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GAO-08-143R 1 (2007-11-30)

handle is hein.gao/gaocrptavpm0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Sai Accountability * Integrity * Reliability United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 November 30, 2007 Congressional Committees Subject: Operation Iraqi Freedom: DOD Assessment of Iraqi Security Forces' Units as Independent Not Clear Because ISF Support Capabilities Are Not Fully Developed The National Strategy for Victory in Iraq, issued by the National Security Council in November 2005, asserted the Coalition's intention to adjust its posture and approaches as conditions evolve and Iraqi capabilities grow, and for Coalition troop levels in Iraq to decrease over time as the Iraqis take on more responsibilities for themselves. Some three months later, in response to the growing capability of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and some other indicators of progress, the Department of Defense (DOD) recommended a decrease in the U.S. force structure in Iraq from 17 to 15 combat brigades-a reduction of about 7,000 troops. Following the bombing of the Golden Mosque of Samarra on February 22, 2006, however, an upsurge in violence throughout the country undermined political gains and challenged the Government of Iraq. In light of these developments, the President commissioned a strategic review in November 2006 that resulted in a new U.S. strategy for Iraq, entitled the New Way Forward. President Bush announced this new strategy on January 10, 2007, noting that he had made clear to the Iraqi Prime Minister and Iraq's other leaders that America would hold the Iraqi Government to a set of political, security, and economic benchmarks. On May 25, 2007, the President signed into law the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act of 2007 (the Act), which contained 18 benchmarks against which progress by the Government of Iraq was to be measured. One of those benchmarks is the increase of the number of Iraqi Security Force units capable of operating independently. Since passage of the Act, several reports assessing the ability of the Iraqi Security Forces to operate independently have been issued. * DOD's June 2007 report to Congress2 stated that although the United States, its Coalition partners, and the Iraqi government continued to expand the size and capability of the Iraqi forces to meet emerging requirements, the persistence of violence by insurgents, terrorists, and militias means that Iraqi forces will require continued training, development, and equipping from Coalition forces in order to progressively assume missions on their own. The report outlined four major areas on which the Coalition would focus, one of which was support for the expansion of the Iraqi army. * Also in June 2007, the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations released its Stand Up and Be Counted: The Continuing Challenge 'Pub. L. No 110-28, §1314 (2007). 2DOD, Measuring Stability and Security in Iraqi: Report to Congress in Accordance with the Department of Defense Appropriations Act 2007, Section 9010, Public Law 109-289 (June 7, 2007). GAO-08-143R Operation Iraqi Freedom

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