[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 616 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 616
Expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States civil-
military partnership in Iraq, under the current leadership of General
Raymond Odierno and Ambassador Christopher Hill, has refined and
sustained an effective counterinsurgency and counterterrorism strategy
that has enabled significant improvements in the security, governance,
and rule of law throughout Iraq, and that these leaders should be
commended for their ingenuity, resourcefulness, courage, commitment,
and sacrifice.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 5, 2010
Mr. Burr submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States civil-
military partnership in Iraq, under the current leadership of General
Raymond Odierno and Ambassador Christopher Hill, has refined and
sustained an effective counterinsurgency and counterterrorism strategy
that has enabled significant improvements in the security, governance,
and rule of law throughout Iraq, and that these leaders should be
commended for their ingenuity, resourcefulness, courage, commitment,
and sacrifice.
Whereas members of the United States Armed Forces will end their combat mission
in Iraq on August 31, 2010, and retain a transitional force of up to
50,000 troops to train and advise the Iraqi Security Forces, conduct
partnered and targeted counterterrorism operations, and protect ongoing
United States civilian and military efforts;
Whereas, on August 31, 2010, Operation Iraqi Freedom will end and a transitional
mission called Operation New Dawn will begin, and the nature of the
United States commitment in Iraq will shift from one led by the military
to one that is civilian-led, with the military in a supporting and
reinforcing role;
Whereas the transitional force will retain sufficient combat power and continue
to support Iraqi Security Forces, and the civilian force will strengthen
the partnership between the Governments of the United States and Iraq in
fields such as education, the rule of law, trade, and technology;
Whereas the United States is fully committed and will remain committed to the
security and stability of Iraq and the Middle East region;
Whereas the ongoing reduction of United States combat and combat support units
from Iraq and the conclusion of United States-led, direct support and
combat operations provides an opportunity to recognize and honor the
important contributions of the United States Armed Forces and the
critical civilian agency support that have enabled the Iraqi Security
Forces to take the lead in conducting security and stability operations
across the 18 provinces of Iraq;
Whereas the surge of United States military units into Iraq in 2007 and 2008 was
instrumental in seizing the initiative from insurgent and terrorist
elements and providing the space and time for the development of the
Iraqi Security Forces and the establishment of governmental, political,
and economic capacity at the local level;
Whereas the meticulous and persistent contributions of the United States
military and civilian leadership under General David Petraeus and
Ambassador Ryan Crocker contributed greatly to the successful build up
of the Iraqi Security Forces and the development of stable governance in
Iraq;
Whereas, in June 2006, the Iraqi Security Forces numbered approximately 152,000
and due to the subsequent deployment and employment of critical United
States Military Transition Teams, Border Transition Teams, and Police
Transition Teams and the extensive partnering of additional United
States military units with Iraqi units, the total Iraqi Security Forces
grew from approximately 559,000 in May 2008 to reach approximately
665,000 in August of 2010;
Whereas the ongoing security and stability provided by the partnership between
the United States Armed Forces and Iraqi Security Forces has allowed
United States Provincial Reconstruction Teams, embedded with United
States military units and working alongside Iraqis at the local and
provincial levels, to have facilitated thousands of reconstruction
projects across Iraq that provide necessary access to capital and
subject matter expertise for the repair of petroleum production
facilities and desalination plants, expansion of electrical generation
and telecommunications networks, building of schools, initiation of
agricultural projects, spurring of Iraqi-owned businesses, and the
attracting of foreign investment to improve the infrastructure of Iraq;
Whereas improved communication and coordination between the Government of Iraq
in Baghdad, the Provincial Governors, and local political and tribal
leaders has helped foster legitimate political alliances that, while
still fragile, have exhibited the resiliency and potential for the
resolution of conflicts through civil discourse, rather than violence;
Whereas the security situation in Iraq has improved markedly since 2007, and
while it remains uneven and violent attacks by anti-government elements
persist, the frequency of these attacks and the resources available to
the insurgents and terrorists have declined to such an extent that the
Government of Iraq remains capable and secure; and
Whereas these positive developments and trends are evidence of the success of
the United States civil-military strategy in Iraq and are essential to
the ongoing reduction of United States military forces from the current
troop levels of approximately 64,000 to approximately 50,000 combat and
combat support troops by September 1, 2010, further signaling a robust
and ongoing commitment to advise and assist Iraqi Security Forces, while
retaining the ability to respond in direct support of Iraqi Security
Forces when necessary and to conduct counterterrorism operations against
insurgent and terrorist elements: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) the counterinsurgency and counterterrorism strategies
of the United States initiated in 2006 and sustained from 2007
until the present day have successfully enabled the Government
of Iraq to reach major milestones in the critical areas of
security, governance, and rule of law and have set the
conditions for the responsible and gradual reduction of United
States combat and combat support units from Iraq and the change
of their mission to advising and assisting the Iraqi Security
Forces;
(2) United States Forces-Iraq was instrumental in effecting
the recruitment, training, retention, and employment of
approximately 700,000 Iraqi Security Forces who have assumed
and maintained the lead for security operations within the 18
provinces of Iraq; and
(3) United States commanders, their troops, their civilian
partners in the Department of State, the United States Agency
for International Development, the Department of the Treasury,
the Department of Commerce, the Department of Justice, and the
Department of Defense, Federal contractors, and the Provincial
Reconstruction Teams should be commended for their ingenuity,
resourcefulness, courage, commitment, and sacrifice and their
continued dedication and service to the United States.
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