Officials Announce Plan for Iraq Troop Rotations into 2004

Thursday, June 19, 2003

By Kathleen T. Rhem

American Forces Press Service

General Keane said officials worked out a plan they hope provides Gen. John Abizaid, CENTCOM commander, the forces necessary to "meet his requirements while at the same time permitting the flow of coalition forces and permitting the recruiting and training and developing of the Iraqi police, the civil defense, and the new Iraqi army."

WASHINGTON -- AFIS
Defense officials have come up with a troop- rotation plan for Iraq that will give the commander of U.S. Central Command "the force he needs to decisively defeat those elements that threaten security," the acting Army chief said July 23.

To meet this requirement, the troop-rotation plan will use active Army brigade combat teams and forces from the other military services, including the reserve components, Gen. John Keane said in a Pentagon press briefing.

The plan also calls for more use of international forces and rapidly developing Iraqi police, civil defense and military forces.

In the future, Iraq tours for U.S. service members will be "up to 12 months," Keane said in laying out the details for upcoming unit rotations.

As the first unit in, the first to leave Iraq will be remaining forces of the 3rd Infantry Division. Keane reiterated previous announcements that 3ID troops, who are deployed from Fort Stewart, Ga., will be out by September. A maneuver brigade task force and headquarters from the 82nd Airborne Division will replace them.

Keane noted that the 82nd will serve a six-month rotation because the division headquarters served during major combat operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Many 82nd Airborne troops have seen duty recently in Afghanistan, as well.

As far as remaining units in Iraq, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force will be replaced by a Polish-led multinational division in September or October. Fourth Infantry Division will be replaced by 1st Infantry Division, deployed from Germany, with an attached infantry brigade from the Army National Guard, in March or April 2004.
(More: DefenseLINK.mil)
2003 © U.S. Department of Defense.

Dan