About Those 50,000
Posted by Ilan Goldenberg
There has been some concern expressed in Congress about the size of the residual forces in Obama's Iraq plan. I think it's important to put this in perspective. First, as Gates emphasized yesterday on Meet the Press, the 35,000-50,000 is really a way station to zero by the end of 2011. Second, it is very much in line with Obama's own promises during the campaign to remove combat forces and leave behind a residual or "transition" force to do training, counterterrorism and civilian protection.
But there is a bigger question here. It's healthy for Congress to disagree with the President, hold him accountable, and ask the tough questions. But rather then simply stating that the number sounds high, I would have preferred to see a set of thoughtful questions about the plan and the residual forces. A. Does the military, and particularly the Joint Chiefs, believe that drawing down to that number balances our risks in Iraq with those in the rest of the world, and allow us to plan for other contingencies? B. Does it sufficiently reduce the strain on the force and allow us to reset? C. What does the new mission and force size mean in terms of American casualties and financial costs going forward?
The concerns over the size of the residual force should be tied to troop tasking and strategic interests instead of offhanded comments that it "sounds too big." Based the folks I've talked to, I feel pretty comfortable with the plan and the "transition force" sizing. But there is nothing wrong with a healthy debate on this point. Let's just make it a thoughtful debate
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