Army Plans to Maintain 120,000 Troops in Iraq Through 2006

Strategic Insights -

The United States Army plans to maintain approximately 120,000 soldiers in Iraq through 2006, according to a senior operations officer, who cited the number as the "most probable" level under current assumptions. This projection comes as Congress is pressing the administration for a more detailed explanation of its plan for an eventual withdrawal and as the administration is set to seek approximately $80 billion in additional military spending for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army's top operations officer, Lt. Gen. James J. Lovelace, emphasized that the plan is for the Army staff's planning purposes only and actual troop levels will follow the recommendations of combat commanders.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Army plans to maintain approximately 120,000 soldiers in Iraq through 2006, roughly the same number currently fighting there.
  • The administration is set to seek approximately $80 billion in additional military spending for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  • The plan represents the "most probable" level under current assumptions, according to Lt. Gen. Lovelace.
  • The Army is relying on Iraqi forces to begin replacing American troops in securing the country, potentially as early as this summer.
  • The Army is stretched nearly to its limit, with active-duty forces returning for second tours in Iraq just a year after leaving the country, half the interval for recuperation and training the Army wants.
  • The Army Reserve and National Guard are running short of deployable units.
  • The Army is planning to deploy its active-duty divisions overseas for a year, and then bring them home for two years to retrain and re-equip them.
  • The Third Infantry Division is returning to Iraq after only a year at its home bases in Georgia.
  • Two other active-duty Army divisions, the 101st Airborne and the Fourth Infantry, have been selected to return in the coming rotation this summer, less than two years after having last served in Iraq.

Statistics:

  • The costs of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan will probably exceed $100 billion this year alone.
  • The total cost for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be almost $300 billion so far.
  • The mix of troops in the American force rotation now under way in Iraq is about 50 percent active duty and 50 percent reserves, set to change to 70 percent active and 30 percent reserve for the rotation after that.
  • There are approximately 86,000 citizen soldiers in the National Guard available for future deployments to Iraq.
  • The National Guard has about 15 best-trained, best-equipped and most ready-to-deploy combat brigades, with all but one either in Iraq now, have demobilized after returning from a one-year tour there or have been alerted for duty in 2005-06.
  • The Army Reserve has about 205,000 soldiers on its rolls mainly for support roles, but only about 37,500 troops are ready to perform the kinds of missions needed in Iraq.

Sources:

  • The Associated Press
  • Reuters
  • The Army Reserve and National Guard officials
  • Lt. Gen. James J. Lovelace, director of Army operations
  • Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly, chief of the Reserve