"Here are some cold facts for those contemplating the future in Iraq:
"The U.S. military has not only 160,000 troops and at least 100,000 contractors in that country, but also about 140,000 to 200,000 metric tons of valuable equipment and supplies, as well as 15,000 to 20,000 military vehicles and major weapons. These are spread through many cities and more than 100 forward operating bases.
"A secure withdrawal that includes all U.S. supplies and equipment and that phases out U.S. bases would take at least nine to 12 months and probably much longer. Two years is what many military experts think would be a rapid, but deliberate, pace. Such an effort should include transferring or destroying facilities and stocks that could fuel a civil war, as well as deciding the fate of more than $20 billion in aid projects and of the gigantic U.S. Embassy -- which may end up as the most expensive white elephant in the history of American diplomacy."The Tenuous Case for Strategic Patience in Iraq: A Trip Report
Anthony H. Cordesman, Center for Strategic and International Studies, August 6, 2007
Comment: This is information that should inform decision making in the U.S. Congress, the Bush Administration, and the U.S. election campaign. JAD
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