U.S. Security Adviser Nixes Talk on Early Troop Pullout

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2005 - President Bush's national security adviser today dismissed critics who demand an immediate or early withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

"The advocates of these policies share a core belief that the war in Iraq is unwinnable and that America and the world will be better off by abandoning Iraq," Stephen J. Hadley said during remarks given at the Center for Strategic and International Studies here.

"The president respectfully disagrees," Hadley said. "He believes that setting a timetable for withdrawal would send the wrong message to our men and women in uniform and in civilian service in Iraq."

Hadley also quoted the commander in chief's remarks during his Dec. 18 address about Iraq: "Not only can we win the war in Iraq, we are winning the war in Iraq."

Discussion about withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq is welcome as a natural part of American public discourse, Hadley said.

"This is exactly the freedom of expression we and Iraqis are fighting for in Iraq," Hadley said. "But this (early withdrawal) strategy has been rejected by the bulk of opinion in both American political parties, and for good reason."

No one has yet explained why withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq now would improve the security situation there, Hadley said.

"Iraqi forces are already providing for Iraqi security as quickly as they can be brought online," Hadley said.

Second, proponents of withdrawal, Hadley said, haven't proposed how leaving Iraq to terrorists and Saddamists would make America safer.

"We contend it would only encourage further attacks on America," Hadley said.

Third, advocates for an immediate pullout of U.S. troops from Iraq say the Iraqis want American troops to leave their country now, he said.

"This is not the case," Hadley said. "A recent poll conducted by ABC News found that the majority of those (Iraqis) polled want us to stay either until security is established or until Iraqi security forces can secure their country on their own."

Most Iraqis, Hadley said, expect any U.S. troop withdrawals from their country to be based on security conditions and not on arbitrary timelines.

Hadley said the United States is employing a comprehensive strategy in Iraq that is focused on defeating the terrorists there. He said the president agrees with Americans who want U.S. troops to come home as soon as possible.

"But a desire to have our troops come home is not inconsistent with recognizing that we can settle for nothing short of victory," Hadley said. "The path home is the path of success."

The Dec. 15 Iraqi elections stand as a harbinger of that success and of homeward-bound U.S. troops, Hadley said.

"The success of democracy in Iraq will encourage the spread of democracy in the region," Hadley said, "and the spread of democracy in this vital region will undermine the sources of violence and instability that give rise to terrorism, and will lay the foundation of future peace."

Biography:

Stephen J. Hadley [http://www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/hadleybio.html]

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America Supports You: Trio Finds Poignancy in Civil War Carol

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2005 - A Dallas-based band has looked to the Civil War to honor today's servicemembers fighting in the global war on terrorism.

TrueHeart, an adult contemporary/urban folk band, was invited to perform at a Christmas benefit for a local hospital last year. But the band's trio of siblings disagreed on what carols to play.

Ross Vick said that he and his brother, Patrick, and sister, Karen Vick Cavazos, couldn't settle on what Christmas songs to play. So he wrote three songs, including a new arrangement of the 19th century hymn, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem-turned-hymn about how the Civil War affected his life and his family had long been one of Vick's favorites, he said. In doing research for the new arrangement, however, he found the familiar lyrics sung in church were not the originals, which he later used in his arrangement.

"I had always liked the words to that (song)," he said, adding that by the time he found the original lyrics, Operation Iraqi Freedom was in full bloom. "I just thought it was so poignant that those words that were written over 140 years ago were just as germane today as they were during the American Civil War. At least in my mind they were."

The original poem reminded the siblings of their ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War and every conflict the United States has been involved in, Vick said. He added that his cousin was among the first with "boots on the ground" in Baghdad in when U.S. troops went into Iraq in 2003.

Composed on Christmas Day 1864, Longfellow's poem, originally titled "Christmas Bells," contained seven stanzas and detailed the sense of despair the Civil War created for the author. It ends with church bells ringing, giving the author hope for peace. In 1872, John Baptiste Calkin rearranged five stanzas, omitting the two with Civil War references, and set them to music to create the most familiar version of the carol.

Vick said he appreciated the parallel between what Longfellow observed in 1864 and what is occurring today. Families are enduring separations from loved ones and some -- like Longfellow, whose son suffered debilitating injuries fighting for his country -- are dealing with severely injured loved ones.

A recent re-recording of the TrueHeart arrangement is more country-sounding than the group's first recorded version, which was more "pop," Vick said. He added that the newest version is just a small token of the group's esteem and appreciation for the sacrifice the servicemembers make on behalf of all Americans.

"For our men and women in uniform, there are a bunch of us out here who care about what they're doing and pray for peace and pray that (you) all get home safe and sound," Vick said.

Meanwhile, he added, TrueHeart's goal is to perform live for deployed troops.

Related Sites:

America Supports You [http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/]

"I Heard the Bells" by TrueHeart [http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/AmericaSupportsYou/america/music/TrueHeart_%20IHeardTheBells.mp3]

_______________________________________________________
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the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
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Iraqi Army Division Takes Step Toward Full Combat Readiness

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2005 - The staff of the 8th Iraqi Army Division was certified today in counterterrorism operations and tactics, which means the Iraqis can plan and conduct operations against enemy forces with limited support of coalition forces, military officials reported today.

Division units now are striving to achieve full combat readiness, officials said, adding that final coordination with local and central administration will be completed soon to finalize the process of battlespace transfer.

Long-term training, including exercises and combat operations, officials noted, preceded the certification process. Before the division staff was certified, six battalions and two brigades of the 8th completed their certification processes.

Training for the staff was highlighted with classes in planning and executing counterterrorism operations, which encompassed cordon-and-search techniques, checkpoints, patrolling and convoy protection. Tactical training, such as weapons proficiency, engineering, communication, medical support and logistics, also contributed to the overall certification process, a Multinational Force Iraq statement said.

"The main and final test was to check the capabilities of the division's soldiers during parliamentary elections in December," the statement added.

Division staff, under supervision of Multinational Division Central South military transition teams, planned and conducted operations to provide the security environment during elections. Staff and Iraqi soldiers passed this exam successfully, officials said.

In other news from Iraq, one terrorist was killed and another was severely injured when the improvised explosive device they were attempting to emplace detonated prematurely Dec. 19 near Tikrit.

Tikrit police and soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team responded to the explosion. The police officers performed first aid on the injured bomber, who was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The IED was composed of a 155 mm artillery shell and a detonating device, according to an explosives ordnance team investigating the explosion.

Soldiers searching the area discovered another artillery round and several other IED components in a nearby vehicle.
In addition to the wounded bomber, two other men were detained for allegedly attempting to help the surviving bomber avoid the responding security forces.

Coalition aircraft flew 50 close-air-support missions Dec. 19 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons and Navy F/A-18 Hornets struck an enemy position near Salman Pak, strafing the target and dropping precision-guided munitions onto it. Navy F-14 Tomcats provided close-air support to coalition troops near Balad and Hawijah.

Air Force officials noted that 13 U.S. Air Force, Navy and Royal Australian Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions in support of operations in Iraq. Also, U.S. and Royal Air Force fighter aircraft performed in a non-traditional ISR role with their electro-optical and infrared sensors.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward news releases.)

Related Sites:

Multinational Force Iraq [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/]

U.S. Central Command Air Forces [http://www.centaf.af.mil/]

_______________________________________________________
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2005 Holiday Message From the Secretary of Defense

- During World War II, my father spent more than one Christmas thousands of miles from home on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific theater. My family and I missed him, but we took comfort in the knowledge that his service was important and that he was fighting for us and for our country.

Many of you today are stationed in foreign lands and combat theaters far from friends and family. Over the holidays, you no doubt are thinking about them even more than usual. And even though there may be no place you would rather be this season than home with them, know that what you are doing -- wherever you are -- protects them and provides them with a truly special gift. You are defending their freedom. And they are safer because of your service.

This has been an eventful year for the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. Americans remember with pride:

- Your relief of areas devastated by the tsunami;
- The rescue of your fellow Americans in flooded New Orleans and Gulf states; and
- Your support for earthquake survivors in Pakistan.
Those of you who have served in Afghanistan may think of:

- The education you made possible for millions of Afghan girls and boys;
- The second free Afghan election across a country once torn by war and now daring to hope; and
- Hunting down remnants of the Taliban and al Qaeda seeking to take back that country and attack America once again.
And many of you who have served in Iraq might recall:

- In three elections, the purple fingers of proud voters you helped free from tyranny;
- The liberation of towns in western Iraq from Baathist thugs and foreign jihadists; or
- The image of a tyrant on trial, confronted by the witnesses he once terrorized.
By serving our country this season, whether you are stationed at home or abroad, you are part of an American tradition as old as the struggle for our nation's independence, when Washington crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night. And like that of those who fought before you, the work you do will be remembered, and recounted, many Christmases from now.

One battalion commander in Iraq tells troops:

"One day ... you're going to be sitting there with your son on your leg and you'll be watching the History Channel. And you're going to see Operation Iraqi Freedom. And you're going to see the next democratic government elected. And you're going to hold that little child on your leg and ... say, 'Daddy did that."

His words are right on -- not only for his troops, but for every Soldier, Sailor, Airman, and Marine defending our country at home or abroad.

The holiday season is a time when Americans reflect on what is most important in our lives. It is with gratitude that we might reflect on what a special place our country is. Consider the military doctors operating on wounded Afghans and Iraqis, or traveling to Africa to aid starving children, and the billions of dollars Americans contribute every year to charities, to the poor, and to the hungry.

And consider that each of is a volunteer. You each raised your hand and said "send me." And the task has fallen to you to protect our way of life and to keep America that special place that billions of people around the world look to in times of turmoil and tragedy -- and the country to which millions, braving danger, have crossed oceans and deserts to find.

In this "long war" ahead, the freedom and opportunity that our forefathers sought are the very things the enemy attacks and hopes to take away. They are what some have called the American Dream, and what led one writer to say, "America is a willingness of the heart."

That dream, that willingness of the heart, is what each of you have sacrificed for and helped to defend. And I want you to know that your country is grateful to each of you, and the cause of human freedom is stronger today because of you.

And so to every American in uniform, I thank you for your service. I congratulate you on a year of enormous accomplishment. And I wish you and your families a happy holiday season, and a safe and successful new year.

Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
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U.S. Troop Levels in Afghanistan Slated to Drop Next Year

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2005 - The number of American troops serving in Afghanistan, currently about 19,000, is slated to decline by about 2,500 next year, a senior U.S. military officer said here Dec. 19.

Improved Afghan National Army and police forces and an expanded NATO contingent are enabling the reduced American military presence, Air Force Lt. Gen. Gene Renuart, the Joint Staff's director for strategic plans and policy, told the Pentagon Channel and American Forces Press Service.

"It's a good-news recognition of progress in Afghanistan, of success in our desires to build governance and improve the economies and to advance the quality of life of the Afghan people," Renuart said. Afghanistan's new parliament, the country's first elected legislature since 1969, met in session in Kabul Dec. 19.

Senior Afghan, U.S. and NATO leaders collaborated in the decision to reduce the U.S. troop presence, Renuart said.

The Afghan National Army now stands at about 27,000 troops, Renuart said, noting that about 55,000 Afghan police have been trained and deployed. Afghan army soldiers work closely with U.S. Special Forces during counterinsurgency operations, he said, while the police attend to local law enforcement in cities, towns and other municipalities.

"Both of those capabilities have improved to the point that they can assume more and more of the role of both working internal security and hometown security for the Afghan people," Renuart said.

NATO is slated to expand its International Security Assistance Force, consisting of troops from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Romania and Canada, into southern Afghanistan next year, Renuart said.

"NATO has done great work in the central Kabul area, as well as regional command North and West," Renuart said. "And their ability to now take on an expanded role in the south is also NATO's recognition that we're making great progress."

The 4th Brigade of the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division was notified in December 2004 that it would deploy to Afghanistan, Renuart said. The improving situation, he said, has negated the need to deploy the entire brigade. So only one battalion-sized task force of about 1,200 soldiers from that brigade will be sent to southern Afghanistan in mid-2006 to assist ISAF, Renuart said.

As part of next year's troop transition, American and Canadian forces, Renuart said, will relieve the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade that's now serving in southern Afghanistan.

The remainder of the 4th Brigade, Renuart said, will remain at Fort Polk, La., and will be ready to deploy to Afghanistan within 15 days if required.

The remaining 16,500 or so U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Renuart said, will stay focused on capturing and killing terrorists, primarily in the eastern portion of the country.

"The (U.S.) mission is clear," the three-star general said. "It is to continue to root out and find those elements of al Qaeda and Taliban and other insurgents within Afghanistan that could cause instability."

Renuart cautioned that terrorist activity conducted by al Qaeda and Taliban remnants in isolated parts of Afghanistan makes those areas very dangerous.

"But security is expanding, not retreating," Renuart said. The diminished Taliban, he said, haven't a chance of returning to power.

"The capabilities that NATO will bring into the country," Renuart said, "will more than ensure that any time the Taliban would try to take advantage of these transitions ... they'll be met with very capable forces able to defeat them at any turn."

Renuart also praised the competence and contributions of the U.S. forces serving in Afghanistan.

"We're winning this, and it's because of their great effort that we're able to make these adjustments in cooperation with our friends the Afghans and with our friends from NATO."

Related Sites:

U.S. Central Command [http://www.centcom.mil/]

Combined Forces Command Afghanistan [http://www.cfc-a.centcom.mil/]

International Security Assistance Force [http://www.afnorth.nato.int/ISAF/]

Related Article:

Operation Enduring Freedom Rotation Adjustment Announced [http://www.dod.mil/releases/2005/nr20051220-12185.html]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051220_3710.html.

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Rumsfeld: War Can Be Lost Only in U.S.

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2005 - American servicemembers are doing a superb job in Iraq, and the only place the war can be lost is in the United States, where people don't have a clear understanding of what's happening on the ground and can lose patience, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld said Dec. 19.

"The work that they're doing overseas is so professional and so able, and we're so fortunate to have them there that I would have to say that the only place this could be lost is if we lost our will here in the United States," Rumsfeld said in an appearance on CNN's "Larry King Live."

The U.S. is winning the global war on terror, Rumsfeld said, citing as proof the progress made in Iraq and Afghanistan. The three elections that have taken place in Iraq in 2005 and the development of a constitution are historic events that show the bravery and determination of the Iraqi people and their significant progress toward democracy, he said.

"It has to be an enormous disappointment to the enemies," he said. "They have lost something very big, because the Iraqi people now have control of that country."

In Afghanistan, the parliament was seated this week and the country has a popularly elected president for the first time in 5,000 years, Rumsfeld said. In this same country that people were not too long ago calling a quagmire, the army is improving steadily and the United States will be able to significantly draw down its forces soon, he said.

"I'm absolutely convinced that the course we're on is the right course," he said. "We're not losing the war."

Every U.S. conflict has had opponents and has caused divisions within the country, Rumsfeld said, but if the government gave in every time someone expressed doubt, this country wouldn't exist as it does today.

"I just am hopeful that people will reflect on our history as a country and the nature of conflicts -- prior conflicts -- and develop an understanding about the difficulty of them," he said. "We have to constantly adjust our tactics to meet the changes that the enemy is imposing on themselves."

At this time of year, it is important to remember the troops overseas and the sacrifices they make to serve the country, Rumsfeld said.

"They volunteered and said, 'Send me,' and they're over across the globe serving our country with courage and perseverance and great dignity and professionalism," he said. "They are convinced that they're winning in Iraq. They are convinced that they are engaged in noble work that's important for the world and for our country and to protect the American people here at home."

Biography:

Donald H. Rumsfeld [http://www.defenselink.mil/bios/rumsfeld_bio.html]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
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Ambassador Says 2006 to Be 'Year of Police' for Iraq

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, Dec. 20, 2005 - 2006 will be the 'Year of the Police' in Iraq, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq said here today.

At a news conference, Zalmay Khalilzhad charted Iraqi political progress over the past year, and talked about the road ahead for the country.

The ambassador, who arrived in Iraq in July after serving as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, said the United States is making progress on the "Iraqization" of the security effort. In 2005, the number of Iraqi police and army battalions skyrocketed from a handful to 123. Some 81 of these battalions are fighting side by side with coalition forces and 42 are taking the lead role, he said.

"We will work with Iraqis to increase the size, capability and credibility of Iraqi forces," Khalilzhad said.

The emphasis on the police does not mean the Iraqi army will be neglected, said embassy officials after the briefing. Coalition military transition teams will continue to work with Iraqi army units, and larger units - brigades and divisions - will stand up and take over battlespace from coalition forces. The 8th Iraqi Army Division, for example, was certified as ready today in a ceremony at Multinational Division Central South.

But the police need some work to become "credible in their own communities," the ambassador said. The newly elected government's selection of a new interior minister will be critical, he said.

"You can't have someone who is regarded as sectarian as minister of the interior," he said. "You need to have someone who has the confidence of all communities."

Much training already is under way, and the Interior Ministry's paramilitary public order battalions acquitted themselves well in the past year, officials said. But local police - also under the Interior Ministry - did not do as well, and the coalition will take steps to provide training and increase the professional outlook of the Iraqi force, officials added.

Iraqi is a diverse country, and the nation must reach "a national compact" as the permanent government takes reins in the coming months, the ambassador said. He said the negotiations over the constitution began the discussion and narrowed the differences among groups, deferring some decisions until the newly elected parliament has a chance to debate them.

"This give-and-take and willingness to search for accommodation set the stage for the ratification of the constitution," he said. In 2006, the ambassador added he will work with the parties to help sort out that Iraqi national compact.

Khalilzhad said goals of the past year to include Iraqi "rejectionists" in the political process and isolate Saddamists and foreign fighters will continue. He pointed to the number of Sunni Arabs who participated in the Dec. 15 election as a sign of success. "In the coming year, we will continue to bring more Iraqis into the political process, which will isolate the hard-core terrorists and Saddamists," he said. "We will continue to go after the terrorists in focused operations."

Khalilzhad said he will continue efforts to reach out to regional friends and allies to help Iraq, and will continue to discourage "unhelpful" behavior by Iran and Syria.

"Over the next year, we will encourage our regional friends and allies to do more to support the emergence of Iraq as a valued partner in regional political and economic systems," he said. "We will also take steps to stem unhelpful activities by Syria and Iran."

The U. S. will work with the new government to enhance the national ministries, and to help the provincial and regional governments, Khalilzad said. The provincial reconstruction team concept, so successful in Afghanistan, is being imported into Iraq, he added. And that will be a way for coalition officials to help train a level of government that really didn't exist under Saddam Hussein. The focus, he said, will be on delivering basic services to the Iraqi people.

The ambassador noted economic gains over the past year. Iraq's gross domestic product grew by 3 to 4 percent in 2004, and embassy officials estimate the growth for 2005 will be in double digits. Officials, the ambassador explained, have recalibrated the Iraq reconstruction program to smaller projects employing Iraqi companies and workers. He said he wants Iraq to shift away from nonproductive subsidies.

Finally, the ambassador said, he will continue efforts to explain U.S. goals in Iraq and the region as well as he can in as many places as he can.

Biography:

Zalmay Khalilzhad [http://iraq.usembassy.gov/iraq/ambassador.html]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051220_3707.html.

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Envoy Would Like a 'Cross-ethnic' Iraq Government

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, Dec. 20, 2005 - The U.S. ambassador to Iraq envisions "an Iraq that works" - a country on a path to increase democracy, and one that will respect the rights of all in the country.

At a news conference here today, Zalmay Khalilzhad said he wants an increasingly prosperous Iraq that poses no threat to its neighbors, and serves as an example to the region of the power of democracy.

The ambassador said it's too early to talk "definitively" about the results of the Dec. 15 election, but it appeared "as if people preferred to vote their ethnic or sectarian identity." He said cross-ethnic and cross-sectarian cooperation will be necessary for the country to succeed.

Still, it appears that around 70 percent of eligible voters participated in the election, and "all communities participated, and that was important," he said. "What is needed is to wait for the results, and then for the principal groups to seek to form a broad-based national unity government - a cross-ethnic government that will emphasize effectiveness and competence."

He said he would like to see a government that brings Iraqis together. With that in mind, he said, he already has begun discussions with Iraqi leaders "to encourage them in this direction, and we will be able to help if our help is needed," he said.

Embassy officials said they would like Iraqi leaders to speed the process. One official said the country did not capitalize on the success of the January elections, taking too long to form the transitional national assembly. "They lost momentum," the official said. "We would like to see things move somewhat faster (this time)."

Khalilzhad said Iraqi leaders can take the circumstances of the country and follow the formula that other successful countries have followed. "The stakes are huge for the people of Iraq, for the future of the region and, of course, for us - we have a lot of American blood and treasure spent here, and I think it is about the future of the world," he said.

Biography:

Zalmay Khalilzhad [http://iraq.usembassy.gov/iraq/ambassador.html]

Related Site:

Ambassador Says 2006 to be 'Year of Police' for Iraq [http://www.dod.mil/news/Dec2005/20051220_3707.html]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051220_3708.html.

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Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

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