Petraeus: Pause troop pullout

by Frank James

In his testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee this morning, Gen. David Petraeus called for a controversial 45-day pause in U.S. troop drawdowns after the reduction of American surge forces is completed in July.

That pause would allow U.S. officials to reassess security conditions in Iraq which would dictate the pace of future reductions of U.S. troops, the top American commander in Iraq told the senators.

To do otherwise would risk the fragile improvements in security achieved by U.S. and American forces since the surge began early last year, said Petraeus, who outlined the successes and challenges ahead for U.S. and Iraq officials and warned that the gains reached so far were "reversible."

Also, Petraeus was sure to draw the ire of anti-war members of Congress for warning that if the U.S. did not stick with his program, that would be giving the al Qaeda terrorist group a greenlight to get busy expanding its role in Iraq. Many critics have accused the Bush Administration of hyping the al Qaeda threat in Iraq in order to continue high troop levels there.

Petreaus's position wasn't a surprise since the idea of a pause has been discussed by Bush Administration and U.S. military officials. But his official testimony now gives the debate over how to proceed in Iraq another jolt of momentum.

Petraeus said:

"After weighing these factors I recommended to my chain of command that we continue the drawdown in the surge combat forces and that upon the withdrawal of the last surge brigade combat team in July, we undertake a 45-day period of consolidation and evaluation.

At the end of that period we'll commence a process of assessment to examine the conditions on the ground and to determine when we can make recommedations for further reductions. This process will be continuous with recommendations for further reductions made as conditions permit.

This approach does not allow establishment of a set withdrawal timetable. However it does provide the flexibility those of us on the ground need to preserve the still fragile secutiry gains our troopers have fought so hard and sacrificed so hard to achieve. With this approach the security achievements of 2007and early 2008 can form the foundation for the gradual establishment of sustainable security in Iraq.

This is not only important to the 27 million citizens of Iraq it is also vitally important to those in the Gulf region, to the citizens of the U.S. and the international community. It's clearly in our national interest to help Iraq prvent the resurgence of the al Qaeda in the heart of the Arab world, to help Iraq resist encroachment on its sovereignty, to avoid renewed ethno-sectarian violence that could spill over Iraq's borders and make the existing refugee crisis even worse and to enable Iraq to expand it's role in the regional and global economies.

In questioning by Sen. Carl Levin, the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, Petraeus was asked why he wasn't using the same language as Defense Secretary Robert Gates who has used the words "brief pause" to describe the moratorium on troop drawdowns expected later this year.

"Sir, I'm not using the word 'brief' nor the word 'pause.' What I stated was a 45-day period for consolidation and evaluation, to examine the situation on the ground--do the battlefield geometry--consult with Amb. Crocker on what might be called the political-military calculus and then conduct the assessment. And when the assessment is at a point that when the conditions are met to recommend the reduction of forces, that's what we'll do."

In response to further probing, Petraeus seemed to indicate that it could be months, not really 45 days before he and other officials made the decision before deciding on further troop reductions.

At this point a man in the audience started shouting "Bring them Home" repeatedly, briefly disrupting the hearing. He was removed as some in the audience applauded, though it was unclear at least on television if they were applauding in agreement with the protester or because he was being escorted from the hearing room.

Levin asked Petraeus how many U.S. troops would be in Iraq at the end of the year. Petraeus said he couldn't give a number.

Following this, Levin said:

... "This open ended pause that you have recommended takes the pressure off the Iraqi leaders to take responsibility for their own country."