REP. RAMSTAD STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT’S CALL FOR U.S. TROOP INCREASE IN IRAQ

 

I am disappointed the President did not follow the advice of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General John Abizaid, General George Casey and General Colin Powell who oppose the increase of U.S. troops in Iraq.

 As General Abizaid, the top U.S. Commander in the Middle East, has repeatedly said, the increase in U.S. troops will be counterproductive because it will perpetuate the dependency of Iraqi forces, create more targets, and stretch our military too thin.

As General Powell said, “A surge has already been tried in Baghdad and failed. Now it will only further delay Iraqis taking control of their own security.”

Moreover, I am very concerned about sending 21,500 more American troops into the middle of a civil war.

With 325,000 Iraqi security forces already trained, according to our Defense Department, it’s time for Iraqi troops to move to the front lines in Baghdad, Anbar Province and Fallujah. U.S. troops should get back to the original mission of training Iraqi security forces so they can secure their own country.

Our strategy should be to accelerate the training of Iraqi security forces and the turnover of the security function to the Iraqis so our troops can come home with their mission completed.

 

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