Iraqi Police Force Questionable

DOD officials and the U.S. military leadership have announced that U.S. and coalition forces are, to a larger extent, " pulling back" and moving more to stability and support operations. The shift in security posture, according to U.S. military officials, is a byproduct of lengthy and at times painstaking process of development through which greater numbers of Iraqi forces have been gaining the ability to take a lead role in their own security. Explaining that the U.S. military leadership believes things are working in the right direction, a DOD spokesperson said "in 2006 it is anticipated that the Iraqi military will take the lead for all security throughout the country of Iraq." The significance of these announcement is fortified by an implicit acknowledgment on the part of DOD officials that progress has at times been painstaking and slow.

Nonetheless, this security shift is, according to military officials, the manifestation of a "repositioning contingency" anticipated/hoped for by U.S. military Commanders. U.S. intelligence officials and senior military planners mapped out a hoped for "repositioning contingency" last winter. The plans from early '05, drawn up by Pentagon leaders and U.S. military commanders in Iraq, called for U.S. forces to pull back into a more supportive posture as the Iraqi security forces gained skill/readiness and grew in numbers.

Alongside mere growth in numbers, U.S. military Commanders emphasize readiness and place a high-premium on encouraging the Iraqis to develop a strong sense of autonomy and leadership in the fight against insurgents. Speaking to this very phenomenon, a DOD official said "43 of the 102 trained and equipped combat battalions are responsible for their own battle space. In March of 2005, only 3 battalions controlled their own battle space." Referring to the Iraqis taking control, a DOD spokesperson said "they want it and we definitely want them to want it. "

Throughout the last several years, U.S. officials have clearly sought to employ "empowering" psychological techniques with the Iraqi recruits as a way of training the Iraqis to take the lead in matters of their own security. For instance, in Baqubah in June of 2004, just prior to the initial handover of power to the Iraqis, U.S. army personnel were seeking to instill an independent sensibility among Iraqis who were signing up and training with U.S. soldiers. In June of 04, Capt. Brock Zimmerman, a U.S. Army liaison for the Iraqi recruits, told an Iraqi police captain "this is your force" when conducting a training exercise. The recruits themselves seemed to respond to this. One Iraqi recruit appeared tearful when explaining how happy he was to have his country back. Another pounded his fists on a table when saying he wanted to fight the insurgents who threatened his family. At the same time, other recruits were less optimistic and expressed concern about continued violence and the slow pace of progress.

This process of handover of security to Iraqis, not to mention the overall fight against insurgents is made more complicated by an insurgency which at times, lacks a clear and defining face. "They are a mix and match" set of fighters, explained a DOD official who acknowledged the risk of civil war. , saying "there is a danger the insurgency will kick off a civil war. With any insurgency you have a criminal element, profiteers, and ideological extremists. There's no clear ideology."

Furthermore, it is widely known that the insurgency often makes specific. deliberate attempts to target Iraqi police recruits. Also, Iraqi police recruits explained how they often received threatening letters explaining they will be killed for cooperating with the Americans.

While aware of these problems, U.S. military officials are expressing a measure of optimism regarding the overall trend of more Iraqis taking control. A U.S. Military official explained the coalition presence as something to "blunt the insurgency until an Iraqi Army can put it down." There is still no official timetable or indication regarding when U.S. Commanders might reduce the overall number of U.S. forces currently stationed in Iraq.