While many wonder how we will continue to fight after the surge ends, remember that the least important aspect of our surge is the extra troop strength. Yes, the added strength allowed us to attack more broadly and was important to allowing us to win the battle for the Baghdad belts.
But the most important aspect was the change in strategy to use US troops to protect the Iraqi people after clearing the enemy out of neighborhoods. The combat brigades are leaving. The strategy remains.
Our surge has also reduced the strength of our enemies tremendously. So even with fewer US forces, the balance of forces has tipped our way.
And there is one more factor. Iraqi forces have grown tremendously the last year, dwarfing our surge of troops. Lieutenant James Dubik provides an overview of the expansion of the Iraqi military:
Numbers count in this kind of war, as all of you know. Physical presence counts and the Iraqi security forces know that. They have grown in 2007 well over 100,000 in the army, air force, the navy, the police -- the national police, and most of that growth was in the period June of 2007 through December of 2007. For example, the army in 2007 grew by 60,000-plus, 42,000-plus in the last half of the year. The national police grew 8,000 in 2007, all of it in the last half of 2007. And the Iraqi police grew by about 45,000 -- a little bit less than 45,000 in 2007, 29,000 in the last half of 2007.
The objective of the strength increase:
The Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Interior have set for themselves somewhere around 600,000 aggregate military and police as the force that would be large enough to maintain security in the country. And so that's where they're aiming, and they think that they should get to that point sometime around 2010. Right now, or as of the end of the year, the total number of people was about 531,000 -- 180(,000)-some in the military, 200(,000) and -- or, correction, 340,(000)-some in the police forces, and about 3,000 in the special operations forces. And they are on a growth path where they can sustain this size of force, both with money and with equipment.
And progress is made in training, manning levels, experience, and equipment.
The Iraqi surge is greater in numbers than the US surge. And the Iraqi surge is here to stay.
