by Travis Sharp During the week of March 30, both the House and Senate will consider their respective versions of the fiscal year (FY) 2010 Budget Resolution. The annual Budget Resolution is not submitted to the President for signature and does not have the force of law. It does serve as a blueprint for later […]
Implementing the President’s Plan: An Outline for Action in Iraq
By Col. Richard L. Klass (USAF, ret.), Lt. Gen. Robert G. Gard, Jr. (USA, ret.) and Brig. Gen. John Johns (USA, ret.) [**] Staff Sgt. Riley Smallwood plays with Iraqi children in 2007 (DOD). Download this report (PDF, 5 pages) Barack Obama campaigned on a policy of ending U.S. military involvement in Iraq. There is […]
How Comfortable is the U.S.-Iraq SOFA?
by John Isaacs by Travis Sharp CONCLUSIONS IN BRIEF The agreement represents a stunning reversal in policy for the Bush administration, which until now rejected any timeline for troop withdrawals. The Bush administration has fallen in line behind the policy of President-elect Barack Obama, who has proposed removing U.S. combat troops from Iraq within 16 […]
New Systems Boost Iraqi Surveillance Capability
by Travis Sharp Lynx II radar system’s electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) output (General Atomics) While the election of Barack Obama heralds an impending change in U.S. policy toward Iraq, defense officials in Washington and Baghdad continue to focus on transforming the Iraqi military into a legitimate fighting force. Both the United States and Iraq seem to agree […]
U.S.-Iraq Agreement Requires Urban Withdrawal by June 2009
by Travis Sharp An English translation of the U.S.-Iraq security agreement was released this week by the American Friends Service Committee. The agreement already has come under fire in Iraq because many Iraqi lawmakers oppose it and now are seeking to reopen negotiations. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, however, said October 21 that “There is […]
