Pentagon identifies 35,000 more troops for Iraq

[sabra]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Tuesday it told another 35,000 U.S. soldiers they were in line to go to Iraq, a move that gives commanders enough forces to maintain a security crackdown there through at least the end of the year.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the decision was not related to the military's so-called "surge." But the replacement forces offer generals the flexibility to maintain heightened troop levels through 2007.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N08463467.htm

[bdamomma]

1. I don't know what to say anymore

except, more dead for lies due to this disgusting regime we have.

[Barrett808]

4. They're just going to keep throwing bodies on the fire...

...until we de-fund them.

[bdamomma]

5. stop the flow of money.

[orwell]

2. Fresh canon fodder...

...to soothe the supersized egos of Boy George and his Merry Band of Con Artists.

So proud to be an American...

[krkaufman]

24. And to keep the war drums beating for the Republicans ...

... in the upcoming election cycle.

[saigon68]

3. "BRING EM ON" shouted the AWOL CHIMPANZEE

[Solly Mack]

6. Is the cost of protecting the lies of a criminal government really worth it?

Damn, America. Can't complain about how uninformed the people are when lies are the mainstay of a foreign policy. When government lies shape news and history.

If lies serve the governments interests but don't serve the people's interests, that tells us what?

[endarkenment]

7. I am stunned. nt.

[snappyturtle]

8. If this is for "replacement"

does it mean they will cancel the extensions to those in the field of battle? Question: Where are they getting this 35,000 troops? When I was at Ft. Hood in February it was like a dead zone....so few there because they're already in Iraq.

[sanskritwarrior]

34. If you must know

Fort Hood is not really a dead zone, in February much of the base was at NTC at Fort Irwin. As of the start of this year and now less than 1/3 of Hood's total soldiers are deployed........

As for the 35,000

4,000 are coming from my brigade here in Hawaii 2BDE 25ID
another 4000 from Fort Polk 4BDE 10MTN
12,000 from Fort Campbell 1st BDE, 2nd BDE, 3rd BDE 101st Air assault
6,000 from Fort Hood 3rd ACR, 1st BDE 4th ID
6,000 from Germany 2nd Stryker Cav Regiment, 2nd Brigade 1st Armored Div
3,000 from Georgia 4th Brigade 3rd ID

[malachi]

9. "maintain a security crackdown there through at least the end of the year"

How convenient. Straight thru the election period. Then what?

[TwilightGardener]

10. "Replacements", "reinforcements"--whatever. It's "Perpetual Surge".

[Eugene]

11. AP report with more details (Pentagon Announce Iraq Deployments)

Pentagon Announce Iraq Deployments

Tuesday May 8, 2007 4:16 PM

By LOLITA C. BALDOR

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon has notified more than 35,000
soldiers and Marines to be prepared to deploy to Iraq beginning
this fall, a move that would allow commanders to maintain the
ongoing buildup of troops through the end of the year if needed.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Tuesday the deployment
orders, which have been signed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates,
do not mean that the military has made a decision to keep the
increased level of 20 brigades in Iraq through December. A brigade
is roughly 3,500 soldiers.

-snip-

According to the Army, the combat brigades would deploy for up to
15 months. The Army also said that close to 1,000 additional support
troops from the U.S. Army Reserves would also deploy in August.
Those would come from two units, an engineer battalion from Fort
Thomas, Ky., and a signal battalion from Fort Huachuca, Az.

The 10 brigades are: the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment in Germany;
the 4th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Stewart, Ga.; the
1st, 2nd and 3rd Brigades of the 101st Airborne Division from Fort
Campbell, Ky.; the 3rd Armored Calvary Regiment from Fort Hood,
Texas; the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored from Germany; 4th Brigade,
10th Mountain Division from Fort Polk, La.; 2nd Brigade, 25th
Infantry Division from Hawaii; and the 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry
Division from Fort Hood, Tx.


Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6617213,00.html

---

Also, update Reuters report: Pentagon identifies 35,000 more troops for Iraq

[maggiegault]

12. I Don't Want One More Family To Have To Bury Their Loved One...

...the way that my family must later on this week.

The reason why this continues is because those "deciders" who are sending soldier after soldier over to that hell hole and ruining lives left and right are not personally affected ONE BIT by the "decisions" that they make.

It has never been clearer to me that this government could give a damn about its citizens, especially those citizens who give their lives to carry out their whims.

[Theres-a]

13. Sad. nt

[acmavm]

14. So, now they're going with the original number of cannon fodder

they were told it would take, just 25 or 30 thousand at a time? Except now its too late, and the SOBs are too friggin' stupid to realize it.

[donkeyotay]

15. Beware the mission creep. The surge was so-called for its temporary nature.

It was for summer, through summer, until the end of summer, the end of August or early September, through September, September or October, and now making soldiers available through the end of the year. Mission. Creep.

[bonito]

16. STOP THE FUNDING n/t

[blueworld]

17. Who says we're not in hell already?

We won't pay for health care for our children. We won't adequately fund government oversight agencies to protect our food supply, our homeland security or child/adult education. We're constantly cutting available funding for our frail & sickly elderly because they paid their damn taxes years ago, so why should we foot the bill for the geezers now?

We trade a barely adequate college education for years of military service, harass, underequip & underpay our soldiers. Send them to illegal wars. Keep sending them to illegal wars. Stress out their stateside families & finances. Then we ignore them when they come home, especially if they're wounded because what the hell is this a welfare state? Entitlements are killing us, damn tax & spend Democrats.

Oh yeah. We have to borrow some more chicken feed (literally & figuratively) from China to buy more neat weapons to kill & maim more soldiers & civilians.

God help us all.

[mnhtnbb]

18. Where's that picture of Bush with his middle finger raised? Pointed right at Congress--

and by extension to we, the people.

IMPEACH NOW!

[populistdriven]

23. this one?

or this one?



lol the onion

[mnhtnbb]

37. Yeah, thanks!

[mnhtnbb]

19. For more on the story...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070508/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_iraq_troops

[geardaddy]

20. How many of them are critically injured all ready?

[Doctor_J]

21. and about all we can do is complain to each other here on DU

it's really depressing having to sit here knowing there's nothing that can be done about Smirk.

[bonito]

22. KICK!!! n/t

[Egalitarian]

25. Umm...Is something else in the works?

Which could conveniently coincide with 35,000 additional troops who just happen to be ready?

[Heidi]

26. Kick.

:kick:

[LiberalFighter]

27. Commanders in Iraq See 'Surge' Into '08

Source: Washington Post

Subtitle: Pentagon to Deploy 35,000 Replacement Troops

The Pentagon announced yesterday that 35,000 soldiers in 10 Army combat brigades will begin deploying to Iraq in August as replacements, making it possible to sustain the increase of U.S. troops there until at least the end of this year.

U.S. commanders in Iraq are increasingly convinced that heightened troop levels, announced by President Bush in January, will need to last into the spring of 2008. The military has said it would assess in September how well its counterinsurgency strategy, intended to pacify Baghdad and other parts of Iraq, is working.

"The surge needs to go through the beginning of next year for sure," said Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the day-to-day commander for U.S. military operations in Iraq. The new requirement of up to 15-month tours for active-duty soldiers will allow the troop increase to last until spring, said Odierno, who favors keeping experienced forces in place for now.

"What I am trying to do is to get until April so we can decide whether to keep it going or not," he said in an interview in Baghdad last week. "Are we making progress? If we're not making any progress, we need to change our strategy. If we're making progress, then we need to make a decision on whether we continue to surge."

Read more: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/08/AR2007050802096.html

[cal04]

28. U.S. Plans to Deploy 10 Brigades to Iraq

Source: Washington Post

Move Would Sustain Buildup Through '07'
The Pentagon announced yesterday that 35,000 soldiers in 10 Army combat brigades will begin deploying to Iraq in August, making it possible to sustain the increase of U.S. troops there until at least the end of this year.

U.S. commanders in Iraq are increasingly convinced that heightened troop levels, announced by President Bush in January, will need to last into the spring of 2008. The military has said it would assess in September how well its counterinsurgency strategy, intended to pacify Baghdad and other parts of Iraq, is working.

"The surge needs to go through the beginning of next year for sure," said Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the day-to-day commander for U.S. military operations in Iraq. The new requirement of up to 15-month tours for active-duty soldiers will allow the troop increase to last until spring, said Odierno, who favors keeping experienced forces in place for now.

"What I am trying to do is to get until April so we can decide whether to keep it going or not," he said in an interview in Baghdad last week. "Are we making progress? If we're not making any progress, we need to change our strategy. If we're making progress, then we need to make a decision on whether we continue to surge."

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/08/AR2007050802096.html?hpid=topnews

[aquart]

29. How many brigades do we have?

[sanskritwarrior]

35. 45 Active Army 18 NG 15 Active Marines 5 Reserve Marines

45 Combat Brigades Active Duty

10 Division's each has 4 Brigades except 25th ID which has 5......

So that gives us 41

3rd Armored Cav Regiment
2nd Stryker Cav Regiment
11 Armored Cav Regiment
173rd Airborne Brigade

Add in 10 Combat Aviation Brigades which are figured into the deployment numbers and add in

18 National Guard Combat Brigades

39th Infantry Brigade Arkansas
256th Mech Inf Brigade Louisiana
116th Armored Cav Brigade Idaho, Montana
155th Armored Brigade Mississippi, Alabama
81st Infantry Brigade Oregon, Washington
218th Infantry Brigade South Carolina, North Caroline
48th Infantry Brigade Georgia, Florida
56th Infantry Brigade Texas
36th Infantry Brigade Texas
278th Armored Cav Brigade Tennessee, Kentucky
34th Infantry Brigade Minnestoa, The Dakotas
53rd Infantry Brigade Florida
45th Infantry Brigade Oklahoma, Kansas
76th Infantry Brigade Indiana, Ohio
29th Infantry Brigade Hawaii
37th Infantry Brigade Ohio, Michigan
6th Stryker Brigade Pennsylvania
30th Infantry Brigade North Carolina

So there are 63 Ground Combat Brigades add in the 10 Combat Aviation and you get 73........

Now only 3 National Guard Brigades are usually mobilized at any one time so the active number is usually around 48-50 Ground Combat Brigades

With 14 Brigades in Iraq during the surge at a time and 10 recovering and 10 preparing to go. That is 34 out of 48 at any one time either in Iraq, getting ready to go or resting from just going. Of the remaining 14; 2 are in Afghanistan, 2 just got back and 2 are getting ready for the stan. That leaves 8 brigades, one is always in South Korea, 1st Brigade/2nd Infantry Division so that leaves 7. Of the 7 remaining 2 are always in Transformation state which means they are pulled off the line to field and train new equipment. So that leaves 5 Brigades left to deal with other contigencies around the world.

This is all just for the Army

The Marine Corps has another 15 Brigade sized units but they are based off the Regimental system,

So add in the Army Ground combat Brigades active duty only and the Marine Corps Brigades (read Regiment) and the strength is 60 Combat Brigades with a combined Army/Marine force in Iraq of 17 Brigades in Iraq at any one time, combat forces only.......start adding in Combat support, MP's, Transportation, MI, Civil affairs etc.............

[Erika]

30. Fuck them. Look at www.icasualties.org for deaths

They act as if our troops are totally dispensable, as if they were not humans with families. As Tony Snow said our troops deaths are "just numbers".
n

[azurnoir]

31. Once again * extends his middle finger

to the American people, as the Democratic Congress is working on a bill to give him until September he deciders to start adding 35,000 more troops in August and asks that he is given until April of '08 or about 6 months before the election. The pukes must be lovin' this guy, he is sinking their boat mopre every second.

[uppityperson]

32. If everyone gets their time extended, how does more "sustain"?

Seems like if everyone is getting their times extended, adding more would do more than "sustain".

[sanskritwarrior]

36. In actuality

Combat Brigades are getting extended no one else.......15 Brigades times 4000 people is only 60,000 troops getting extended out of 146,000 far too high a number but not nearly everyone........

[JVS]

33. mmmmm escalicious!

[superconnected]

38. Where'd they get the funding?

[Heywood J]

39. There's a word for this:

Escalation.

That needs to be repeated again and again. Everywhere that "surge", "security crackdown", "pacification", "quelling", or whatever is mentioned, substitute in escalation.

"Bush's escalation of the war in Iraq will see 35,000 more US soldiers deployed into a country that has deteriorated into killing fields..."