Forces Clear Taliban from Northern Afghan Province

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2009 – More than 750 Afghan and international forces in recent days completed the largest operation to date in Afghanistan’s Kunduz province, clearing the northern border area of hundreds of insurgent fighters, military officials reported.

The combined forces conducted operations Nov. 1 through 6 in the province’s northern region bordering Turkmenistan, killing more than 130 insurgents, including eight Taliban commanders. The operations, designed to stop insurgent activity and weapons trafficking in the Chahar Dara district, also disrupted the province’s insurgent shadow governor.

The Afghan-international force provided humanitarian supplies to the affected villages after the operation. Six trucks delivered warm clothing and food, including staple items such as cooking oil, rice and beans.

Kunduz Gov. Mohammad Omar praised the accuracy of International Security Assistance Force air strikes against the insurgents while avoiding civilians.

“It is the largest operation I’ve ever seen in Kunduz,” the governor said. “You’ve got the Taliban running all over the place. Overall, I think this operation is wonderful.”

Military officials will continue to meet with village elders to ensure the area remains secure after combat operations.

“People of Kunduz are very appreciative that international forces and Afghan national security forces are working together to better Afghanistan,” Omar said. “Taliban in the area are on the run, and we have shown them that they cannot control the area.”

No Afghan or international personnel were killed, and no civilians were injured during the operations.

In other news from Afghanistan, an Afghan-international security force killed an enemy militant and detained several suspects in the southern province of Kandahar yesterday while pursuing a senior Taliban commander in charge of local and foreign fighters in the area.

The combined force targeted a vehicle in the Khakriz district after intelligence indicated militant activity. The force killed one insurgent, detained several suspects and recovered nine 50-pound containers of homemade explosives, an assault rifle and ammunition. All of the explosives were destroyed safely, and no civilians were injured during the operation.

A combined force detained several suspected militants in Kandahar province after searching buildings known to be used by a Taliban district commander responsible for several attacks and linked to senior Taliban leadership in the area.

The force targeted the buildings on the east side of Kandahar City after intelligence indicated militant activity there, searched the buildings without incident and detained the suspects. No shots were fired, and no civilians were injured.

Meanwhile, search operations continue for two U.S. paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team, missing since Nov. 4 in western Afghanistan.

“ISAF personnel will endeavor to ensure no servicemember, regardless of nationality, is left behind,” said Navy Capt. Jane Campbell, ISAF Joint Command spokeswoman. “Our search operations continue in earnest, and our thoughts and prayers are with their friends and families.”

Further information is being withheld while search and rescue operations continue and while the incident is under investigation.

Elsewhere, a combined force killed several enemy militants and detained a group of suspects in Kandahar province Nov. 7 while pursuing a Taliban operative suspected of being responsible for targeting Afghan civilians and providing improvised explosive devices and suicide bombers to other militants in the area.

The force’s convoy was in transit when enemy militants attempted to hit it with an IED strike. The force immediately located the enemy position and returned fire, killing the enemy militants. A security element with the force pursued and detained the group who were seen leaving the enemy’s location. The force searched the enemy position and recovered IED materials, an assault rifle, chest racks and assault-rifle ammunition magazines. No civilians were harmed.

A combined force killed an enemy militant and detained several suspects in the southeast province of Zabul. One of the detained is believed to be a Taliban bomber operating out of Qalat City and responsible for financing militant activities and the transport of IED materials and weapons into the area.

The force targeted a compound on the west side of Qalat City that intelligence reports identified as a location used by Taliban commanders.

Since the compound was close to an Afghan police station, the force coordinated with the police chief to accompany and assist with the operation. When the police chief called for occupants to exit the compound, the force received hostile fire and returned fire, killing one militant.

The force searched the compound and detained the suspects, one of whom surrendered and identified himself as the Taliban bomb coordinator. He was found hiding in a building later discovered to be a Red Cross office on the compound. Further questioning of the Taliban facilitator revealed he is relative of a local Red Cross employee.

In a separate operation, another combined force detained several suspected militants in Khowst province, one of whom was a sought-after Haqqani terrorist leader responsible for the financial and logistical support of militant activities in the area.

The force targeted compounds in the Sabari district after intelligence indicated militant activity there, searched the compounds without incident, and detained six suspects, one of whom was identified as the Haqqani suspect. No shots were fired, and no one was injured.

In another operation, a combined force detained suspected militants in Logar province after searching a compound known to be used by a Haqqani financier with numerous ties to militant elements in the area.

The combined force targeted the compound in the Baraki Barak district after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The force searched the compound without incident and detained the suspects. No shots were fired, and no one was injured.

(Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news releases.)

BBC: Dupes For Pakistan

Mullah Nazir the leader of the Taliban militants in South Waziristan has said he has evidence implicating the Pakistani government in the drone attacks on militants in Waziristan. He also added that all “spies” caught by his men admitted to being employed by the Pakistani army. Advanced location-tracking SIMs used by them had been provided by Pakistan. Dupes at the BBC say that US armed forces and CIA in Afghanistan are the only forces capable of deploying drones in the region, accordin to their unidentified analyst. These analysts must not have access to YouTube (Pakistan Drones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjGOEva_4gU)(Pakistan Drone Attacks: http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/04/09/monitor/entry4932942.shtml

Nazir agrees with me that “The assertion that America is behind this and we are helpless is only meant to deceive the public.” Pakistan has the resources and technology to conduct the attacks or stop U.S. Drones. The most rational scenario behind “these attacks that have happened and are still happening are the work of Pakistan,” as Mr. Nazir has said.

Since at least 2004, the US Central Intelligence Agency has allegedly been operating the drones out of Shamsi airfield in Pakistan to attack militants in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Nazir appeared in a 56 minute video where he made his claims, it may have been recorded in early 2009, since Nazir mentions U.S. President Barack Obama took office. An investigation by The Times “revealed that the CIA was secretly” using Shamsi to launch the Predator drones that observe and attack al-Qaeda and Taleban militants around Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan. Once again a “news” outlet fails to specify sources. Of course any assumption that can not be countered with evidence must be the truth.

No one should be optimistic that Obama will change the U.S. policy of diversion in Pakistan. His adminsitration has shown a proclivity to blame others in a wide variety of situations.

Taliba and al Qaeda’s targeting of mosques and marketplaces plays into Pakistan’s hands and Nazir’s claims that such attacks had been masterminded by the Pakistani intelligence service and not the militants has fallen on the deaf ears of the BBC.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8343701.stm

According to the BBC “at least four suspected militants were killed when a US drone” fired two missiles in Pakistan’s North Waziristan. The BBC and many other pundits have dropped the modifier “suspected” from their “reporting” in regards to the drones but not “militants”. Pakistan has publicly criticized drone attacks, saying they fuel support for the militants. But, the facts on the ground show that many Pakistan natives have cooperated in combating foreign militants such as the Uzbeki’s.

A “blame America first” attitude from the BBC and a home grow Pakistan orchestrated “rally around” the flag have born fruit. The greatest sign of success is the absence of a recognizable movement to get any traction for news about Pakistani involvement in the “U.S. drone” attacks or claims of ISI complicity in domestic bombings.

Iraqi, U.S. Forces Detain Car Bomb Suspects

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2009 – Iraqi security forces arrested 13 people today during three operations in connection with car-bomb networks between Baghdad and Kirkuk, military officials reported.

Working with U.S. advisors, an Iraqi unit arrested a suspected member of a vehicle-bomb network in southern Kirkuk. A warrant accuses the suspect of being linked to network members associated with June 20 bombings in Taza that killed more than 90 people.

During the operation, the Iraqi unit arrested a second man based on information found at the scene.

In a separate operation about 55 miles northeast of Baghdad, Iraqi police arrested two people on warrants after searching a building for a suspected financial associate of al-Qaida in Iraq’s Diyala-based vehicle-bomb network.

In a third operation, a combined force searched several buildings near Abu Ghraib for a man suspected of manufacturing vehicle-borne explosives for al-Qaida in Iraq. During questioning, nine people were arrested based on statements made to the security team connecting them to the al-Qaida in Iraq network suspect.

Also today, Iraqi forces arrested two people during a combined search of a suspected terrorist safe house in northern Baghdad. Iraqi forces, with U.S. advisors, searched a building in a northern Baghdad neighborhood allegedly used to house Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist members.

Based on evidence found at the scene, the security team arrested two people suspected of acquiring illegal weapons for and financing Lebanese Hezbollah operations.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)

Pakistan Public Relations (Drone) Strikes

On 6 September 2008, Asif Ali Zardari was elected Pakistan’s 13th President and has dramatically ratcheted up the Pakistani drone warfare program. Since President Obama took office Januanry 20th, Pakistani drone strikes have killed about a half-dozen militant leaders along with hundreds of other people, a quarter of whom were civilians.

Even with the unprecedented number of strikes by drone aircraft in Pakistan, under the cover of the Obama administration, the Taliban and al Qaeda networks based there have maintained their contacts with the Paki ISI. This completely rational and understandable alliance, even in the face of the death of growing numbers of leadership of militant organizations, has proven the efficacy of the “blame America” program.

The dead include two heads of Uzbek terrorist groups allied with al Qaeda and Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, in addition to hundreds of lower-level militants. According to rational analysis, the living leadership must be receiving extremely reliable assurance of ISI support.

The distractions from number of civilian deaths caused by the drones and the success of “presto change-o” diversion is an important element in the plan to maintain government control. The political atmosphere of today’s Pakistan, where anti-Americanism is rampant, and the cooperative Taliban and al Qaeda have reinforced the “support your Paki Government” campaign.

Useful idiots (such as Alston) publicly warned that unless the Obama administration explains what the legal basis is for selecting the individuals targeted by drone attacks, “it will increasingly be perceived as carrying out indiscriminate killings in violation of international law.” This enhances the perception that there are magical American drones, capable of loitering over Pakistan air space at their slow air speed. One wonders at the lack of outrage at the Pakistan ineptness in detecting, interdicting and destroying such drones. The billions in Air Force expenditures has not produced an ability to defend Paki air space. Could this embolden Pakistan’s external enemies. I certainly goes some distance to explain why Taliban and al Qaeda forces feel little trepidation at remaining on Pakistan soil.

Counterinsurgency experts David Kilcullen and Andrew Exum, who have written that the drone strikes had “killed some 700 civilians, are expost-facto shills for the Obama and Zardari administrations. The civilians vs, militant killed ratio shell game implies the there is an acceptable ratio. The “2 percent” solution appears to count identified targets as “good kills” and everyone not identified as “bad Kills”. Obviously irrational, it none the less serves their own ends. In other words, in their analysis, 98 percent of those killed in drone attacks were civilians. Kilcullen and Exum advocated a moratorium on the strikes because of the “public outrage” they arouse. Currently the mindset appears to be that irrational demands and claims will archive a desirable outcome.

Doing the math, one discovers that 14 militants were killed in 48 drones strikes. If a person wanted to achieve a reasonable end, that information alone would cause concern for the strikes efficacy. If you were to consider their argument that drones can not effectively target individuals, 48 missiles would appear to have killed an astounding number of militants. Randomly fired missiles would not be expected to kill anywhere near 14 identified individuals.

A very different picture was presented this month by the Long War Journal, an American blog that closely tracks terrorist groups, in particular al Qaeda and the Taliban. Bill Roggio, the editor of Long War Journal, concluded that according to his close analysis of the drone strikes, only 10 percent of those killed were civilians. A rational person who considers the presence of a minimal amount of humanity in the Pakistan government, would consider this as closer to factual than Kilcullen and Exum’s numbers.

Kilcullen and Exum and the Long War Journal have the ability to distract from the real point of drone strikes and the real effect of disguising their source. The fact that Pakistan continues to benefit from manufactured confusion means that Obama will continue to participate.

More than half the people surveyed in winter 2008 in this region, known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, said the drone strikes were accurate and were damaging the militant organizations based there. In a democracy 50%+1 is a governing majority and means from Paki perspective that to continue the program looks to be a good out look for the conclusion of the campaign.

DVIDS NATO TV

DVIDS NATO TV.

India About To Go Hot In War Against Taliban

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U.S.-Indian Armies Wrap Up Historic Exercise

By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
CAMP BUNDELA, India, Oct. 28, 2009 – With a massive display of firepower and teamwork, the U.S. and Indian armies finished their largest joint military exercise to date yesterday.

About 250 U.S. soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 14th Cavalry Squadron, based out of Hawaii brought 17 of their Stryker combat vehicles and paired with the Indian army’s 7th Mechanized Infantry Battalion here at one of India’s premier military training sites.

Since Oct. 12, the two armies have swapped soldiers, shared equipment and traded war stories, officials said.

“That’s the most important aspect of this whole exercise — getting to know each other, getting to appreciate our cultures, and working together as a team,” said Army Lt. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon, the commander of U.S. Army forces in the Pacific.

Mixon and a host of Indian army generals traveled here Oct. 26 to view a culminating demonstration of firepower that offered up both the conventional battlefield power of the Indian’s T-90 tanks with the high-technology precision of the U.S. military’s tank killer, the Javelin.

Both infantries brought out their vehicles and weapons for a live-fire demonstration, and Indian helicopters dropped soldiers from both armies to join in the live-fire assault.

This was the largest deployment of the Stryker vehicle outside of deployments for war, and the Indian soldiers were eager to get a peek at its firepower and technical capabilities. The only restrictions were that the Indian soldiers could not drive the Strykers or use the high-tech communications network that manages the crew’s weapons.

Both armies traded firing their big guns on the range, and U.S. soldiers rode alongside their Indian counterparts in their infantry vehicle. A handful of Indian troops were allowed to fire the Javelin, a treat that many U.S. troops in the infantry have yet to experience.

The training started two weeks ago with simple handshakes among the soldiers and a display of the each army’s equipment. It quickly escalated to the two nations’ armies working side by side on complex maneuvers, some scenarios strongly resembling the types of joint operations troops see in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As opposed to joint military operations in which U.S. technology and firepower clearly positions itself as the superior force, the Indian army proved itself a capable force, teaching as much as it was learning, U.S. commanders on the ground said. The Indian army has long been fighting an insurgency, and brought new tactics to the table.

“The Indian army is a professional military force,” Mixon said. “I would be comfortable going with the Indian army anywhere, any time.”

The 2-14th returned from Iraq six months ago, and is slated to return in about nine months. This exercise is a ramp-up in training, as the unit prepares for larger pre-deployment training exercises such as those at the National Training Facility in California.

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But while the U.S. troops leave this week with training under their belts that prepares them for their next deployment, the value of the training was integrating successfully with the Indian army.

“At the end of the day, the important part of the exercise is the future cooperation and the understanding between the two armies,” Mixon said.

The United States has sought to increase its military relations with India in recent years. Until now, most of the exercises in that effort have been smaller troop exchanges or command-level exercises using only computer-driven scenarios. This is the first time that a large number of boots on the ground have acted out those scenarios together.

“This is all about training with the Indian army, to enhance relationships so that we gain a greater understanding of each other. That’s really what this is all about,” the general said.

U.S. Pacific Command works regularly with other militaries on large-scale military operations, especially maritime.

Yudh Abhyas started in 2004 as the first conventional army-to-army training in India since 1962. In 2005, U.S. troops came to train at India’s counter-insurgency and jungle warfare school. In 2006, Indian troops went to Hawaii for training, and in 2007, troops traveled to Alaska. The exercise shifted back to Hawaii last year.

“We want to be able to work together as militaries,” Mixon said. “By us training together and getting to know each other, if there were a contingency, we would be better prepared to respond to that contingency. You cannot do that training here at the last minute.”

Force Recovers Missing Crew, Aircraft in Afghanistan

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 27, 2009 – International Security Assistance Force members today recovered the remains of three civilian crewmembers and the wreckage of an aircraft missing for two weeks in the rugged mountains of northeastern Afghanistan, military officials reported.

The crew was flying an Army C-12 Huron when they failed to return to Bagram Airfield after a routine mission early Oct. 13 above Afghanistan’s Nuristan province.

Due to continued recovery efforts, officials said, information was not immediately released so as to not interfere with operations. Upon visible inspection of the site, the mission changed from search and rescue to search and recovery.

The incident is under investigation, though hostile action is not believed to be the cause of the crash, officials said.

Additionally, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter en route to the recovery site Oct. 17 experienced a strong downdraft and performed a hard landing near the site. All crewmembers were rescued. On Oct. 21, the aircraft was stripped of its sensitive and useable parts, and destroyed in place Oct. 25. Mountainous terrain and elevation prevented aircraft recovery operations. Hostile action was not involved, officials said.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, an Afghan and international security force killed several militants yesterday in Paktia province during an operation to pursue a suspected Haqqani terrorist bomb maker and his associates.

The Haqqani element is believed responsible for several homemade bomb attacks in the Khowst-Gardez Pass in southeastern Afghanistan.

Security forces coordinated an air strike on the enemy location based on intelligence that Haqqani militants were in transit outside Haqdad Kheyl village in Wuza Zadran district. A combined security force ground element searched the location, confirmed that militants were killed by the air strike and identified the sought-after Haqqani bomb maker among those killed.

During the search, the force also seized bomb-making components, small-arms weapons and communications gear.

(Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news releases.

Forces Kill Taliban Commander, Other Enemy Fighters

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2009 – Afghan and NATO forces have removed dozens of insurgents from fighting in Afghanistan in recent days, including a long-sought-after Taliban commander, military officials reported.

Combined Afghan and International Security Assistance Force units killed at least two dozen insurgents during fighting in southern and eastern Afghanistan and detained numerous others. In operations yesterday:

– A combined force killed a dozen enemy militants in Kandahar province in an operation to interdict a Taliban commander and his unit believed to be responsible for attacks in the Arghandab district west of Kandahar City. The force coordinated an air strike on the enemy position. During the search, several of the dead were discovered armed with assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, ammunition belts and communications gear. All items were destroyed in place.

– A combined force killed several militants and detained several suspects in Khowst province after searching compounds in pursuit of a Haqqani terrorist organization leader linked to a bomb-making and foreign-fighter facilitation network in the area. The force searched two compounds north of Khowst City. Militants outside of one of the compounds posed a hostile threat to the combined force and were killed. During the search, the joint security force discovered multiple hand grenades and assault rifles.

- Combined forces killed several militants in Ghazni province after searching an enemy position in pursuit of a district Taliban commander linked to several other militant commanders and foreign fighters in the area. The force received hostile fire during the operation from an enemy position. Returning fire, they killed several militants. The force then searched the enemy location and found multiple rocket-propelled grenades, assault rifles and ammunition belts. All items were destroyed in place.

- In Wardak province, a combined force detained two suspects after searching a compound known to be used by a Taliban commander. The joint force searched compounds southwest of Kabul without incident and without firing shots.

- A combined force detained suspected militants after searching compounds in Khowst province known to be used by a Haqqani bomb technician linked to several militant commanders in the area. The force searched the compounds without incident.

In an Oct. 24 operation, a combined force searched a compound and detained several suspected militants believed to be members of a bombing network in Farah province. The suspects surrendered peacefully during the search and no shots were fired.

In operations Oct. 22:

- A combined force killed a dozen militants and detained several suspects in Kandahar province after stopping a number of vehicles in pursuit of a Taliban commander of the province’s Maywand district. The force initially targeted a number of vehicles in transit across southern Maywand after intelligence indicated militant activity. Several militants were killed after they failed to respond to warnings, and others were detained. Subsequently, the combined force received hostile fire from militants in multiple vehicles maneuvering in their direction. The force returned fire, killing another group of militants. The force searched each of the vehicles and recovered a number of small-arms weapons, documents and 2,600 pounds of black-tar heroin. The force identified one of the dead as the sought-after Taliban commander of Maywand.

– A combined force detained several suspected militants after searching compounds in Wardak province known to be used by a Taliban commander and his unit responsible for several rocket and bombing attacks in the region. The force targeted the compounds near the village of Patankhel in the Sayed Abad district after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The force searched the compound without incident and detained several suspects. No shots were fired, and no one was injured in the search.

In other news from Afghanistan, international forces have responded to accusations that a U.S. servicemember burned the Quran last week in Wardak province’s Maydan Shar district.

In response to the accusations, ISAF troops conducted an investigation in conjunction with local Afghan army commanders and found the claim groundless.

A spokesman for Wardak Gov. Mohammad Alim Fadayee, and Mullah Qari of the Afghan army in Wardak, publicly stated that ISAF troops were not responsible for the desecration and found no wrongdoing by international forces.

In his public address, Mullah Qari provided the results of the investigation into the incident and offered an explanation.

“Dear brothers, recently, the incident of burning of the Quran that happened in Kowte Ashrow, it was the actions of the enemies of Afghanistan and Islam for their private purposes,” Qari said. “The enemies of Afghanistan are trying to make people go against the government in order to start riots.”

(Compiled from NATO International Security Assistance Force news releases.)

Iraq Drawdown on Track

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2009 – Although much work remains to draw down the U.S. troop presence in Iraq, Pentagon officials told Congress here today the Defense Department is well on schedule to meet President Barack Obama’s withdrawal timeline.

Obama announced in February plans for a responsible drawdown of forces in Iraq. His plan, in accordance with the U.S.-Iraq security agreement signed in 2008, called for U.S. forces there to cede operations within city limits by June 30 and ultimately transition into an assistance and advisory force for the Iraqis. By Aug. 31, 2010, only 50,000 troops are expected to remain in country, and by Dec. 31, 2011, all U.S. forces should be withdrawn.

“We’ve continued along the timeline laid out by the president,” Michelle Flournoy, undersecretary of defense for policy, said before the House Armed Services Committee. “We continue to plan for and implement a responsible U.S. drawdown, one that advances our goal of a stable, sovereign and self-reliant Iraq. We are continuing our efforts to train and equip [Iraqi security forces] so they can effectively defend the Iraqi people and protect Iraqi institutions by the end of 2011.”

Since January, the U.S. military footprint in Iraq has decreased from more than 143,000 troops to about 120,000. And this week, an Army brigade combat team was off-ramped from its scheduled January deployment there.

“[Iraqi security forces] have performed quite well since June 30, 2009, and the security situation in Iraq continues to improve despite a few high-profile attacks,” Flournoy said, noting improvement in Iraq’s security forces.

Transitioning full security responsibility within the cities to the Iraqis was an important first step in demonstrating the U.S. commitment to the timeline, Flournoy said, and was much more. The Iraqis gained more confidence in their abilities, and the population is becoming more accustomed to seeing their own countrymen patrolling the streets and protecting their rights, she said.

However, she added, Iraqi forces still depend on U.S. support. Flournoy explained that budget shortfalls caused by the past year’s global recession have made it difficult for Iraqi forces to field critical equipment and increase their numbers.

The Iraqi government contributed nearly $10 billion of its own money to fund the country’s forces this year, a stark contrast from 2005, when less than $2.5 billion came from Iraq. But that amount isn’t enough to meet budget and equipment needs within the necessary timeline, she said.

“Much remains to be done to enable the [Iraqi forces] to assume full responsibility by Dec. 31, 2011,” she said.

Iraqi forces must be able to provide security for Iraq’s population and to conduct internal defense and basic external defenses to maintain stability there, she explained. Congress recently granted the Defense Department authority to provide “excess material” and some “non-excess material” to help the Iraqis meet that goal.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is authorized to transfer excess U.S. material such as commercial trucks, clothing, helmets and body armor. Non-excess material includes pistols, cargo trucks and up-armored Humvees, among other things.

“It will certainly help to ensure that [Iraqi forces] can fulfill their mission by the time U.S. forces depart, an obviously vital step towards the goal of a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq,” Flournoy said.

Pentagon officials also are evaluating plans to address equipment shortfalls beyond transferring equipment, she said, meaning the United States may end up purchasing some new equipment for Iraqi forces. Determining the amount of U.S. equipment and financial support to Iraq depends on the needs of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, she explained.

“A core principal in our decision making is that equipment will only be considered for transfer if it is not needed by U.S. forces,” she said. “[The Defense Department] will also work with the military services to manage the cost of replacing that transferred equipment.”

What to do with equipment not appropriate for transfer also factors into the effectiveness of the U.S. drawdown, she said. About 3.3 million pieces of U.S. equipment are in Iraq now, and although some will transfer to Iraq and eventually to Afghanistan, the majority will stay with U.S. forces.

The department has been preparing such a scenario for more than year, and Flournoy said those plans look to be working well. The services already have identified non-mission-essential equipment that can be brought back early and allow a responsible and gradual drawdown of equipment as troops redeploy, she said.

“We’re committed to conducting the drawdown of troops, equipment and material in a manner that addresses the needs of our military and our obligation to the American taxpayer,” Flournoy said. “While doing all of this presents significant challenges, we’re confident that we’re making progress in our goals on the timeline laid out by the president.”

Navy Vice Adm. James Winnefield, strategic plans and policy director for the Joint Staff, followed Flournoy’s testimony and added that some aspects of the withdrawal plan are ahead of schedule. U.S. troops occupy around 200 fewer bases in Iraq than in January, and 35,000 fewer civilian contractors are on the ground there today, he said.

Winnefield also reminded the committee of the Army brigade this week that was off-ramped, and that only 10 brigade-size units will be operating in Iraq by the country’s January elections.

Pentagon officials are “well on our way to the six advise-and-assistance brigades that we plan to have on the ground by Sept. 1,” Winnefield said. Two U.S. advisory brigades already are in Iraq, working with and training Iraqi forces.

Leaders in Iraq are planning the final phase of the drawdown, Winnefield said. Brigade combat teams will redeploy one by one and by battalions through summer to ensure the remaining forces can maintain their Iraqi partnerships.

The current plans keep the drawdown process on track with Obama’s timeline and ensure training operations will follow through after Sept. 1, when U.S. troop levels are expected to be at 50,000, the admiral said.

“We do remain on track,” he added. “We intend to continue the drawdown in a manner that protects our military forces and civilians, exercises good stewardship of the resources provided to us, does not jeopardize the readiness of our military as we reset and leave a stable, secure and self-reliant Iraq as a long-term strategic partner to the United States.”