Friday, August 05, 2005
Pundit RhetIraq: From the Moderate Left
Who: David Broder
Source: Washington Post
Quotes: From column titled "Share the Facts on the War" concerning Defense Dept. report on progress gauging Iraq's economic and political stability, the extent of the insurgency, and the capacity of Iraqi forces to provide security for their own country, which is required by Congress every 90 days.
July 11 came and went with no report, [...]. The Senate was less patient and passed a resolution reminding Rumsfeld of the unfulfilled obligation. And on July 21 the report was delivered.
It came in two parts, a 23-page public document and a classified annex.
[...] the report includes page after page of blank forms that the coalition command in Iraq has developed to assess the quality of personnel, command and control, training, and logistics in Iraqi military and police forces. But the important question of how many of those units are capable of fighting the insurgency, independently or with help from U.S. and British troops, simply is not answered.
The Pentagon replied that "although there is variance in the rate of absenteeism, AWOL, attrition and desertion among the Iraqi army, rates have diminished significantly and are now around 1 percent for some divisions. Still, units that are conducting operations and units that relocate elsewhere in Iraq experience a surge in absenteeism."
At another point, it simply says, "The extent of insurgent infiltration [into Iraqi forces] is unknown. A vetting process is used to attempt to screen out criminals, foreign and anti-Iraq forces."
Congress has required an update on this report in 90 days, so the Pentagon has an opportunity to improve on the product.
Source: Washington Post
Quotes: From column titled "Share the Facts on the War" concerning Defense Dept. report on progress gauging Iraq's economic and political stability, the extent of the insurgency, and the capacity of Iraqi forces to provide security for their own country, which is required by Congress every 90 days.
July 11 came and went with no report, [...]. The Senate was less patient and passed a resolution reminding Rumsfeld of the unfulfilled obligation. And on July 21 the report was delivered.
It came in two parts, a 23-page public document and a classified annex.
[...] the report includes page after page of blank forms that the coalition command in Iraq has developed to assess the quality of personnel, command and control, training, and logistics in Iraqi military and police forces. But the important question of how many of those units are capable of fighting the insurgency, independently or with help from U.S. and British troops, simply is not answered.
The Pentagon replied that "although there is variance in the rate of absenteeism, AWOL, attrition and desertion among the Iraqi army, rates have diminished significantly and are now around 1 percent for some divisions. Still, units that are conducting operations and units that relocate elsewhere in Iraq experience a surge in absenteeism."
At another point, it simply says, "The extent of insurgent infiltration [into Iraqi forces] is unknown. A vetting process is used to attempt to screen out criminals, foreign and anti-Iraq forces."
Congress has required an update on this report in 90 days, so the Pentagon has an opportunity to improve on the product.
