Wolfowitz: Marines understand role in Iraq

[thedrifter]

Wolfowitz: Marines understand role in Iraq
Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton
Story Identification Number: 2003121922563
Story by Cpl. Jeremy M. Vought



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.(Dec. 16, 2003) -- Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz toured Camp Pendleton Tuesday, telling Marines their upcoming deployment to Iraq remains as important as ever, despite the news of Saddam Hussein's capture.

"The biggest challenge remains... there is this hardcore group of people who for 35 years abused and tortured the people of Iraq and don't want to see those times change," Wolfowitz said.

"Obviously the capture of Saddam Hussein is a big deal to those people," Wolfowitz said.

"I think the level of cooperation hopefully will improve. It's been pretty good in many cases but the area the Marines are going to go to now is been one of the most difficult," he added.

More than 20,000 I Marine Expeditionary Force Marines and sailors are preparing for Operation Iraqi Freedom II, a redeployment to take over security and stability operations in Western Iraq. Wolfowitz spoke with Marines during lunch at a Camp Pendleton mess hall and watched Security and Stability Operation training at the base's Military Operations in Urban Terrain facility.

"Marines don't simply need a lot of encouragement," Wolfowitz said of his conversations with Marines. "They understand what the mission is about. We spent a lot of time frankly talking about very detailed kinds of issues, like how to make sure that when they are in the field they have the sort of resources that allow them to do the small scale economic development projects that we've found are absolutely crucial in winning this war.

"We talked about things like how you make sure that you have all the assets we can make available to give them awareness of the culture and people they are dealing with and how we can get more Iraqi Americans who are eager to help out to assist the Marines and maybe even deploy with the Marines," he added. "It was those kinds of issues."

Still, Wolfowitz admitted that the mission in Iraq is difficult. He said there are enemy forces who likely will seek to disrupt and undermine Coalition efforts to allow Iraqis to realize self-rule.

"The fundamental mission really does remain the same," Wolfowitz said. "In fact, in a sense the mission even in the phase of major combat was to get rid of this regime of sadist torturers who had abused Iraq for so long. And that still is the heart of the problem that we're dealing with.."

"They're now going to be trying to do that in a more difficult part of the country out west," Wolfowitz added. "The fact is that most Iraqis believe in that future for their country, but there are comparatively small numbers of people who are opposing it, but a comparatively small number can make a great deal of trouble when they use the methods of terrorism."

While Marines plan to deploy in the early spring for the first of a two-phased deployment, Wolfowitz reiterated the U.S. commitment to realizing a free and democratic Iraq and not be limited by timetables.

"We plan to stay in Iraq as long as that new Iraqi government wants us there to help," he said."I think it will make a big difference to the Iraqi people to understand that the mission is not to occupy the country, not to use it for our purposes, but to help the Iraqi people build a free country."



Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz talkes with Camp Pendleton, Calif. Marines at the Military Operations in Urban Terrain facility during his visit to the base Dec. 16, 2003. Wolfowitz said the Marines' upcoming mission to Iraq is crucial to security in the country. Photo by: Cpl. Jeremy M. Vought

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn20...A?opendocument

Sempers,

Roger