A message from my cousin, Ken Bryant of interest.
From: "Ken Bryant" <kpbryant@ix.netcom.com>
Sent: Monday, November 22, 2004 11:21 PM
Subject: Deja Vu all over again
> Can you say Vietnam? Ah ... there ... I thought you could.
> 40 years to the day since Lyndon Johnson in 1964.
> More Troops May Be Needed in Iraq
> Monday, November 22, 2004
> Senior military commanders told FOX News that they are considering a
> slight increase in combat power in Iraq prior to that country's
> elections at the end of January.
> The Washington Post, citing unnamed military commanders, reported on
> Monday that the top brass is considering increasing the total number of
> combat forces to go after terrorists that fled Fallujah after the U.S.
> and Iraqi-led offensive there.
> U.S. and Iraqi troops continue to clear the last of the resistance from
> Fallujah, the main rebel bastion that was stormed Nov. 8 in hopes of
> breaking the back of the insurgency before the Jan. 30 election.
> American commanders said U.S. and Iraqi forces killed more than 1,000
> enemy fighters during the eight-day battle there and found torture
> chambers and the suspected headquarters of Al Qaeda-linked terrorist Abu
> Musab al-Zarqawi.
> The Pentagon last month ordered about 6,500 soldiers in Iraq to extend
> their tours by up to two months. Military officers told the Post that
> the exact number of extra troops needed is still being reviewed but
> estimated it at the equivalent of several battalions, or about 3,000 to
> 5,000 soldiers. The number of U.S. troops in Iraq fell to nearly 100,000
> last spring before rising to 138,000, where it has stayed since the
> summer.
> Senior commanders told FOX News that the increase being considered in
> Iraq will be much like the increase seen in Afghanistan prior to those
> elections, but on a bigger scale.
> The troop movement in Iraq has always been a possibility, and now with
> the success in stomping out much of the insurgency in Fallujah, one
> senior commander said: "We have to keep the pressure on."
> Lt. Gen. Lance Smith, deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, said
> Friday that military leaders will further assess the situation as time
> goes on and will look at the impact of the Fallujah operation on the
> entire country. Currently, the United States has 18 brigades in Iraq.
> "We will expect, by using extensions of some troops that were only
> planning on being over there for 10 months, extending them another two
> months so that they still would be on the ground, you know, about a
> year, and using that to add additional forces over there," Smith said.
> "The issue, by the way, is not just numbers. The issue is really about
> experienced troops during this period of time of expected increased
> violence."
> Smith postulated that about an additional brigade's worth of forces may
> be needed but that number hasn't yet been finalized. It's not the
> military's intent to keep troops in Iraq beyond a year, Smith said. A
> brigade is usually 2,500 to 3,500 troops.
> "If we believe the security situation requires that, we will make the
> appropriate recommendation to the secretary and through our leadership
> channels," he added.
> Troop numbers could reach about 141,000 to 145,000, Smith said.
> The military also hasn't ruled out using the U.S. strategic reserve
> forces, he said.
> "But again, I think too early to try and decide that until we really see
> what's happening with the - after - in the aftermath of Fallujah."
Patrick Townson (ptownson@massis.csail.mit.edu)