Fewer troops slated for Iraq deployment (envisions 92k through 2008)

[sabra]

http://www.volunteertv.com/global/story.asp?s=4084839&ClientType=Printable

Fewer troops slated for Iraq deployment

PENTAGON The Pentagon has announced a troop rotation for Iraq that substantially reduces the number of soldiers to be deployed over the next few years.

The rotation announcement released today envisions 92-thousand troops on the ground through 2008, down from the 138-thousand deployed during most of 2005. There are now about 160-thousand soldiers in Iraq for the lead-up to December's election there.

...

But Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says additional units still could be added. He says events on the ground will determine how many troops are ultimately needed.

[Tom Joad]

1. What about Hillary's desire to deploy MORE troops? n/t

[Jersey Ginny]

11. She'll follow along with the repukes in lock step

She isn't credible. I don't believe her that she supports this war. I think it was a politically calculated move. Geez, I hope we pick a better Dem candidate for 08.

[saigon68]

32. I "envision" thousands of new Gold Star Mothers

Whose children died for Halliburton Corporate Profits.

[tabasco]

34. When the people finally wake up and force an end to the war,

it will be apparent, at last, to all, that all our soldiers will have died for nothing.

END! the corporate war for profits!!

END! the corporate stranglehold on our government!!

[saigon68]

45. The Coffins hold many who died for Exxon

And the Capitalist Ruling Class

[oregonindy]

12. demopublican carpet bagging war monger

[bluestateguy]

2. Wasn't the original plan to be down to 35,000 in 2005?

Just asking.

We always hear these anonymous quotes popping up every couple of months about supposedly lower numbers of forces in 2006-7. Then a couple of days later some little Pentagon spokesperson says that that is not the case.

[remfan]

3. Original plan was to be at 30-40,000 by fall 2003

with Ahmed Chalabi in charge.

[grytpype]

4. It could still happen...

... a 3 turns into an 8 so easily, you just have to write the little squiggly line on the left side there...

[lonestarnot]

92,000 Troops told to prepare to rotate to Iraq

http://www.yahoo.com/s/261032

[mtnester]

5. WHERE are they coming from?

Did aliens land and I did not see it?

Cloning?

Pods?

[DoYouEverWonder]

6. Please fix your headline

you've edited it to change the meaning.

[William769]

7. You left out one word from the headline.

rotation.

[IndianaGreen]

8. Yes, please fix headline per LBN rules

it should be the same as the one used in the news story:

92,000 US troops told to prepare for Iraq rotation

[Patchuli]

9. This is not going to go over well

Do they realize that they are pushing their luck to the max with us and the world?

[spotbird]

10. Misspelled troops also. nt

[lonestarnot]

13. Damn batting a 100...

[ElectroPrincess]

14. Oh Gosh!

I'm responsible for updating a website. Yes, periodically I do make that *horrid error* of misspelling something or other. :P

To make a long story short, I always APPRECIATED my humble acquaintances who would kindly "privately email me" (how 'bout PM?) the correction but there were always *a few* who'd put it on the "mass" recipients list.

Grrr! But ya know ... Karma anyone? :P

On Edit - You're A OK by me lonestarnot. It takes less than a rocket scientist to connect the dots and realize we all are imperfect beings.

[lonestarnot]

15. No my preference is to be told. I'm usually doing 10 things at once and

often screw up. Brain thinks this, fingers think that. Thanks for pointing out the errors of my ways.

[ElectroPrincess]

16. Well, I'll either PM you or STFU ... that's just my way. :P

[lonestarnot]

17. What's STFU?

[ElectroPrincess]

18. Oh its a kind-of harsh way of ... keep the knowledge to myself

Shut The F**k Up STFU

Hope you feel cultured now? LOL :blush:

[lonestarnot]

19. Oh fuck... I never bother to shortcut that word...too much pleasure

in typing it.

[ElectroPrincess]

20. Yeah, great fun ... all kinds of acronyms you learn

in the Active Duty Army ... but I wouldn't recommend ROTC or Enlistment ATT (At This Time). LOL
Best to all ... even you Rules Oriented people :-)

[Roland99]

21. A friend of my daughter's is due to ship to Iraq in Feb. 2006.

[madfloridian]

22. 92,000 US troops told to prepare for Iraq rotation

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051107/us_nm/iraq_usa_troops_dc

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - "The Pentagon on Monday notified 92,000 fresh U.S. troops to prepare for rotation to Iraq over a two-year period beginning in mid-2006, but cautioned that the number did not signal immediate plans to slash a much-higher U.S. troop level now in that country.

There are currently about 160,000 American troops in Iraq. That total, boosted to help security for elections in October and December, is above the usual "baseline" level of about 138,000 U.S. troops stationed there.

President George W. Bush, whose plunge in popularity at home has been partly because of growing U.S. casualties in Iraq since the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion, is under heavy pressure to make cuts in American forces there.

But Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld have stressed that any U.S. troop reductions will depend on the Iraqi security forces' ability to take over defense of their country from insurgents and foreign fighters."

"This announcement of initial units for rotation is not a decision to change the baseline structure" of 138,000, said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman on Monday.

[Ilsa]

23. I'm not so sure I believe this is a "rotation".

I heard we are continuing to build bases and semi-permanent living facilites in Iraq. Our presence there just keeps going up while they tell us it will soon be drawn down. I don't think they have any intenetion of drawing it down.

[asjr]

26. It may be a prelude to wholesale homicide

of the people of Iraq.

[GetTheRightVote]

24. So instead of listening to the American Public, it is screw it to soldiers

Who * like.

:kick:

[The_Casual_Observer]

25. They won't announce the rest of the 100,000 all at once.

just 20,000 or so at a time.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

27. This news coinciding...

...with our breaking diplomatic ties with Syria. Hmmm...what could that mean?...troop rotation? I don't think so.

[JackORoses]

28. my cousin's husband is a Sailor

a CB

He is to be deployed soon for Iraq...
and beyond that he has already been given some type of preparatory information for duty in Iran.
I didn't believe that could be true, but apparently this is really what he has been told.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

29. I hope he has a safe...

...and uneventful tour.

BushCo certainly doesn't seem ready to abandon their plans for Middle East conquest---a nightmare for us, the Middle East and the rest of the world.

[Nothing Without Hope]

31. yes - there is something going on here. I've given a link for the Syria

ties being cut downthread.

[Nothing Without Hope]

30. According to Raw Story, the US is about to sever diplomatic relations with

Syria, which is often a prelude to war:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1908086
thread title (11/7): RawStory: Boston Globe to report U.S. cutting diplomatic ties with Syria

[leftchick]

33. DoD Announces Next Operation Iraqi Freedom Troop Rotation(92,000)

DoD Announces Next Operation Iraqi Freedom Troop Rotation
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 2005 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld today announced the next major units to deploy to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He emphasized that rotation planning remains flexible and will be based on conditions on the ground, not political pressures or artificial timetables.
Today's announcement affects about 92,000 servicemembers -- more than 65,000 from the active component and 26,000 from the Guard and Reserve -- who will begin their scheduled rotation in mid-2006, according to Army Lt. Col. Barry Venable, a Defense Department spokesman.

Major units to deploy include:


Division Headquarters and 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii;
13th Corps Support Command, Fort Hood, Texas;
1st Brigade, 34th Infantry Division, Minnesota Army National Guard;
2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany;
3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.;
3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; and
2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

Individual services will announce smaller, supporting units to deploy for the upcoming rotation, officials announced.

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Nov2005/20051107_3255.html

[Ernesto]

35. Troop levels in Iraq could be reduced by one-third in 2006

How convenient! Just in time for the house elections.
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Monday announced its slate for Iraq rotations starting in mid-2006 with a substantial reduction in U.S. forces, but noted that units might still be added.
The force, which has consisted of approximately 140,000 troops for long periods, spiking to as much as 160,000 for elections, will be reduced to 92,000 troops “as presently envisioned,” the Pentagon announced.


http://stripes.com/article.asp?article=32856

[chelsea0011]

36. an election year ploy?

[Christa]

41. Exactly. nt.

[global1]

37. Yeah - Increased Levels For Iraqi Elections And Decreased Levels....

for U.S. elections. Coincidence - I think not!!!!!

[still_one]

38. why not they have increased troops by at least 1/3 since last years

what a bunch of lying whores

[Ganja Ninja]

39. They do this all the time.

Believe the troop numbers are coming down when they actually come down. They said the same thing a year ago and troop levels are higher than ever.

[HereSince1628]

40. And on the otherhand they might not.

So why do this? I think it might be about proximate problems in the military.

If you can't meet your recruiting numbers because kids don't want to go off and die in an illegal foreign war, tell them the war is about to be over.

[indeman]

42. Its all about the elections and their political strategy

The Bush Administration increases troop levels and aggressiveness in Iraq now, naturally causing casualty levels (the public's primary measuring stick regarding "success" in Iraq) to stay the same or increase. Shortly before the elections, the Bush Administration will decrease troop levels and aggressiveness. That way they can say, "Look! we are making progress in Iraq! Casualties are way down, and we are starting to bring the troops home."

Of course, the Bush Administration will downplay, ignore, or spin (1) the thousands of lives (both U.S. and Iraqi) lost and permanently injured,
(2) the hundreds of billions of dollars spent,
(3) the fact that the Iraqi nation is now worse off then it was before the war, and
(4) the record level profits earned off of this war by the Administration's buddies in the oil and military contracting industries.


Oh yeah, and gas prices will drop shortly before the election as well.

[goforit]

43. It doesn't wash away the blood from their hands from 1000s of innocent.

[wookie294]

44. LOL, is America going to continue swallowing these lies?

Seriously, when the FUCK is America going to wake up?