43,000 Alerted for Duty in Iraq

[MORTARDUDE]

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/06/in...partner=GOOGLE

43,000 Alerted for Duty in Iraq
By ERIC SCHMITT and THOM SHANKER

Published: November 6, 2003


ASHINGTON, Nov. 5 ? The Pentagon began alerting 43,000 Reserve and National Guard troops late Wednesday for the possibility of yearlong duty in Iraq or Kuwait as part of a force-rotation plan that would reduce the overall American military presence in Iraq by next spring, senior Pentagon officials said.

Advertisement


The alert warnings and deployment orders approved by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Wednesday reflected concern by Pentagon officials and the administration over stresses that large mobilizations have placed on reservists and their families. These, in turn, have prompted complaints in Congress.

The orders were drafted to give the troops maximum warning about their possible duty and to ensure that the bulk of them had not already been called up since Sept. 11, 2001, senior Pentagon officials said.

The plan would draw down total American forces in Iraq to about 105,000 troops from 130,000 in the midst of next year's presidential election campaign.

The Pentagon's chief spokesman, Lawrence Di Rita, rejected any assertion that politics played a role in the planning, saying that such considerations were "an utter nonfactor" in the decision.

Pentagon planners have sought to limit additional call-ups of National Guard and Reserve forces beyond combat units identified months ago, but ultimately realized that, at the very least, logistics units would be required in the next rotation.

Military planners say the United States could deploy a slightly smaller but still sizable force in Iraq by tailoring the replacement troops to the mission now facing the American-led occupation. For example, they said, the plan calls for swapping tank-heavy armored divisions for units that put more foot soldiers in Iraq. The proposal also takes account of plans to accelerate the training and fielding of Iraq's own security forces to more than 200,000 personnel next year.

The administration has failed to win new commitments of foreign troops for Iraq beyond the two multinational divisions serving there. Mr. Rumsfeld is ordering two brigades, or about 20,000 active-duty marines, from the First Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, Calif., to help fill the gap left by departing Army forces. It will be the first time since the Vietnam War that large numbers of marines, traditionally an expeditionary force, will serve long-term duty for a military operation.

Joining that marine force will be one brigade, or about 7,000 soldiers, from the Army's 25th Infantry Division, based in Hawaii.

The first official announcement of the alert and deployment order came at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday. "We will be talking to Congress this afternoon and issuing orders tonight," said Gen. Peter Pace, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "It does include a call-up of reserves, it does include land forces, it does include the Navy and the Air Force with their capabilities to participate."

On Wednesday, the total of National Guard and Reserve members called to active duty worldwide stood at 154,603. About 60,000 of those are now serving in Iraq or Kuwait.

For rotation next year, the Pentagon had already activated 15,000 troops from the National Guards of Arkansas, Washington State and North Carolina. Likewise, Army officials previously announced that active-duty troops from the First Cavalry Division and the First Infantry Division would rotate into Iraq.

The Reserve alert order, a multipage manifest that went through many changes even in the last few days, puts 397 units on notice in most of the 50 states. Some units will see large numbers of their personnel put on alert, while others may receive only a handful of new orders, including one unit being tapped just for two chaplains.

Of the 43,000 whose units are being alerted, more than 37,000 are Army Reserve and National Guard troops. The remainder are Marine reservists. In addition, the Pentagon is telling about 2,000 Air Force personnel and about 1,000 Navy personnel they could be going to Iraq or Kuwait.

To fulfill the requirement of serving a full year on the ground, those troops actually mobilized may serve up to 18 months, including training and leave.

Military officials said that they were conscious of the approaching holiday season and that they expected units would not actually be sent to Iraq until after Jan. 1, but the decision was made to send out the alert order now so the reservists could begin their planning for active duty.

Officials also said on Wednesday that Mr. Rumsfeld will almost certainly alert as many 10,000 additional Reserve and National Guard troops in the next few weeks.

Pentagon officials added that the ultimate size of the American force in Iraq will depend on the number of other foreign troops available next spring, on the size and effectiveness of Iraq's new military forces, and on the security situation on the ground. Because of those considerations, military officers said, not all of the reservists alerted Wednesday will necessarily be mobilized for duty.

"It's not just an issue of numbers," a senior Pentagon official said. Instead, officials said, the American replacement forces are being tailored more precisely for the stabilization mission, and could be altered if the security situation shows improvements by next spring.

Despite a new United Nations resolution authorizing the American-led occupation, there have been no new significant allied troop contributions. South Korea and Turkey are both considering sending troops, but both decisions are shackled by domestic political considerations and, in the case of Turkey, apprehension on the part of members of the American-appointed Iraqi Governing Council.