DarrylS

Another report commisioned by Congress, guess a bunch of ex senior military officers and police experts, probably activists or democratic operatives.. looked at the very expensive Iraq Security Forces and did not like what they saw. Suggest disbanding and starting all over again.

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Sep...USIraq,00.html

WASHINGTON — Iraq's security forces will be unable to take control of the country in the next 18 months, and Baghdad's national police force is so rife with corruption it should be scrapped entirely, according to a new independent assessment.

The study, led by retired Marine Corps Gen. James Jones, is a sweeping and detailed look at Iraq's security forces that will factor heavily into Congress' upcoming debate on the war. Republicans see success by the Iraqi forces as critical to bringing U.S. troops home, while an increasing number of Democrats say the U.S. should stop training and equipping such units altogether.

The 20-member panel of mostly retired senior military and police officers concludes that Iraq's military, in particular its army, shows the most promise of becoming a viable, independent security force with time. But the group predicts an adequate logistics system to support these ground forces is at least another two years away.

The report also offers a scathing assessment of Iraq's Interior Ministry and recommends scrapping Iraq's national police force, which it describes as dysfunctional and infiltrated by militias.

Overall, Iraqi security forces "have the potential to help reduce sectarian violence, but ultimately the ISF will reflect the society from which they are drawn," according to the report, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. "Political reconciliation is the key to ending sectarian violence in Iraq."

The United States has spent $19.2 billion on developing Iraq's forces, and plans to spend $5.5 billion more next year. According to Jones' study, the Iraqi military comprises more than 152,000 service members operating under the Defense Ministry, while the Interior Ministry oversees some 194,000 civilian security personnel, including police and border control.

__________________
"Being the best doesn't mean you always win. It just means you win more than anyone else".. tweet from Kurt Warner to Tom Brady.

PressCoverage

and from the Washington Post as well... let's see how the Bushies discredit THIS one... i mean, afterall, what does a commission of retired senior U.S. military officers "know about the situation on the ground in Iraq?" how are they qualified?

Iraqi Army Unable To Take Over Within A Year, Report Says

Breakup of National Police Is Urged

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...l?hpid=topnews

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 6, 2007; Page A01

Iraq's army, despite measurable progress, will be unable to take over internal security from U.S. forces in the next 12 to 18 months and "cannot yet meaningfully contribute to denying terrorists safe haven," according to a report on the Iraqi security forces published today.

The report, prepared by a commission of retired senior U.S. military officers, describes the 25,000-member Iraqi national police force and the Interior Ministry, which controls it, as riddled with sectarianism and corruption. The ministry, it says, is "dysfunctional" and is "a ministry in name only." The commission recommended that the national police force be disbanded.

...

The assessment by the Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq is one of several independent progress reports ordered by Congress for delivery before the administration presents its own scorecard next week. Members of the 20-member group, headed by retired Marine Gen. James Jones, traveled throughout Iraq over the summer and met with hundreds of U.S. and Iraqi officials as well as leading nongovernmental experts on the Iraqi forces. Jones will present the 152-page document, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post, in testimony today before the Senate and House Armed Services committees.

DarrylS

Saw it in the WAPO first, but googled it to see if any of the rightie feeds picked up this AP story.. prefer to post it under fox news reports than the WAPO, because then we spend all our time on the messenger rather than the message.

__________________
"Being the best doesn't mean you always win. It just means you win more than anyone else".. tweet from Kurt Warner to Tom Brady.

bmf31c

If that is what GEN Jones is saying then it is true without refute. His career speaks for itself.

He was the EUCOM CinC for most of my tour here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_L._Jones

PressCoverage

well, technically that's still the AP story that Fox used there... and almost everybody uses...

you can bet if it was a Faux original, it would feature its very own special sauce...

Real World

I didn't read the report, but what are you two trying to say? Discredit what? Does anyone even remotely understand the culture your trying to train there? I'm not sure what people are expecting from a people that aren't all that far from the stone age. Training them to something we'd find acceptable is obviously going to take time. That's why I've been telling you that no matter who is elected in 2008, their won't be a complete withdrawl. They'll keep 3-5 divisions there for 5-10 years easy. In assessing the quality and ability of the ISF, you need to consider where they were 3 years ago, and where they are today. The Army especially, has improved significantly. The police is where the trouble is. I'll read the link when I get some time later.

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him."
Leo Tolstoy, 1897

DarrylS

Wasn't the GAO report criticized because it was done by a bunch of "accountants".. anything that goes against the intent of the people @ 1600 Penn ave is discredited.

__________________
"Being the best doesn't mean you always win. It just means you win more than anyone else".. tweet from Kurt Warner to Tom Brady.

Real World

BTW, another disengenuous heading. I read the article, and it said they'd scrap the Baghdad national police, and not the entire ISF. There is a considerable difference there. Maybe you just don't know the difference, and made an honest mistake.

Jones' panel recommended scrapping Baghdad's national police force and starting over.

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him."
Leo Tolstoy, 1897

DarrylS

No, they changed their headline since 3:00 AM...

__________________
"Being the best doesn't mean you always win. It just means you win more than anyone else".. tweet from Kurt Warner to Tom Brady.

Real World

So this was the original headline of the story?


Iraq Security Forces Not Ready and should be scrapped

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him."
Leo Tolstoy, 1897