that it was sending the additional forces to Iraq, officials estimated the increase at roughly 20,000 troops, including 4,000 marines. The actual buildup ultimately amounted to more than 30,000 personnel, after counting combat support units and additional forces subsequently requested by General Petraeus.
As the reinforcements arrived month by month, the force level rose to slightly more than 160,000 by July. It is even higher now, but the current level is an artificial bulge, military officials said, because units just arriving for their tours in Iraq and others due to go home overlap as part of the normal exchange of equipment and responsibility.
But with a Marine Expeditionary Force and the first combat brigade due to come out later this year and not be replaced, the force total will fall below 160,000 in December.
One replacement Marine unit will not be far away, ready for action while at sea in the Persian Gulf region, an official said.
Troop levels have fluctuated since the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The lowest level was reached in February 2004, at 115,000. Before the national elections in January 2005, more soldiers were sent in temporarily to provide security, briefly raising the total to about 160,000.
Troop totals for other countries assisting the American effort in Iraq have come down steadily, to just more than 11,000 now from a high of 25,600 in early 2004. The number of people in Iraqi Army and police units has risen to around 445,000, military officials said.