thedrifter
09-09-07, 08:09 AM
Unit rotations will provide opportunities for troop reductions in Iraq
By: Associated Press
WASHINGTON ---- As military units move in and out of Iraq over the next six months, the planned rotations provide commanders with opportunities to reduce troop levels. One chance could come as early as January.
Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, has yet to lay out his recommendations for a future war strategy. But improving security conditions in western Anbar province could allow a brigade or Marine unit there to head home after the first of the year without being replaced.
As an example, the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, which is currently in Anbar, would hit its 12-month deployment mark in January and could return to Fort Stewart, Ga., early in 2008 if security conditions allowed. Not replacing the brigade would immediately lower troop levels.
Military planners have been poring over deployment schedules and monitoring trends of attacks and violence in Iraq in an effort to map out what commanders call their battlefield geometry.
They want to move troops out of Iraq without sacrificing security gains they have made and without forcing the military repeatedly to shift units around to cover battleground left open by departing troops.
There is broad consensus that Petraeus can start reducing troop levels from 20 brigades to 15 beginning early in the spring by not replacing the five combat brigades that President Bush ordered to Baghdad this year for the buildup.
The first of those five brigades will reach the end of its 15-month tour around April. So if the five were to leave on time over the subsequent months, then by the end of the summer troop levels would be back to what was considered the baseline last year: 15 combat brigades, or about 135,000 forces.
In addition to the 20 combat brigades of ground troops in Iraq, there are a number of support units, too. They including several combat air brigades, military police and medical units. About 8,000 support forces were brought in to back up the five brigades for the buildup.
At least five of the brigades now in Iraq are scheduled to leave in the next few months. But all are being replaced by other units, including three brigades from the 101st Airborne Division, from Fort Campbell, Ky.
The 15 combat brigades now deployed to Iraq on regular rotations are:
1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood.
2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
-2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, based at Schweinfurt, Germany
3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
3rd Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood.
4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood.
2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.
4th Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.
1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.
1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg.
2nd Marine Regimental Combat Team, Camp LeJeune, N.C.
6th Marine Regimental Combat Team, Camp LeJeune.
The five combat brigades ordered to Iraq as part of Bush's 30,000-troop buildup are, in order of their deployment:
2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg.
4th Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.
3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart.
4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis.
2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart.
Ellie
By: Associated Press
WASHINGTON ---- As military units move in and out of Iraq over the next six months, the planned rotations provide commanders with opportunities to reduce troop levels. One chance could come as early as January.
Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, has yet to lay out his recommendations for a future war strategy. But improving security conditions in western Anbar province could allow a brigade or Marine unit there to head home after the first of the year without being replaced.
As an example, the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, which is currently in Anbar, would hit its 12-month deployment mark in January and could return to Fort Stewart, Ga., early in 2008 if security conditions allowed. Not replacing the brigade would immediately lower troop levels.
Military planners have been poring over deployment schedules and monitoring trends of attacks and violence in Iraq in an effort to map out what commanders call their battlefield geometry.
They want to move troops out of Iraq without sacrificing security gains they have made and without forcing the military repeatedly to shift units around to cover battleground left open by departing troops.
There is broad consensus that Petraeus can start reducing troop levels from 20 brigades to 15 beginning early in the spring by not replacing the five combat brigades that President Bush ordered to Baghdad this year for the buildup.
The first of those five brigades will reach the end of its 15-month tour around April. So if the five were to leave on time over the subsequent months, then by the end of the summer troop levels would be back to what was considered the baseline last year: 15 combat brigades, or about 135,000 forces.
In addition to the 20 combat brigades of ground troops in Iraq, there are a number of support units, too. They including several combat air brigades, military police and medical units. About 8,000 support forces were brought in to back up the five brigades for the buildup.
At least five of the brigades now in Iraq are scheduled to leave in the next few months. But all are being replaced by other units, including three brigades from the 101st Airborne Division, from Fort Campbell, Ky.
The 15 combat brigades now deployed to Iraq on regular rotations are:
1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood.
2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
-2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, based at Schweinfurt, Germany
3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
3rd Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood.
4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood.
2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.
4th Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.
1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.
1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg.
2nd Marine Regimental Combat Team, Camp LeJeune, N.C.
6th Marine Regimental Combat Team, Camp LeJeune.
The five combat brigades ordered to Iraq as part of Bush's 30,000-troop buildup are, in order of their deployment:
2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg.
4th Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.
3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart.
4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis.
2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart.
Ellie