-Caveat Lector- --- Global Network <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > To: "Global Network Against Weapons" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > From: "Global Network" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 13:05:53 -0400 > Subject: [globenet] RUMSFELD DOUBLES IRAQ COST > ESTIMATE > > Rumsfeld Doubles Estimate for Cost of Troops in Iraq > New York Times > July 10, 2003 > > By THOM SHANKER > > > > ASHINGTON, July 9 - Gen. Tommy R. Franks said today > that violence and uncertainty in Iraq made it > unlikely that troop levels would be reduced "for the > foreseeable future," and Defense Secretary Donald H. > Rumsfeld nearly doubled the estimated military costs > there to $3.9 billion a month. > > "We have about 145,000 troops in there right now," > General Franks told the Senate Armed Services > Committee. He said he had talked to "commanders at > every level inside Iraq," and found that the size > and structure of those forces were appropriate for > the current situation. > > Mr. Rumsfeld has never laid out a timetable for > bringing American troops home, and has repeatedly > pledged that the forces would stay as long as > required, but no longer. Even so, the > acknowledgement today of the scope of the long-term > military commitment to Iraq was the strongest > indication to date that the reconstruction effort > requires the continued deployment of large numbers > of troops - and that the undertaking carries a hefty > price tag. > > Under intense questioning from Senator Robert C. > Byrd, Democrat of West Virginia, Mr. Rumsfeld or his > aides telephoned Pentagon financial officers during > a break and reported back to the committee that cost > estimates for the Iraq campaign had reached $3.9 > billion per month, on average from this past January > through September. > > A Pentagon official said the $3.9 billion figure "is > the estimated cost to maintain the current force > level in Iraq," which includes expenses for military > operations, including fuel, transportation, food, > ordnance and personnel, but not reconstruction > costs. The $3.9 billion figure is almost double the > $2 billion per month estimate issued by > administration officials in April. In addition, the > cost of operations in Afghanistan are now $900 > million to $950 million monthly, Mr. Rumsfeld said. > > During a grueling four-hour hearing, committee > members alternately complimented the military's war > plan but criticized the Pentagon's planning for the > postwar stabilization of the nation. > > In particular, Mr. Rumsfeld was pressed to detail > efforts to reach out to allies - including those > like France and Germany who opposed the war - for > contributions of troops to replace Americans. > General Franks, who stepped down this week from the > top job at Central Command, gave no indication that > commanders were requesting more troops to combat > guerrilla-style attacks. When pressed to predict how > long a force comparable to the current one would be > needed, he said, "It is for the foreseeable future." > > > Moments later, Mr. Rumsfeld sought to erase the > impression that those comments meant that the > American commitment could not shrink more rapidly. > "The numbers of U.S. forces could change, while the > footprint stayed the same, in the event that we have > greater success in bringing in additional coalition > forces, in the event we are able to accelerate the > Iraqi Army," he said. > > With American forces suffering almost daily attacks > in Iraq, that statement did not satisfy Senator > Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, who > challenged Mr. Rumsfeld by saying that "we have the > world's best-trained soldiers serving as policemen > in what seems to be a shooting gallery." Mr. Kennedy > said that "the lack of a coherent plan is hindering > our efforts at internationalization and aggravating > the strain on our troops." > > Mr. Rumsfeld said 142,000 military personnel had > returned to their home bases, although most of those > serve in the Air Force and Navy, leaving the burden > in Iraq to American ground forces. The current > ground force figure, 145,000, is down from its peak > of 151,000. And he announced the withdrawal of one > high-profile unit from the war zone, saying all > three brigades of the Third Infantry Division, which > spearheaded the attack on Baghdad, would leave Iraq > by September. > > In sketching how Iraqis will help stabilize their > nation, General Franks said that 35,000 Iraqi police > officers had been hired and that plans called for > training a new Iraqi army of 12,000 within one year > and 40,000 within three years. > > As recently as May, senior allied officials speaking > to correspondents in Baghdad said the Bush > administration had hoped to shrink the American > military presence in Iraq to two divisions, about > 30,000 to 40,000 troops, by autumn, with a third > multinational division also present. > > Answering complaints that American unilateralism had > alienated its allies, Mr. Rumsfeld and General > Franks said that 19 nations now had forces > supporting the Iraq effort, that 19 others had > promised troops and that discussions were under way > with 11 more. Those allied forces already in Iraq, > and those committed, totaled 30,000, they said. > > Asked by Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, the ranking > Democrat on the committee, if he would support > having France and Germany take part in the postwar > stability force, Mr. Rumsfeld said he would. "We > have reached out to NATO," Mr. Rumsfeld said. But he > cautioned that "it would be incorrect to say that we > expect that international forces will replace all of > U.S. forces. We don't anticipate that." > > Mr. Rumsfeld refused to issue a concrete schedule > for withdrawing American forces. "Nobody knows the > answer to that question, how long it will take," he > said. "It will take some time." But he said that > "when it's done, it's going to have been darn well > worth having done." > > Senators from both parties - James M. Inhofe, > Republican of Oklahoma, and Jack Reed, Democrat of > Rhode Island - pressed Mr. Rumsfeld on whether the > Pentagon should consider increasing the number of > people in uniform to handle global missions. "It > seems to me that we have to be prepared to increase > our Army, the number of brigades in our Army, or to > activate National Guard divisions, and we have to > make that decision soon," Mr. Reed said. Mr. > Rumsfeld said there were no plans to expand the > military. > > Sen. John McCain, Republican of Arizona, asked Mr. > Rumsfeld about the threat from Iran, and Mr. > Rumsfeld said he had received reports that Iran had > relocated some border posts a few miles into Iraqi > territory, and he cautioned the government in Tehran > against such adventurism. > > > > Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in > Space > PO Box 652 > Brunswick, ME 04011 > (207) 729-0517 > (352) 871-7554 (Cell phone) > http://www.space4peace.org > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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