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US may cut troop levels in Iraq this fall

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-07-17 07:19

Though the troop buildup ordered last year has ended, there are still 150,000 in Iraq -- as many as 15,000 more than before it began.

There now are technically 13 Army and two Marine combat brigades in Iraq -- the same as before the buildup -- but the force is as much as 10 percent larger than it was in January 2007.

Military officials contend comparisons are not valid because a chunk of the remaining troop bulge is due to units that are overlapping, as two brigades begin moving out of Iraq, while their two replacements move in. The overlap could add up to 6,000 soldiers.

Also, one of the units moving out, the 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, is much smaller than the one taking its place -- the 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.

So, the officials suggested, the military buildup may not really be over until the transitions are complete.

The key cause for the larger force is the change in mission in Iraq, as the US military is using more trainers, security and support troops to back up the growing Iraqi force. Also, the US units there now are bigger, and they are bolstered by more support forces.

When the military buildup began, there were between 132,000 and 135,000 troops in Iraq. Over time, however, the Pentagon poured troops into Baghdad and the belt of communities that surround it, including volatile Sadr City and Basra, the largest city in southern Iraq.

With more troops, the military needed more support, including military police to guard detainees and National Guard units to provide security for bases, convoys and other operations.

Earlier this year, military leaders acknowledged that the force in Iraq when the buildup ended would be larger than before it began. And they suggested that the post-buildup force would total about 142,000.

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