Washington, D.C---The U.S. House Armed Services Committee today received testimony from senior Department of Defense officials on the current status and challenges associated with the redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq. Ranking Member Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-CA) today released the following opening statement for the hearing:
“We have made remarkable progress in Iraq. Violence continues to stay at a level comparable to 2003, the provincial elections earlier in the year were a success, and the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) agreement has held together. Most recently, in June the Iraqi Security Forces assumed primary security responsibility within Iraqi cities and U.S. combat forces departed the last remaining cities.
“As I’ve previously stated, the question we face in Iraq is not whether we’ve won the war, but whether we will win the peace. We heard encouraging testimony from General Odierno last month; while he acknowledged that security is improving, he cautioned that ‘it is not yet enduring’ and noted that ‘there still remains underlying unresolved sources of potential conflict.’ This is what he calls “drivers of instability” and that's what we need to keep an eye on.
“With national elections set for January, a referendum on the SOFA on the horizon, as well as other significant unresolved political hurdles, like the status of oil-rich Kirkuk, there are many unknowns that will determine the prospect of enduring domestic peace in Iraq.
“The President’s February 2009 plan calls for a dramatic reduction to the U.S. footprint in Iraq by August 2010. By next summer the President plans to decrease our troop strength by 60 percent, in addition to closing bases and moving materiel out of theater.
“There seems to be widespread agreement that a peaceful national election in January is critical for Iraq’s emerging democracy and the successful implementation of the President’s redeployment plan. Last month, General Odierno was hopeful the election will occur on time ‘if we get the election law passed.’ The London Times reported yesterday, however, that the Iraqi parliament is now ‘talking about delaying the elections in January.’
“Yesterday President Obama reaffirmed his commitment to his redeployment timetable. I’m concerned that if the national election is indeed delayed the President’s timetable for redeployment offers General Odierno little room to maneuver. Do we have contingency plans in the event the security situation demands revisiting the August 2010 timeline? This plan arguably made sense in February; does it still make sense today?
“Many of us here have consistently held the position that scheduling troop withdrawals in Iraq should be based on the conditions on the ground. The standard should continue to be that we do not draw down forces if it means sacrificing security. I hope our witnesses will affirm their commitment to that standard.
“As we begin executing the President’s redeployment plan we also need to keep an eye on the future. This leads me to concerns about the ‘normalization’ of our relations with Iraq. After all we’ve invested in Iraq we should be taking steps to ensure that we pursue a robust security relationship with Baghdad. Our increase in combat forces was not the only reason the ‘surge’ was successful; rather, Ambassador Crocker and General Petraeus knew how to leverage our presence to ensure Iraqi leadership made the right choices. I’m concerned that we may be retreating from this posture too quickly in an effort to ‘normalize’ our relationship with Iraq. In particular, we need to keep an eye on how our military in Iraq hands over responsibility to our embassy in Baghdad. Multi-national Security Transition Command – Iraq has a critical role in developing and sustaining the Iraqi Security Forces. We need to make sure that the embassy is ready for the hand-off.
“As General Odierno emphasized last month, this is an embryonic democracy. While the situation in Iraq has improved, I think it’s fair to say the situation is far from normal. As long as we have a force presence in Iraq our leadership should continue to involve itself in Iraqi political affairs to ensure the right decisions are made. Robust engagement seems to be the key to a redeployment plan.”
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