Since 09-07-06
Historic Transfer of Military
Authority to Take Place in Iraq.. you won't see this in the media
Since 09-07-06
From: Lowell J Mix [ljmix@juno.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2006 12:21 AM
Subject: Historic Transfer of Military Authority to Take Place in Iraq.. you
won't see this in the media....
WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2006 – For the first time since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, the Iraqi prime minister, through the Iraqi minister of defense, will take operational control of the Iraqi ground forces command structure and the country’s air forces and navy tomorrow, a U.S. military spokesman in Iraq said today.
“This is such a huge, significant event that's
about to occur tomorrow,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, a
Multinational Force Iraq spokesman. “It's the one event that puts the prime
minister directly in the operational control of his military forces as his
role as the commander in chief.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will take control of the air force,
navy and one army division -- the 8th Iraqi Army Division, Caldwell said. It
is then Maliki’s decision how quickly to take over more divisions, but he
will probably assume control of about two divisions a month, Caldwell said.
The chain of command will now run from Maliki, through the minister of
defense and the joint force headquarters, to the Iraqi ground forces command
headquarters, down to the division and the individual soldier, Caldwell
said.
“This event, again, continues to show the progress as we move forward with
the Iraqi army's capabilities,” he said.
Throughout Iraq, coalition forces are transferring operational control to
Iraqis as the security environment and their capabilities improve, Caldwell
said. Currently, six of 10 Iraqi army divisions are in the lead in their
areas of operations, and underneath the divisions are 26 brigades and 88
battalions in the lead, he said.
“They're maintaining the lead in coordinating, planning and conducting
security operations in the area in which they're operating,” he said. “With
more and more Iraqi security forces in the lead, the number of
counterinsurgency operations being conducted by Iraqi security forces, with
coalition forces in support, continues to increase steadily.”
As Iraqi security forces assume the lead, they're also setting the
conditions to allow for provincial Iraqi control, Caldwell said. Provincial
Iraqi control refers to civil authorities in a province assuming independent
governance and civil security duties, he said.
“Whether it's Iraqi security forces taking the lead or handover of
governance and security responsibilities to Iraqi civil leadership in the
province, we continue to see Iraqi forces, Iraqi security forces and Iraqi
governance moving forward here,” he said.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2006 – The Iraqi government is slated to assume control of its soldiers, sailors and airmen sometime next month, a senior U.S. military officer told reporters in Baghdad today.
The Iraqi Ministry of Defense, through its
joint headquarters in Baghdad, will assume operational control of the
Iraqi army, as well as the country’s air force and navy, in early
September, Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, spokesman for
Multinational Force Iraq, said at a news briefing.
“This is a significant step in the Iraqi path to self-reliance and
security,” Caldwell said. “What this means is that the Iraqi Ministry of
Defense is prepared to begin assuming direct operational control over
Iraq’s armed forces.”
Iraq’s 3-year-old armed forces have “been rebuilt from the ground up as
a modern and effective fighting force,” Caldwell said. Iraqi army
divisions have fought alongside coalition forces under the commander of
the Multinational Corps Iraq, he added. Coalition forces also have
worked to train the new Iraqi army, which now stands at about 115,000
soldiers.
The transition of control of Iraq’s armed forces to the Iraqi government
should take several months, Caldwell said.
The 10 Iraqi army divisions eventually will come under the direct
operational control of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, commander in
chief of Iraq’s armed forces, Caldwell said.
“The majority of Iraqi (army) divisions will remain under coalition
forces initially,” Caldwell explained, “and then be gradually
transitioned into the Iraqi ground forces command.”
For more on this go to the website below:
Multinational Force Iraq
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