WASHINGTON — Military officials plan to keep as many as 138,000 U.S. troops in Iraq through at least 2005, maintaining a higher-than-expected level of forces there to quell the insurgency and to provide security to the country long after it is slated to become a sovereign nation. Officials also plan to send more heavy equipment, such as tanks and armored vehicles, into Iraq to help secure U.S. forces against attack.
The Department of Defense announced Tuesday that officials plan to deploy 10,000 Army and Marine soldiers this summer to replace troops in the 1st Armored Division and the 2nd Light Cavalry Regiment who have had their stays in Iraq extended, and officials plan to identify 10,000 more troops soon to complete the replacement. About 6,000 National Guard and Reserve troops from more than a dozen states whose stays were extended also will be spelled in the next deployment.
An additional 37,000 combat support soldiers — including about 16,000 reserves — have been notified that they will rotate into Iraq sometime this fall or early next year for possible 12-month deployments. The support units will provide services such as transportation, military police, logistics, maintenance and intelligence.
The deployments, at the request of combat commander Gen. John Abizaid, indicate that military officials believe they will need a greater a presence in Iraq than anticipated, to respond to the lingering insurgency and a growing number of U.S. military casualties. Defense officials had expected to reduce the level of U.S. troops in Iraq to about 115,000 this year; now, they are preparing to maintain a force of 138,000 for at least the next 18 months as they have seen violence rise over the past few weeks.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said Tuesday that he expects the heightened violence in Iraq to continue well past June 30, when coalition forces are to hand limited sovereignty to a transitional Iraqi government. With ongoing offensive situations in such cities as Fallujah and Najaf — and at least 126 soldiers killed in action in April, more than during major combat operations to take Baghdad last year — military officials believe the United States needs to maintain a significant presence for the foreseeable future.
"You’re going to have a period of uncertainty from now, and you’re also going to have a period of increased attacks," Rumsfeld said, telling reporters terrorist attacks could be expected in Iraq and around the world. "So this is going to be a difficult period. But our forces are there. They’re going to stay there."
Air Force Lt. Gen. Norton Schwartz, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon on Tuesday that the mission in Iraq remains essentially the same: to ensure security and stability. Schwartz said the level of troops will be set based on the perceived requirements.
"If there is a change in the security situation, we will change accordingly," Schwartz said, adding that officials are notifying soldiers about their deployments as far in advance as possible. "If more are needed, we will make adjustments."
Gen. Richard Cody, the Army’s deputy chief of staff for operations, said the new units heading to Iraq will include a "heavier" mix of equipment, with more Bradley tanks and armored vehicles that provide additional protection for soldiers. Instead of a balance that includes about one-third heavy equipment and two-thirds lighter, more mobile vehicles such as Humvees, Abizaid has requested that some units arrive with close to a 50-50 mix.
Defense officials said the move to heavier equipment is largely required by the changing tactics of the enemy. Insurgents have targeted U.S. military weaknesses, such as convoys of thin-skinned Humvees, and have used roadside bombs to kill soldiers riding in lightly armored vehicles. The change sacrifices a bit of mobility to add security for troops.
The first major units to be deployed will be the 2nd Brigade of the Army’s 10th Mountain Division, based in Fort Drum, N.Y., and two Marine Expeditionary Units, the 11th, based in Camp Pendleton, Calif., and the 24th, based in Camp Lejeune, N.C.
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