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US Military Bases in Iraq: Permanent? |
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zPoint: Three key goals of permanent Iraqi bases are (1) to get US bases out of Saudi Arabia, (2) to protect the Mideast oil supply, and (3) to assure Iraq is under a US-friendly government. The first goal has been met.
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| Bases |
US May Shift Bases in the Persian Gulf |
| ''We'll be in the region for the foreseeable future,'' said U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Allen G. Peck, deputy air commander of U.S. Central Command, which oversees the region. ''Our intention would be to stay as long as the host nations will have us.'' |
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No intention at the present of permanent bases
2/17/2005, Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense globalsecurity
"We have no intention, at the present time, of putting permanent bases in Iraq."
Permanent bases? We have no idea.
12/23/2005, Donald Rumsfeld, DOD
Question: As soon as our mission is completed are there going to be permanent bases out here that Marines are going have obligated service to?
SECRETARY RUMSFELD: That's an interesting question that comes up from time to time. The answer is we have no idea.
No goal of establishing permanent bases
3/11/2006, Zalmay Khalilzad, US ambassador to Iraq
The U.S. has "no goal of establishing permanent bases in Iraq." — on Iraqi television
But we are building permanent bases
~3/11/2006, Army Lt. Col. Barry Venable, Pentagon spokesman
"We're building permanent bases in Iraq for Iraqis."
With no policy at the present
3/14/2006, General Abizaid
Repubican Congresman Price asked: “Can you make an unequivocal commitment that the U.S. does not plan to establish permanent bases in Iraq?” Abizaid’s response: “No sir, I can’t...the policy on long-term presence in Iraq hasn’t been formulated.” —testimony before a House Appropriations Subcommittee
What does it all add up to? We're building 14 "enduring" bases, and hoping to arrange for an Iraqi goverment that will ask us to stay. Given the amount of money we are pumping into the Iraqi goverment, etc., they probably will.
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zFact:$1 Billion for military construction For 2005 and 2006, Washington has authorized or proposed almost $1 billion for US military construction in Iraq, as American forces consolidate at Balad, known as Anaconda, and a handful of other installations, big bases under the old regime.
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zFact:Asad Base is 19 square miles, has two bus routes, a car dealership, a Burger King, a Pizza Hut, traffic rules and stop signs. The proposed 2006 supplemental budget for Iraq operations would provide $7.4 million to extend the no man's land and build new security fencing. 3/26/06 Boston Globe
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zFact:The U.S. has 14 "enduring bases" in Iraq
"As it is now called, Camp Maerz is one of fourteen “enduring bases” in Iraq, and includes “satellite television and Internet cafes. The facility’s dining hall is the size of an airport hangar." from The Army Lawyer (PDF), August 2005.
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zFact:The U.S. military has more than $1.2 billion in projects either underway or planned in the Central Command region -- an expansion plan that U.S. commanders say is necessary both to sustain operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and to provide for a long-term presence in the area. Washington Post
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zFact:And then there is the new embassy A new U.S. embassy will cost between $600 million and $1 billion. It is to arise in Baghdad's Green Zone on a plot of land along the Tigris River that is reportedly two-thirds the area of the National Mall in Washington, DC. The plans for this "embassy" are almost mythic in nature. A high-tech complex, it is to have "15ft blast walls and ground-to-air missiles" for protection as well as bunkers to guard against air attacks. source
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That was THEN
4/13/04 "As a proud and independent people, Iraqis do not support an indefinite occupation -- and neither does America. ...
"In terms of how long we'll be there: as long as necessary, and not one day more." President Bush White House.gov
1/28/06 "We already have handed over significant chunks of territory to the Iraqis…[I]t is not only our plan but our policy that we do not intend to have any permanent bases in Iraq."
Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, the Central Command deputy commander for planning and strategy in Iraq. Seattle PI
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WHY?
"The stationing of American forces abroad lends stability to countries and their regions, allowing trade to prosper, economies to flourish, and democracy to take root. American forces overseas have opportunities to train in areas where they would more likely see combat, with allies alongside whom they would likely fight."
David Yost, “The Future of U.S. Overseas Presence,” Joint Forces Quarterly (Summer 1995) Balancing bases and locations
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This is NOW
3/15/06 "The United States may want to keep a long-term military presence in Iraq to bolster moderates against extremists in the region and protect the flow of oil."
John Abizaid, Army general overseeing U.S. military operations in Iraq. Reuters
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QUESTION: Will there come a day ... when there will be no more American forces in Iraq?
THE PRESIDENT: That, of course, is an objective, and that will be decided by future Presidents and future governments of Iraq.
whitehouse.gov
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Times Argus An embedded reporter writes about "enduring bases" in Iraq.
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http://zfacts.com/p/263.html | 01/18/12 07:20 GMT
Modified: Sun, 14 May 2006 04:54:19 GMT
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