Petraeus: Upcoming Troop Reduction Plans ‘On Track’

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON — Plans to withdraw four Army brigade combat teams and two Marine battalions by July are “on track” as the military seeks to draw down the number of troops in Iraq as quickly as ground conditions allow, the top U.S. commander in Iraq said Jan. 27

Appearing on CNN’s “Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer,” Army Gen. David H. Petraeus said the scheduled withdrawal will reduce the number of troops at the height of the surge by one quarter, or roughly 42,500. Further reductions after July will be based on the state of Iraq’s security, he added.

“The guidance that (Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates) in fact has given me -- and the president and my chain of command, what all of them have said -- is that reductions after July should be conditions-based,” he said.

The general said after the upcoming drawdown, Defense Department and military officials will need time to “let things settle a bit” before making further reduction assessments. Their focus, he said, will be on removing forces expeditiously, but without undercutting progress made during the troop surge that launched this time last year.

Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, said drawdowns aim to relieve strains on servicemembers, many of whom have engaged in multiple and extended deployments to support U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Force level reductions also would save money and cut back the flow of resources, he said.

The Army strives to provide soldiers the highest possible amount of “dwell time” -- the period at home stations between deployments -- and reduce deployments from 15 months to 12, the general added.

“But we want to do it, again, in a way that will allow these gains to be maintained. We don't want to jeopardize what we have fought so hard for,” he said. “The key is to make the timing of that right and to figure out when that will make sense.”

Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker are expected in coming months to give Congress a follow-up to the military and diplomatic progress update they delivered in September.

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