The first surge was prominently announced by President Bush in a nationally televised address on Jan. 10, when he ordered five more combat brigades to join 15 brigades already in Iraq.
The buildup was designed to give commanders the 20 combat brigades Pentagon planners said were needed to provide security in Baghdad and western Anbar province.
Since then, the Pentagon has extended combat tours for units in Iraq from 12 months to 15 months and announced the deployment of additional brigades.
Taken together, the steps could put elements of as many as 28 combat brigades in Iraq by Christmas, according the deployment orders examined by Hearst Newspapers.Army spokesman Lt. Col. Carl S. Ey said there was no effort by the Army to carry out "a secret surge" beyond the 20 combat brigades ordered by Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Good grief. The paper wouldn't assign somebody to the fashion beat who nothing about clothing but the paper thinks it can analyze deployment orders.
Let me say that while the basic concept of overlapping forces as they deploy in to replace other units leaving Iraq could increase forces during the overlap, it will not produce such a massive increase. Years ago on my old site I noted this as an option to put more troops in the field. We've done it before in Iraq.
As for the idea that we would have 28 brigades in Iraq? We barely have enough with 15-month Army tours to support 20 in Iraq and a couple brigades in Afghanistan!
If we truly put 28 brigades into Iraq, we'd have to either abandon Iraq or extend troops for the duration or something. I truly don't know how the analysis could conclude that we are planning a secret surge.
No wait, I know how--papers see nothing wrong with assigning reporters with zero knowledge about the military to writing articles about the military. Their food reporter probably has an advanced degree in some food-related subject.
UPDATE: Not on the main topic, but related to the woeful inadequacies of our press corps in discussing anything regarding the military. This time it is body armor.
Be all you can be, boys. Sadly, they are.
