The United States' Policies the Troop Surge in Iraq - Research Paper Example

paper text: Outline Broad Topic: U.S Overseas Troop Levels Narrow topic: The Troop Surge in the Iraq War Thesis: United States overseas troop levels for the Iraq war may not have been sufficient at the beginning, but the Iraq troop strategies was effective and accomplish its purpose. I. Introduction II. Statement of Claim A. Iraqi Partnership B. Three scale operations II. Evidence favoring the claim A. Baghdad Security Plan B. Operation Phantom Thunder C. Operation Phantom Strike D. Effectiveness by results III. Objection to the claim A. Hazard for troops B. Iraqi government benchmarks C. Deadly violence VI. Conclusion The Troop Surge in the Iraq War SGM Darrell L. Allen United States Army Sergeants Major Academy Class # 36 SGM Robert E. Sanchez 10 December 2010 Abstract The topic is an analysis based on an argumentative framework structured into the following sections: statement of claim, evidences favoring the claim, objections to the claim, and ultimately a conclusion. Within this framework the nature of the Iraq counterinsurgency is examined. It further elaborates on the nature of the counterinsurgency through the examination of its three stage plan, including the Baghdad Security Plan, Operation Phantom Thunder, and Operation Phantom Strike. The effectiveness of the surge is then considered, revealing that since its implementation there has been generalylrl a cl lrdv y sa ry d yl, political progress and steady economic growth patterns. Finally, objections against the counterinsurgency plan are considered. Individuals argue that the counterinsurgency is only a short-term plan and will not suffice in the long-run. It's also argued that no real success in Iraq has yet demonstrated, despite the attainment of satisfactory benchmarks. This research ultimately demonstrates that United States overseas troop levels for the Iraq War may not have been sufficient at the beginning, but the Iraq troop surge strategies was effective and accomplished its purpose. Introduction The proposed global levels of U.S. troops coupled with the open question of how long U.S. forces will stay in the military stations highlight the need for studying the force deployments, objectives, and results. The total military force, active and reserve components combined, was just over 3.4 million. Almost 30 percent of the total number of U.S. troops were stationed overseas. Discussion Statement of Claim The Iraq surge was deployed with the purpose of securing the Iraqi population from systemic violence and hostility so that civic and political progress could be accomplished. On January 10, 2007, with increasingly high levels of sectarian violence and public support for the Iraq war dropping, President Bush announced a major course-correction in the strategy of the war. The so called "Iraq surge" deployed an additional five Army brigades (20,000 soldiers) and extended the tours of 4,000 Marines', as well as a fundamentally embracing a counterinsurgency doctrine. The Iraqi people are the decisive 'terrain.' Iraqi Partnership. Together with the Iraqi partners the troops worked to: Provide the people security Give them respect to gain their support Facilitate establishment of local governance Restore basic services Revive local economies. Three scale operations. Three large-scale operations include: The first operation sent additional troops into Baghdad to pacify the capital. The second phase aggressively cleared al Qaeda sanctuaries throughout the country. The final operation pursued terrorist operatives as they fled their sanctuaries regrouped in rural secondary areas in Iraq. Evidences favoring the claim The Troop Surge was a successful operation and to endorse the success the three stage strategy is furnished. Baghdad Security Plan. The U.S. sent two of the five new surge brigades into Baghdad. o American and Iraqi forces in the capital took up a new posture patrolling neighborhoods by placing local outposts or "Joint Security Stations" in them. Living among the people was effective in securing them and defeating the insurgents. o The smaller outposts spread throughout Baghdad enabled U.S. troops to develop relationships and earn the trust of local residents. o Coalition forces were able to establish safe markets and neighborhoods. As the population of Baghdad became more secure, the terrorists were increasingly isolated and violence in the city dropped off precipitously. Operation Phantom Thunder. The remaining three surge brigades were positioned along the "belts" of Baghdad. These belts are the network of roads, rivers, and other communications lines within 30 miles of the capital city. Al Qaeda used these lines to supply Baghdad and sustain its vehicle bombing campaign. Beginning in June 2007, o Operation Phantom Thunder was comprised of several simultaneous military strikes in these belt areas around Baghdad, preventing the insurgents from moving between safe havens with immunity. o Phantom Thunder killed 1,100 enemy fighters and detained over 6,700. The offensive drove remaining al Qaeda from populated areas, into rural regions where they were more exposed and vulnerable. Operation Phantom Strike. In August 2007, Operation Phantom Strike was launched; this operation focused on quick strikes against terrorist staging areas and preventing insurgents from setting up new sanctuaries. o The coalition forces cleared 50 villages in the Diyala River valley which were occupied by al Qaeda in April of that year. Al Qaeda was thus unable to use the valley region as a refuge from the nearby Hamrin Ridge. o Successes occurred in Tarmiya, Nineweh, Tamim, and Salah-ad-Din. The surge allowed the U.S. to eliminate extremist safe havens and sanctuaries and to maintain our gains. o The Iraqi security forces continued to improve its capabilities. o The Iraqi people clearly rejected al Qaeda and other extremists, which triggered movements by both Sunni and Shia groups who wanted a chance to reconcile with the government of Iraq. Effectiveness by Results. The effectiveness of the Iraqi troop surge is established by observing its results. Violence. o Attacks have declined from a high of 180 per day in June 2007 to approximately 25 per day recently. o Deaths from ethno-sectarian violence have dropped over 90 percent since June 2007. o Events involving improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have decreased by more than 70 percent. o Coalition forces found 85 percent more weapons caches in early 2008 than during the same timeframe in 2007. o 822 U.S. troops were killed in 2006 in pre-surge Iraq, whereas in 2008 U.S. casualties decreased to 314. Political Progress. o In late 2008, the Iraqi government approved the U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement. This agreement says that U.S. combat forces will withdraw from Iraqi cities by June 30, 2009, and that all U.S. forces will be completely out of Iraq by December 31, 2011. This pact, however, is subject to possible negotiations which could delay U.S. troop withdrawals based on situations on the ground. o On January 31, 2009, Iraq held provincial elections across the country. These elections, the first elections in Iraq since 2005, were remarkably peaceful and 7.5 million Iraqis, about 51 percent of eligible voters, took part. This turnout rate is comparable to American turnout in a Presidential election. o Iraqi military and police forces were entirely responsible for the security of polling locations on Election Day. This was the first time U.S. troop presence was not increased prior to an Iraqi election. o The United Nations special envoy immediately certified the legitimacy of the elections. According to final results, Sunni and Shiite secular parties fared better than their religious counterparts. Furthermore, supporters of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his Dawa party appear to have gained in the capital, Baghdad, and in southern Iraq, the country's Shiite heartland. For example, Maliki and his allies won pluralities of the vote in Baghdad, Basra, and several other provinces. o These results provide evidence that many Iraqis increasingly view themselves as one nation and not as separate religious and ethnic groups. Steady Economic Growth. o Iraq's estimated 2008 GDP is $84 billion and the country has a real growth rate of 6.6%. The United States is Iraq's third largest import partner. o General Petraeus projected Iraq will spend around $11 billion on security in 2009, allowing the U.S. military to reduce its funds request for Iraqi troops from $5.1 billion to $2.8 billion. o Iraq has purchased over $2 billion of American equipment and services. Iraq also will purchase 40 commercial aircraft from the U.S. at a cost of approximately $5 billion. Objections to the Claim The plan for the Troop surge is weighed down with hazards. Some U.S. generals and many experts notify that a short-term surge in forces will not have any long-term effect on the violence in Iraq. It will further worsen the situation as it will result in a remarkable increase in American casualties, just as the number of U.S. forces killed in the Iraq war has topped 3,000. Thus the benchmarks of success of troop surge in Iraq generated immediate controversy. Mr. Bush says, "Those of us who believe the battle in Iraq can and must be won see the satisfactory performance on some of the security benchmarks as a cause for optimism." The president's prediction was right. Antiwar activist Moira Whelan of the National Security Network makes the following statement. "Even his satisfactory benchmarks fail to demonstrate any real success in Iraq. The overall message here is that the surge is a complete failure." Those claims in support of the surge entailed Iraqi government benchmarks were not properly endorsed. This was evident in the following: insurgent bribing could have been accomplished without troop escalation. Considering the surge, nearly all aspects related to it were debated. During the opening months, high violence rates continued unstopped. The troop escalation, while substantial, only matched the earlier 2005 level. Considered in relation to the nearly 27 million inhabitants, one can also argue that adding only 30,000 United States troops would have an insignificant impact. When the surge began, Sunni Arabs in Baghdad were disarmed. Once disarmed the Shiite militias came in and ethnically cleansed them. Inadvertently, the United States had allowed the chasing of thousands of Sunni Arabs from Baghdad. People lack potable water, cholera has broken out even in the good areas, a third of people are hungry. The government has collapsed The parliament hasn't actually passed any legislation to speak of and often cannot get a quorum. Corruption is endemic. The weapons provided to the troops are sold to the insurgency. The omnipresent deadly violence evidenced by pervasive and persistent anarchy increasing the mortality rates reports by families evacuating dangerous neighborhoods form the main controversy to the troop surge in Iraq. It's been indicated that as a result the violence leads to killings, suicide bombing, the development of violence prone organizations, and a general sense of social unrest. It's argued that policy experts and researchers have not fully understood the extent and to where this social unrest is rooted. The social violence has contributed in great part to the volatile political structure and contributed to the widespread violence, and fluctuating economy. This violence has surfaced in a number of specific entities, including Shia and Sunni conflicts, international jihad, and political instability. This violence was a result of the counter-insurgency and the United States rules of engagement. Within these elements there are further insurgency factors related to the Sunni Arab insurgency. Violence as a result of the Shia militia,the Sunni insurgency, and provocations of non-Iraqi jihadists are all specific elements. In considering the 2007 United States' troop surge there are still elements being examined. In part violence has decreased within Baghdad as a consequence of ethnic cleansing. In these regards, it's necessary to consider the death rate. As far as reasons for the Sunni Arab insurgency, one of the most prevalent reasons researchers supply is the loss of status this group had attained when Saddam Hussein was in power. In addition, anti-occupation nationalism is evident in over the last three years in Iraq. The following emotion stirs moral outrage, namely the humiliation and shame of one's friends and family by non-Muslims. Such violence is largely sporadic. It involves young men and is caused by gunshots. Furthermore, a great amount of deaths have been identified as caused by coalition forces. The U.S. troop surge is not efficiently staffed and faced setbacks by the Sunni and Arabs, which caused a large insurgency. Among the insurgents, a great amount of them of minimal religious convictions which has caused many researchers to believe that their participation is more for secular purposes. Nationalism Defense Moral outrage Part of a holy war Conclusion The objective of the troop surge in Iraq to create a secure atmosphere by controlling attacks by use of explosives was not established as the casualties were escalated due to coalition military actions and stirred up civil violence. Thus, the United States' policies involving the troop surge in Iraq were debated and discussed in terms of evidences and objections. Within this context the counterinsurgency was examined through the use of its three stage plan, including the Baghdad Security Plan, Operation Phantom Thunder, and Operation Phantom Strike. The effectiveness of the surge was also considered, including thedecreased violence levels, political progress and steady economic growth patterns. Finally, objections against the counterinsurgency plan were considered. Ultimately, it was demonstrated that the United States overseas troop levels for the Iraq War may not have been sufficient at the beginning, but the Iraq troop surge strategies was effective and accomplished its purpose. References Bush's Iraq Report Generates More Controversy. Retrieved November 6 2010 from Website http://politicom.moldova.org bushs-iraq-report-generates-more-controversy- eng.html Iraq War Troop Surge. Retrieved November 6 2010 from Website http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:da3vZ3Oav- AJ:www.gop.gov/legdigest/documents Juan. A Social History of the Surge. Retrieved November 14 2010 from Website http://www.juancole.comsocial-history-of-surge.html Kane, Tim, Ph.D., and Gentilli, David D. Is Iraq Another Vietnam? Not for U.S. Troop Levels. Retrieved November 14 2010 from Website http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Di4- FiurCtkJ:www.policyarchive.org RRB-SGM W 10 December 2010 MEMORANDUM FOR United States Army Sergeants Major Academy, ATTN: SGM Robert E. Sanchez, 11291 SGT E. Churchill ST. Fort Bliss, Texas 79918-8002 SUBJECT: Troop Surge in the Iraq War 1. Thesis Statement. United States overseas troop levels for the Iraq War may not have been sufficient at the beginning, but the Iraq troop surge strategies was effective and accomplish its purpose. 2. Discussion. A detailed examination of the pertinent issues relating to the Iraq counterinsurgency is contained. Within this context, the statement of claim is established, and both evidence for and against the counterinsurgency is included. 3. Conclusion. It's ultimately concluded that despite objections the counterinsurgency was a necessary and effective action to take. 4. Counterpoint. As a counterpoint, it's indicated that the counterinsurgency may be a short term solution to a long term problem. Furthermore, despite the attainment of set benchmarks, no progress of true substance may have been reached. 5. Peer Review. USASMA American Psychological Association (APA) Style Handbook, USASMA American Psychological Association (APA) Style Reference Handbook, USASMA American Psychological Association (APAP Writing Style Handbook, Writing Research Papers, 11th Edition by James D. Lester, is the guides used in the preparation of this research paper. Darrell L. Allen SGM TNARNG West Region Sergeant Major Read More