FORT KNOX, Ky. (Army News Service, Sept. 29, 2008) - Before future Soldiers can provide for the Army, the Army provides for its future Soldiers.

When U.S. Army recruiters approach possible future Soldiers they take into consideration what the future Soldier may need such as job experience, tuition pay in the form of the Montgomery G.I. Bill or the Loan Repayment Program, or even cash bonus incentives.

However, concerned and skeptical citizens may find it difficult to approach a recruiter for one reason or another, and that’s where cyber-recruiting comes in.

The U.S. Army Recruiting Headquarters, at Fort Knox, Ky., houses more than 40 cyber-recruiters who work between the hours of 8 a.m. and midnight to help anyone who may have questions concerning the Army and how it takes care of its Soldiers.

“The concept of cyber-recruiting originated with a chat room,” said John J. Dunlosky, Customer Support Communications Center branch manager at U.S. Army Recruiting Headquarters at Fort Knox, Ky. “Internet capability interlinked the voice of the U.S. Army with the American public to give them a forum where the public can ask questions, gain information and receive a professional answer.”

With the cyber-recruiting concept, the Army can offer a single answer to every question as opposed to variations of the same answer, he said.

Along with the chat rooms, cyber-recruiters can also offer one-on-one attention to possible recruits through the use of email. With this method, the future Soldier can receive immediate, credible information and a much more private discussion with a recruiter online to discuss jobs available, incentives, individual needs and other matters, Dunlosky explained.

“The representatives in our staff bring 500 years worth of Army experience to the table,” he said. “If someone wants to know about aviation in the Army, I’ve got an ex-aviation guy sitting out there ready to answer questions, or if they want to know about infantry, ex-infantry guys are out there. Chances are we have someone who used to be in that job field out there to help out the future recruit.”

Not only are future Soldiers able to access the chat room, but their families and friends are also able to log on and ask questions about their Soldiers. If an individual wishes to remain anonymous, the chat-room will respect his privacy.

“Anybody can log in under whatever name they choose to pose questions they want answered,” said Dunlosky. “As long as they maintain ‘chat-etiquette,’ they’re welcome to come in and chat with each other or with the representatives.”

In September 1999, the Army decided to reach out through the internet to possible recruits in order to take advantage of a format that appeals to the current generation.

“Our first year, we only had 49,000 chat users,” said George Silva, Operations Manager. “Since 9/11, cyber-recruiting has really picked up.”

Cyber-recruiters have assisted in bringing in over 27,000 enlisted troops into the Army’s ranks, according to the Cyber Recruiting Center, with the largest batch of future Soldiers being more than 7,900 in 2007.

“In time, recruiters began to look forward to the leads that we (cyber-recruiters) began to pick up,” said Silva.

“All these employees are prior-service in the military and former recruiters,” he said. “They’re here to share their experiences, and they know what qualifications a future recruit must have to gain the job they want.”

With the war on terrorism approaching its sixth year, recruiters continue working to add numbers to the ranks of today’s fast and ready Army, and that means keeping up with today’s generation and technology.

“Technology grows and society changes, so we grow and change with it,” said Silva. “Everybody is fast paced.”

By Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2008 – The Defense Department today announced replacement units scheduled to deploy next year to Iraq.

About 26,000 troops from an Army corps headquarters, an Army division headquarters, a Marine expeditionary force headquarters, an Army fires brigade and six Army brigade combat teams are scheduled to rotate into Iraq between this winter and next summer, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.

Units receiving deployment orders are:

– 1st Corps Headquarters, Fort Lewis, Wash.;

– 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas;

– 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters, Camp Lejeune, N.C.;

– 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas;

– 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.;

– 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis;

– 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg;

– 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis;

– 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.;

– 115th Fires Brigade, Cheyenne, Wyo.

The Wyoming Army National Guard’s 115th Fires Brigade is made up of artillery battalions and batteries and will be assigned tasks to ensure freedom of movement and continuity operations throughout the country. This includes route clearance operations, searching for roadside bombs and escort security for supply convoys, Whitman said.

The six brigade combat teams are scheduled to deploy as part of DoD’s continuing commitment to maintain the current projected level of forces in Iraq, which is 14 brigade combat teams, he said.

“There are no dwell-time issues,” he said, referring to the amount of time at home these units will have had since their last deployment. Today’s announcement is consistent with President Bush’s recent announcements to reduce Iraq troop levels, Whitman added, though a possibility exists for any of the brigade combat teams to be re-tasked for Afghanistan deployments.

Based on future decisions and recommendations from ground and combatant commanders, Iraq troop numbers and security efforts will be adjusted accordingly, he explained.

By Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2008 – Some 30 Russian tanks and various munitions aboard a Ukrainian vessel that was hijacked by Somali pirates Sept. 25 has caused serious concern for Defense Department officials, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters here today.

“[The Defense Department] has seen a dramatic increase in piracy in this area, and it is a matter of real concern,” Morrell said. “This particular vessel has on it a number of Russian tanks, ammo and [rocket-propelled grenades] and anti-aircraft weapons that raise this to another level of concern.”

The Ukrainian cargo ship, the Faina, was transporting an estimated $30 million of Russian military equipment to Kenya when it was taken over by pirates off the coast of Somalia. The fact that Kenya was receiving the weapons isn’t a concern for the United States, Morrell said, citing Kenya’s legitimate right to build up its self defense.

“We know [Kenya] as a government that is in good standing,” Morrell said, noting President Bush’s meeting with Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki yesterday. “[Keny] is a peaceful government with legitimate self-defense needs, so we have no reason to believe that this cargo was not destined to the government of Kenya as their president suggests.”

Preventing the munitions from ending up in the wrong hands is the main objective for U.S. officials, Morrell said, based on the uncertainty of whether or not the pirates would sell the munitions to terrorists.

“Our concern is making sure that this cargo does not end up in the hands of anyone who would use it in a way that would be destabilizing to the region,” he said, “and we have committed significant resources to make sure those objectives are met.”

Several ships from the U.S. 5th Fleet in the Naval Forces Central Command area of operations began pursuit of the Faina almost immediately after its hijacking and are monitoring the pirate’s activities. The U.S. warships have “enormous capabilities” and firepower, but the Defense Department is focused on a peaceful solution, Morrell said.

Russian naval forces reportedly are on their way to the site, but are not expected to arrive for several days. The United States has no issues working with the Russian navy and intends to cooperate candidly to ensure the munitions are kept out of terrorist hands, he said.

“[The United States] already has several U.S. naval vessels on scene, which have contained the vessel in question,” Morrell said. “We have what is necessary to deal with the situation at hand. It does contain Russian cargo, so we don’t have a particular issue with the Russians coming on the scene as well.

“In terms of the bigger picture of piracy and the problems it poses on commercial shipping in that area,” he continued, “it is one that the 5th Fleet has been working on and addressing.”

By Cindy Saine
Washington
29 September 2008

Speaking to a class at the National Defense University in Washington, Secretary Gates said he believes America’s ability to deal with national security threats for years to come will depend on its success in two current conflicts.

“To be blunt, to fail - or to be seen to fail - in either Iraq or Afghanistan would be a disastrous blow to our credibility, both among our friends and allies, and among potential adversaries,” he said.

Gates said the number of U.S. combat units in Iraq will decline over time, but added:

“No matter who is elected president in November, there will continue to be some kind of American advisory and counterterrorism effort in Iraq for years to come,” he said.

Gates said U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan are rising, and that the conflict there in many ways poses an even more complex and difficult long-term challenge than Iraq.

Calling the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan “forced regime change followed by nation-building under fire,” Gates said the U.S. is unlikely to become involved in similar situations anytime soon. But he cautioned that U.S. forces will likely face similar challenges, and that it will be important to employ indirect approaches against insurgencies, and to institutionalize new and unconventional skills.

Secretary Gates also stressed that the United States may have to contend with more traditional kinds of threats.

“The images of Russian tanks rolling into the Republic of Georgia last month was a reminder that nation-states and their militaries do still matter,” he said.

But the defense secretary added that there is no reason to begin “rearming for another Cold War” with Russia.

Gates concluded his speech by asking the class of U.S. military officers to be modest about what military force and technology can accomplish. He urged the class to never forget the “psychological, cultural, political and human dimensions of warfare,” which he called inevitably tragic, inefficient and uncertain.

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2008 – While things are tense and dangerous in Pakistan, “that doesn’t mean the sky is falling,” the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen offered the reassurance during a Pentagon news conference. He said the cross-border fire incident yesterday into Afghanistan does not mean America should over-react.

A Pakistani military border checkpoint fired on two U.S. Kiowa helicopters flying inside Afghan airspace, NATO and U.S. officials said. A ground-based American patrol then exchanged fire with the checkpoint, they said.

The chairman urged calm during the tense situation. “It’s time to recognize that we all – Pakistani, Afghan, American and others in the region – share a stake in a safe and secure Pakistan,” he said.

Mullen said he believes all concerned can work out the problems.

The Pakistanis face a growing and increasingly lethal insurgency on the border and inside their country, the chairman said. The Taliban and al-Qaida groups threaten the security of Pakistan’s newly elected government, and the leaders are aware of this threat, he said.

“They are dealing with extremist safe havens in the (Federally Administered Tribal Area), many of which are sheltered by local tribesmen,” Mullen said. “And like so many other nations around the world, they confront economic woes that undercut their efforts to improve living conditions for their citizens.”

Mullen has visited his Pakistani counterpart, Army Gen. Parvez Kayani, half a dozen times this year.

“Despite the violence of the last few days, it’s why I remain convinced that Pakistan’s military leaders understand the nature of the threat and are working hard to eliminate it,” he said.

But this will take time, Mullen said.

“We’ve learned ourselves you don’t take an Army that was built to fight a conventional war and turn it into an effective counterinsurgency force overnight,” he said. “And you don’t defeat extremists or their ideologies solely with military power.”

The Joint Staff is working with other agencies on a review of U.S. military strategy for the entire border region, “not simply to identify problems, but to find multilateral solutions,” Mullen said.

The chairman was encouraged by Afghan Defense Minister Wardak’s suggestion for a joint Afghan-Pakistani force to patrol the border.

“Though much would need to be flushed out, it is precisely that sort of cooperation we need,” he said. “Quite frankly, I believe some of the best solutions we may find are those not tied to military power but rather to economic aid and assistance and other whole-of-government approaches.”

All sides realize that no one gains from misunderstandings, harsh rhetoric or open conflict, Mullen said.

NATO, Afghanistan and Pakistan cooperate in the Tripartite Meetings at the highest levels all the way to liaison between company level officers, Mullen said. The Afghans, Pakistanis and NATO are establishing five border cooperation centers to help eliminate the confusion. One is operating in Nangahar province, Afghanistan, and four more are scheduled for other spots on the border.

Mullen and Kayani have discussed the continuing commitment to reduce conflicts.

By Barry Newhouse
Islamabad
25 September 2008

NATO officials in Afghanistan say Pakistani troops have fired on NATO helicopters flying inside Afghanistan. VOA’s Barry Newhouse reports from Islamabad, where Pakistani military officials insisted the helicopters crossed into Pakistan and then border guards and the helicopters traded fire.

Pakistan army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said the incident occurred when two helicopters flying in Afghanistan crossed into Pakistani airspace, right at a Pakistani security post.

“They did cross and flew over the post, they passed by the post and then the post opened fire. This was an anticipatory warning fire by the border post,” he said.

General Abbas said the helicopters returned fire and then returned to Afghanistan.

In Kabul, a NATO spokeswoman said the helicopters never crossed into Pakistani territory.

“ISAF helicopters received small arms fire from a Pakistan military checkpoint along the border near Tanai district, Khost, September 25 while conducting routing operations in Afghanistan,” she said. “At no time did ISAF helicopters cross into Pakistani airspace.”

The NATO spokeswoman said the helicopters were not damaged, and both sides said no casualties were reported.

The incident is the first time top officials on either side have confirmed a shooting incident involving NATO helicopters and Pakistani border forces. Pakistani intelligence officials in the border regions have reported at least two other similar shooting incidents in recent weeks, but both NATO and the Pakistani military later denied the claims.

The Pentagon said the Pakistani military must explain why the incident occurred.

by Staff Sgt. Andrea Thacker
Air Forces Central Public Affairs - Combined Air and Space Operations Center

9/25/2008 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) — Battlefield Airmen will soon receive a new equipment item that will improve their ability to execute their combat duties.

The new airman battle system-ground is a tactical ensemble, or equipment item, for Airmen who perform their mission outside the wire in close coordination with ground forces.

“It will provide Airmen with the right level of safety combined with a fully functional, tactically proficient ensemble, thereby, increasing their confidence and ability to perform their mission,” said Chief Master Sgt. Scott Dearduff, the 9th Air Force and Air Forces Central command chief.

Airmen are operating outside the wire in an increasing number of ground-centric traditional and nontraditional Air Force missions. The ABS-G was created to fulfill an urgent operational need to enable Airmen to function effectively in ground combat operations.

“The safety and confidence provided to our ground combat Airmen from the development of the ABS-G is a key “outside-the-wire” priority,” said Lt. Gen. Gary L. North, the Air Forces Central commander.

“Today, more than ever, we have Airmen conducting operations in the ground battle space, ” General North said. “Our effort to provide them with our airman ground combat ensemble provides them with the highest level of utility, comfort and protection. This is key to our ability to work outside the wire in an ensemble that is optimized for the environment our Airmen are facing.”

Traditional battlefield Airmen who had experience operating outside the wire contributed to the ABS-G development by providing suggestions and feedback during the first prototype phase.

The ensemble was designed with the tactical configuration in mind, said Col. Lawrence Jackson II, the Air Forces Central expeditionary ground combat support adviser.

“We spoke to members in the field to find out what changes would be tactically efficient. These inputs guided the design,” he said.

The airman battle ensemble is comprised of the coat, pants and battle shirt. It is basically a tactical fire resistant adaptation of the current ABU. The ABE is the core of the ABS-G.

“It wasn’t designed to replace the airman battle uniform,” Chief Dearduff said. “It was designed to give us a fire-retardant tactical ensemble that is fully integrated through multiple layers of clothing and equipment to provide maximum fire protection, warmth and tactical functionality.”

The developers stressed the ABE is considered a personal protective ensemble and not a uniform. The ABE will be unit controlled, issued equipment and will only be worn by select Airmen based on their assigned mission. The Air Force will issue an ABE only if it is needed. It will not be for sale in the military clothing sales stores.

Two fundamental warfighter requirements drove the ABE configuration: the need for fire resistance and the tactical integration with body armor, Colonel Jackson said.

“The ABE was designed for ground combat Airmen by ground combat Airmen,” said Colonel Jackson, who spent a year commanding Airmen of the 732nd Air Expeditionary Group during the Operation Iraqi Freedom 2006 to 2007 surge. “We spoke with ground combat Airmen, we lived with ground combat Airmen, we are ground combat Airmen.”

Since ground combat is a full spectrum business, wearing the ABE in layers allows for maximum temperature and weather adaptability across the full range of climate and weather conditions.

Pockets were configured for access while wearing full body armor, including shoulder and side plate protection. Each layer of the ABS-G has identical sleeve and leg pocket configurations.

The ABS-G will be distributed in the February 2009 timeframe. The testing phase will most likely last 18 to 24 months. Several Airmen are wear-testing the ensemble in selected units in the area of responsibility now.

“We will use the constant feedback from the test phase to improve the ensemble accordingly,” Colonel Jackson said. “We want to get it right. Your feedback will help us make it so.”

by Tech. Sgt. Nick Choy
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

9/25/2008 - BALTIMORE (AFPN) — Air and Army Guardsmen from across 54 U.S. states and territories met to discuss current and future plans at the 130th conference of the National Guard Association of the United States Sept. 20 through 22 here.

Some 2,000 citizen-Soldiers and citizen-Airmen heard from key military leaders including Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, National Guard Bureau Chief Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, Air National Guard Director Lt. Gen. Craig R. McKinley, and Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command.

“The National Guard has been a home and away team,” General Renuart said, referring to the increased number of deployments guardsmen have seen. “But we’re winners either way.”

General Renuart called for members of Congress to modernize the U.S. military and challenged Guard members to form partnerships with other government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Secretary Gates said the Defense Department’s top priority is caring for veterans returning from battle.

“I make a solemn commitment to take care of our warriors,” he said.

Secretary Gates also promised to fully modernize both the Army National Guard and Air National Guard by 2013, which drew loud cheers from the audience.

“This is a change that is long overdue,” he said.

Another issue he promised to address is current deployment cycles based on units and not individuals. He vowed to increase the ratio of redeployments versus overseas deployments, making sure guardsmen spend at least four years in their home state for every one year they deploy. He also said guardsmen would not be pulled out of their home unit to fill vacancies in other states’ units.

“I believe those from a state who train together should deploy and fight together,” Secretary Gates said.

The secretary lauded General Blum for his “tireless advocacy for our guardsmen.”

The comments were echoed by many speakers throughout the convention, which were the results of the National Defense Authorization Act passed by Congress in July 2008. The act elevated the position of the chief of the National Guard Bureau to a four-star billet, allowing General McKinley to become a principal adviser to the secretary of Defense through the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“(He) has earned his rightful place in history,” Secretary Gates said of General McKinley.

The act also allows for:

– A bipartisan council of governors to advise the defense secretary and Homeland Security on Guard-related matters.
– Five additional Reserve component general officers to serve as combatant commanders.
– Tying the National Guard Bureau to DOD as a joint activity rather than tying it to both the departments of the Army and Air Force.

General McKinley, who addressed a separate Air Force-specific session, said the Air Force stands “on the verge of another golden age.”

He thanked Pentagon and Air Force leaders for the chance to lead the National Guard as a “true partner” with the other services.

“The time has come for the National Guard to be represented at the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill,” General McKinley said. “Now we can sit at the table with everyone else.”

He thanked General Blum for his leadership and Chief Master Sgt. Richard Smith for his support. Chief Smith, the highest-ranking enlisted person in the Air National Guard, will retire in early 2009 after four years in the post.

“It has always been, and always will be, about the Airmen,” Chief Smith said during the Air Guard breakout session.

During the same session, General Schwartz again praised the National Guard’s deep and influential connections with local communities, as well as the years of highly specialized and technical experience guardsmen bring to their military jobs.

During a question-and-answer session, General Schwartz addressed a few audience concerns, including the recapitalization of Air Force assets and acquisition of new fighter aircraft.

“We’re still committed to a fourth-generation fighter, but we need to ensure our resources are in balance,” he said.

While he called on Airmen to embrace new missions, explore new technologies, and concentrate on productivity, he also stressed teamwork; a priority echoed by many who spoke at the conference.

From USS De Wert Public Affairs

USS DE WERT, At Sea (NNS) — While on patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, units assigned to the U.S. Navy’s 4th Fleet and the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a fishing vessel carrying over three metric tons of cocaine Sept. 20.

The combined team of USS De Wert (FFG 45), with embarked helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 46 Detachment 1, and U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) 101 intercepted the fishing vessel in a nighttime interdiction, capturing seven suspected narcotics smugglers and the large cargo of cocaine with an estimated import value of $96 million.

While De Wert was coming alongside the fishing vessel experienced a mechanical problem and LEDET 101 and De Wert’s Rescue and Assistance Team were deployed to render assistance and to ensure the safety of the vessel’s crew. Subsequent to the rendering of assistance, a search of the vessel revealed 145 bales of cocaine. The narcotics were seized under the authority of the Coast Guard LEDET.

This seizure comes just a week after Sailors from USS McInerney (FFG and LEDET 404, in conjunction with Patrol Squadron 26, intercepted a self-propelled semi submersible in the Eastern Pacific Ocean carrying over seven metric tons of cocaine.

The coordinated actions of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and Joint Interagency Task Force-South (JIATF-S) were instrumental to the successful interdiction of narcotics.

De Wert, homeported in Mayport, Fla., is deployed in Latin America under the operational control of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/ U.S. 4th Fleet, conducting counter illicit trafficking operations in support of JIATF-South, U.S. law enforcement and participating nations drug control policy.

De Wert is also supporting the U.S. Maritime Strategy by conducting theater security cooperation events, such as community relation projects Project Handclasp distributions, in the Caribbean and Latin America.

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2008 – Amid an 80-percent drop in violence and with further withdrawals of U.S. forces in sight, the coalition in Iraq has reached the “endgame,” Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today.

“I believe we have now entered that endgame – and our decisions today and in the months ahead will be critical to regional stability and our national security interests for years to come,” he told the Senate Armed Service Committee during a hearing on Iraq and Afghanistan.

Highlighting success in Iraq are reductions in U.S. casualties and overall violence, and the handover of Anbar province this month to Iraqi authority. Anbar, the 11th of 18 provinces now under Iraqi control, once was a hotbed of the Sunni insurgency and the scene of some of the war’s most contentious fighting.

In testimony the secretary submitted to lawmakers, he cited other measures of progress, including “incremental but significant” progress by the Iraqi parliament and — with the exception of Iran — an increased willingness on the part of Iraq’s neighboring countries to engage with Baghdad and help to stabilize the country.

But Gates tempered his analysis, saying serious challenges remain, including the failure of Iraq’s parliament to pass an election law, which likely will delay a planned election until December and could increase the possibility of politically motivated violence.

“Our military commanders do not yet believe our gains are necessarily enduring, and they believe that there are still many challenges and the potential for reversals in the future,” he said.

The secretary characterized the situation in Iraq as fragile, but said current conditions mark vast improvements since early 2007, when Gates became Pentagon chief.

“When I entered office, the main concern was to halt and reverse the spiraling violence in order to prevent a strategic calamity for the United States and allow the Iraqis to make progress on the political, economic and security fronts,” he said. “Although we all have criticisms of the Iraqi government, there can be no doubt that the situation is much different – and far better – than it was in early 2007.”

The secretary credited Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the former commander in Iraq who oversaw a 33,000-troop surge and the ensuing drop in violence there, with a “brilliant performance” during his nearly 20-month tenure. Petraeus last week relinquished command of Multinational Force Iraq to Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno and will take charge of U.S. Central Command in October.

Further, Gates called the relationship between Petraeus and U.S. Ambasador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker a superb model of military-civilian partnership.

“Beyond their own brilliant individual performances, the Petraeus-Crocker team … [is] one that should be studied and emulated for years to come,” the secretary said.

Earlier this month, Gates accepted recommendations on the way forward in Iraq from Petraeus and from Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. David D. McKiernan, commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, Army Lt. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, acting CentCom commander, and the service chiefs.

“Although each viewed the challenges from a different perspective, weighing different factors, all once again arrived at similar recommendations,” Gates said.

After receiving recommendations from the Defense Department, President Bush this month announced that some 8,000 U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by February without being replaced. This announcement comes after the drawdown of the five Army brigade combat teams, two Marine battalions and the Marine expeditionary unit that were sent to Iraq as part of the surge.

Meanwhile, withdrawal of 3,400 noncombat forces – including aviation personnel, explosive ordnance teams, combat and construction engineers, military police, and logistics support teams – began this month, will continue through the fall and will be completed in January, Gates said. In addition, a Marine battalion stationed in Anbar will return in November, and another Army brigade combat team will return by early February.

“The bottom-line point is that the drawdowns associated with the president’s announcements do not wait until January or February, but in fact have begun,” Gates said, calling the planned reductions an “acceptable risk today” that preserves a broad range of options for the next president. He added that the withdrawals “also provide for unforeseen circumstances in the future.”

Gates said the continuing drawdowns are possible because of the success in reducing violence and building Iraqi security capacity. “Even with fewer U.S. troops in Iraq, the positive trends of the last year have held – and in some cases steadily continued in the right direction,” he said.

The secretary urged that American leaders implement “cautious and flexible” strategies, and to expect to be involved in Iraq for years to come, albeit in changing and increasingly limited ways.

“As we proceed deeper into the endgame, I would urge our nation’s leaders to implement strategies that, while steadily reducing our presence in Iraq, are cautious and flexible and take into account the advice of our senior commanders and military leaders,” he said.