The U.S. military said the troop presence dropped to below 100,000 this month. Officials said the military would direct the pace of
withdrawal from Iraq in proportion to the threat by Al Qaida and
Iranian-backed Shi'ite insurgency groups.
"I have contingency plans to make recommendations if it doesn't go
well," Odierno told the Institute for the Study of War on Feb. 16. "I have
contingency plans to make recommendations if it goes okay. And I have
recommendations if it goes very well. And so we will work our way through
that."
President Barack Obama has ordered the withdrawal of all combat troops
by August 2010, leaving 50,000 soldiers in Iraq. Officials said the U.S.
military was capable of meeting Obama's goal while still maintaining
security in key areas of the country.
"Fifty thousand soldiers is still a lot of U.S. soldiers, sailors,
airmen, Marines," Odierno said. "There's still a lot of U.S. capability on
the ground. And so it's not just we only have 50,000. It's that we have
50,000 on the ground. And I still think we can influence the outcome.
Because I have a lot of confidence in the Iraqi security forces and their
capability. They still need some support from
us."
Officials said the U.S. military would not further reduce its presence
in Iraq until after the March 7 elections. They said the current troop level
would remain stable until mid-May, when a new government could be formed in
Baghdad.
In 2007, the U.S. military reached a peak of 175,000 troops as part of a
sustained campaign against Al Qaida. About a year later, amid the flight of
Sunni and Shi'ite insurgents, Washington began reducing its military
presence in Iraq, with 77,000 soldiers leaving over the last 15 months.
Officials said the U.S. military, which transferred security
responsibility to Baghdad in July 2009, has largely ended its
counter-insurgency mission. By July 2010, they said, the U.S. military would
be limited to what was termed stability operations outside Iraqi cities.
"So I think this transition will be much smoother than people think on
the ground," Odierno said. "It'll be smooth just like coming out of the
cities was."
Odierno said the U.S. military continues to mentor and train the Iraq Army
and police. He cited U.S. aid to develop the Iraq Air Force, Navy,
Intelligence Corps and logistics.
"Everything we do is completely coordinated with the government of Iraq,
and you will never see a U.S. soldier conduct an operation without an Iraqi
security force with him, in fact, without an Iraqi security force in the
lead of the operation," Odierno said. "But they're out every single day
working with the Iraqi security force partners. So we still play a very
significant role. As they build their capability, we reduce our capability."
U.S. diplomats, however, expressed concern that Iraq would require up to
six months to form its next government. They said the political leadership
has been sharply divided along ethnic and religious lines.
"The true test will not be in the reaction of winners, but how losers
accept the results," U.S. ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill said. "The
quality of a democracy is determined by the losers."
