Posted on 09/20/2007 6:08:44 PM PDT by SandRat
WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2007 Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates spent this morning on Capitol Hill and plans to spend more time there next week, a top Defense Department spokesman said here today.
They have been discussing the situation in Iraq and the presidents plan to gradually draw down forces in Iraq and adjust the mission of those forces that remain, he said. Transitioning U.S. forces mission in Iraq is dependent on improving conditions there, Morrell said, and he cited recent signs of progress in the region. He quoted U.S. leaders in Iraq as saying total attacks have declined in 10 of the past 13 weeks to the lowest levels since February 2006, when the Golden Mosque in Samarra, was bombed. In addition, power output in the region has hit record highs, even for peak periods during Saddam Husseins reign. Gates will talk with the Senate Appropriations Committee next week about the Defense Department budget request to fund the global war on terror for the next year, Morrell said. Morrell also said the secretary asked officials for information on the Defense Departments private security contracts in Iraq after a shooting incident there this week by State Department security contractor Blackwater USA. Morrell said this is does not constitute a comprehensive review by the secretarys office, but that the questions are looking into how the Defense Department uses security contractors in Iraq. Morrell noted that the shooting incident involved a State Department security contractor and that the Defense Department does not have security contracts with Blackwater in Iraq. The Defense Department hires 137,000 contractors through more than a dozen different companies in Iraq, Morrell said, adding that the department has about 7,000 private security contractors in the region. These positions are better filled by contractors so the military can focus on combat-related activities and going after the enemy, he said. In other news, Morrell reported that the Defense Department has authorized more mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, with a v-shaped hull that better protect troops from roadside-bomb blasts. The military services are now slated to receive more than 15,000 of the vehicles, up from 7,700 originally planned, he said. Under the new plan, the Army will receive 10,000; the Marine Corps, 3,700; the Navy, 544; the Air Force, 697; and Special Operations Command will take 333. Officials hope to deliver 1,500 to troops in Iraq by the end of the year, he said. We want to make sure we have enough to meet the needs of the force to best protect them, Morrell said. |
Biographies: Robert M. Gates |
||
|
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.