US says it will reduce level of troops in Iraq
WASHINGTON -- Buoyed by a higher turnout and less violence than expected in Sunday's Iraqi election, Pentagon authorities have decided to start reducing the level of US forces in Iraq next month by about 15,000 troops, down to about 135,000, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said yesterday.
The reduction involves about three brigades of Army soldiers and Marines whose tours were extended last month to bolster security ahead of the elections, and an additional 1,500 airborne soldiers who were rushed to Iraq for a four-month stint.
"I think we'll be able to come down to the level that was projected before this election," Wolfowitz said.
But testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Wolfowitz also warned of "a very difficult road ahead" in defeating Iraqi insurgents and indicated no further drop in US troops was planned this year. Another senior Pentagon official said after the hearing that the initial decrease did not reflect an improved security situation in Iraq but was simply a recognition that the forces brought in specifically for the election were no longer needed.
Just when US forces can begin to withdraw from Iraq has generated intense debate that has accelerated since Sunday's elections. President Bush and other administration officials have said the pace of withdrawal will depend upon how quickly Iraqi forces can be trained and equipped to maintain security there.
As a sign this effort continues to lag, General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reported at yesterday's hearing that less than one-third of the troops and police that the Pentagon says have been trained and equipped are adequately prepared to handle most threats.
Wolfowitz also disclosed that a decision had been made to make room in the Pentagon budget for a permanent increase in Army forces starting in fiscal 2007. Up to now, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had backed only a temporary, three-year rise of 30,000 troops in the size of the Army, to 512,000, to facilitate a restructuring of brigades.
A number of lawmakers and defense specialists have argued that a permanent increase in troop level is needed to relieve the continuing stress on active and reserve units likely to result from the long-term demands of the war in Iraq, worldwide counterterrorism operations, and other potential threats. 