Comments on: SecDef Gates on Obama’s Timetable

By: ER

ER — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:03:49 +0000

Oops i didn’t read the post about him keeping his job.

Good luck to him, sounds like he got to keep his job.

By: ER

ER — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:53:00 +0000

Looks like somebody is trying to keep their job under the new administration.

By: AW1 Tim

AW1 Tim — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 04:07:51 +0000

Well, 63 years on we still have an “army of occupation in Germany..”

Iran may try and test Iraq with incursions across the border, but they would also have to contend with us and our sea-based forces, not something to be taken lightly.

respects,

By: Murdoc

Murdoc — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 04:04:06 +0000

We really seem bent on getting the Iraqi military up to 1st world capabilities. M1A1 tanks, F16 fighters, etc. Though it’s going to take years to accomplish, we have totally shifted from building an anti-insurgency internal security military to a world-class fighting force. I actually wonder if we’re going a bit too far.

As I’ve said for years, I don’t think we’re ever going to have ALL the troops out. Probably not even all the combat troops, though that number may get to be pretty small. Regardless, I think we’ll have several brigades’ worth of heavy equipment staged in Iraq and Kuwait so we can react by flying in a division of troops and not have to wait for the ships to bring the tanks and artillery.

The 3rd ID used pre-positioned equipment in Kuwait during the initial invasion, not their own equipment.

By: Nicholas

Nicholas — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:47:42 +0000

Good question. Perhaps there needs to be some kind of NATO-like agreement where the US forces can leave but with the understanding that an attack by Iran would be considered an attack on both parties.

By: jaymaster

jaymaster — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:05:03 +0000

Yeah, let’s hope the Iraqi’s can handle their internal threats. They’re probably close.

But can they handle an invasion from Iran?

By: Nicholas

Nicholas — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:53:42 +0000

If I may be a bit more serious…

Hopefully the Iraqis can handle the remaining terrorists and various other antagonistic individuals now. That, combined with the events in Pakistan and the increasing Taliban-related violence means that Afghanistan is the real worry now. So I’m far more worried that Obama will fail to address the Afghanistan problems properly than I am he will screw up Iraq.

Any word on how serious he is about A’stan or any comments from Gates about what he thinks will be required?

By: Nicholas

Nicholas — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:29:13 +0000

Hurry up Obama, soon it will be too late to run away!