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Author: TriSec    Date: 08/24/2010 10:35:07

Good Morning.

Today is our 23,850th day in Germany and our 23,751st day in Japan.

Wait a minute. What?

Sixty-Five years after the end of WWII, we still have approximately 50,000 active-duty personnel in a number of bases in Germany. While I'm not sure how many troops are currently in Japan, there are a number of bases there, and a highly controversial one on Okinawa.

But that's not the only places that have an American military presence. The list is astonishing.

There might be some places on that list that make sense strategically or politically, but Bulgaria? Djibouti? I don't even know where Djibouti is.



Much news was generated last week (in the liberal media, at least; did you see Fox?) about the so-called last combat brigade leaving Iraq for Kuwait. The reference to Germany above was intentional; there are around 50,000 American soldiers still in that country....about the same number that are expected to remain in Iraq.

But calling them something else doesn't mean they won't be fighting.


As the final convoy of the Army's 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, based at Fort Lewis, Wash., entered Kuwait early Thursday, a different Stryker brigade remained in Iraq.

Soldiers from the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the 25th Infantry Division are deployed in Iraq as members of an Advise and Assist Brigade, the Army's designation for brigades selected to conduct security force assistance.

So while the "last full U.S. combat brigade" have left Iraq, just under 50,000 soldiers from specially trained heavy, infantry and Stryker brigades will stay, as well as two combat aviation brigades.

Compared with the 49,000 soldiers in Iraq, there are close to 67,000 in Afghanistan and another 9,700 in Kuwait, according to the latest Army chart on global commitments dated Aug. 17. Under an agreement with the Iraqi government, all U.S. troops must be out of Iraq by Dec. 31, 2011.

There are seven Advise and Assist Brigades in Iraq, as well as two additional National Guard infantry brigades "for security," said Army spokesman Lt. Col. Craig Ratcliff.

Last year, the Army decided that rather than devote permanent force structure to the growing security force assistance mission, it would modify and augment existing brigades.

The Army has three different standard brigade combat teams: infantry, Stryker and heavy. To build an Advise and Assist Brigade, the Army selects one of these three and puts it through special training before deploying.

The Army selected brigade combat teams as the unit upon which to build advisory brigades partly because they would be able to retain their inherent capability to conduct offensive and defensive operations, according to the Army's security force assistance field manual, which came out in May 2009. This way, the brigade can shift the bulk of its operational focus from security force assistance to combat operations if necessary.


So while it is still good news every time a soldier leaves Iraq for good, the truth remains that we're still going to be there for a very long time. Sixty Five years from now will be the year 2075. We'll all be likely dead and buried by then, but given our history, there will still be US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. What will these numbers look like then?

American Deaths
Since war began (3/19/03): 4416
Since "Mission Accomplished" (5/1/03): 4277
Since Capture of Saddam (12/13/03): 3955
Since Handover (6/29/04): 3557
Since Obama Inauguration (1/20/09): 188

Other Coalition Troops - Iraq : 318
US Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 1,242
Other Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 781
Contractor Employee Deaths - Iraq: 1,457
Journalists - Iraq: 338
Academics Killed - Iraq: 437
 

45 comments (Latest Comment: 08/24/2010 23:59:08 by Raine)
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