Iraq War: US forces will be increased to 150,000 (12,000 increase)

[Selatius]

U.S. to Expand Military Force in Iraq



By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer

WASHINGTON - The United States is expanding its military force in Iraq (news - web sites) to the highest level of the war — even higher than during the initial invasion in March 2003 — in order to bolster security in advance of next month's national elections.

The 12,000-troop increase is to last only until March, but it says much about the strength and resiliency of an insurgency that U.S. military planners did not foresee when Baghdad was toppled in April 2003.

Brig. Gen. David Rodriguez, deputy operations director of the Joint Staff, told reporters Wednesday that the American force will expand from 138,000 troops today to about 150,000 by January.

The previous high for the U.S. force in Iraq was 148,000 on May 1, 2003, when President Bush (news - web sites) declared that major combat operations were over and most soldiers thought the war had been won. The initial invasion force included thousands of sailors on ships in the Persian Gulf and other waters, plus tens of thousands of troops in Kuwait and other surrounding countries.

The expansion in Iraq will be achieved by sending about 1,500 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, N.C., this month and by extending the combat tours of about 10,400 troops already in Iraq. Those 10,400 will be extras until March because the soldiers who were scheduled to replace them in January will arrive as planned.

More found here.

[Harlan James]

1. We should be at Viet Nam levels by 2006

When it comes to spending other peoples' lives and money, nobody is proving more historically profligate than George W. Bush.

Then again, when did Georgie ever have to pay his own bills?

[arcane1]

2. well that's just god-damned wonderful

good thing those major combat operation-related activities are over now :eyes:

[teryang]

3. Only till March! Who are they kidding?

Besides the infinitely gullible sheeple?

[flamingpie2500]

4. My brother and his unit are going over just before x-mas for 18 months.

Are he and his unit included in these numbers?
He is a Lt. combat engineer and has known for about a month they are going to Iraq. Or do they only count Marines and combat forces.
sorry but I am not very militarily literate.

[Chico Man]

5. Is this not what Kerry was proposing? (nt)

[Moderator]

6. Duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1036001

Additionally, this is a duplicate, despite the different headline. If you read the text of the other article you will see that the numbers are the same. I post this because there was a question about this earlier

Thanks