WASHINGTON — The United States continues to reduce its
military presence in Iraq.
Officials said 127,000 U.S. soldiers were serving in Iraq in mid-June.
They said this marked a decrease of 5,000 troops over the past month.
If current trends continue, by December 2006, the Pentagon would maintain 113,000 soldiers in Iraq,
above the planned level of 100,000 envisioned by the Bush administration.
Over the last year, the U.S. military presence in Iraq has averaged 138,000
troops, Middle East Newsline reported.
"Force levels in Iraq continue to be conditions-based and will be
determined in consultation with the Iraqi government," the Defense
Department said on June 20. "Changes may be made that could
affect units now being identified and advised to prepare to deploy."
Over the next two days, Gen. George Casey, the commander of the U.S.-led
coalition in Iraq, was expected to meet Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to
discuss
troop levels through 2006. So far, the military, amid accelerated efforts to
train Iraqi security forces, has not recommended a sharp decrease in troop
deployment in Iraq.
At this point, officials said, the Pentagon appears ready to reduce the
U.S. military presence by between 14,000 and 20,000 by December 2006. The
Pentagon has notified about 21,000 U.S. Army soldiers and Marines -- or four
combat brigades -- that they would be sent to Iraq as part of the latest
rotation.
Officials said the assignment of the brigades from Alaska, Colorado and
Texas could change depending on security conditions in Iraq. So far, they
said, two
brigades -- or 6,500 troops -- assigned to report to Iraq would remain in
the United States.
"You want to notify units as early as you can, but you want to do it
within the framework that you also maintain the maximum amount of
flexibility given that you have changing and evolving situations in Iraq,"
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told a briefing on Wednesday.
Whitman said the number of troops alerted for service in Iraq could
change significantly depending on the military's assessment of security in
Iraq. The spokesman said Casey was expected to soon relay his recommendation
on troop levels to President George Bush.
Officials said the Pentagon has changed the method of troop rotation in
Iraq. Instead of major rotations, they said, commanders maintain several
combat units on alert to either replace or augment U.S. troops in Iraq. They
said often decisions on actual deployment are made at the last minute.
"This construct allows us to ready forces, to have them prepared, but
yet to be flexible and adaptable to a dynamic situation that exists,"
Whitman said.
In November 2005, the Pentagon said 92,000 soldiers would be sent to
Iraq in the 2006-2008 rotation. The last of these soldiers were expected to
arrive in Iraq by August.
At the same time, the U.S. military, in what could indicate a
significant troop drawdown, has been removing equipment from Iraq. Since
February 2006, the U.S. Army has identified 7,000 Humvees and 17,000 other
pieces of equipment for shipment out of Iraq to bases in Europe and the
United States.
"The U.S. force rotations may be tailored based upon changes in the
security situation," the Pentagon said. "Iraqi security forces continue to
develop capability and assume responsibility for security in Iraq."