CHAIRMAN JOINT CHIEFS SAYS IRAQ TRENDING IN RIGHT DIRECTION

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Right:  Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, left, and Defense Secretary Ash Carter conduct a news conference at the Pentagon, April 16, 2015. DoD photo by Army Sgt. 1st Class Clydell Kinchen.
  
Trends in Iraq Moving in Right Direction, Dempsey Says
By Terri Moon Cronk
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, April 16, 2015 – The Iraqi government has made gains, and trends there are moving in the right direction, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said at a Pentagon news conference today.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey met with reporters alongside Defense Secretary Ash Carter.

Hard work remains to be done to integrate Iraq’s militias under state command and control as Iraq continues to prepare its forces to sustain momentum against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the general said.

Iraq’s efforts during the Tikrit offensive are a good step, the chairman said, adding that the United States will continue consulting with Iraq's leadership as it plans and conducts operations. Dempsey also noted that Iraq has helped in its fight against ISIL.

Encouraged by Coalition’s Commitment

“I'm encouraged by the commitment of the coalition,” Dempsey said. “There's been an addition of 300 Australian troops and 100 New Zealand troops to the training mission, and that will certainly contribute to the outcomes we all seek.”
Those forces join the international partnership capacity mission, which includes the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United States, he added.

The chairman briefly outlined the military offensive going north of Baghdad through Diyala and into Tikrit, Beiji, and eventually up near Kirkuk from Anbar province.

“The offensive north of Baghdad has been deliberate, measured, steady progress,” he said. “Al Anbar has always been pockets of Iraqi security forces and pockets of ISIL. [The] latest attack on Ramadi is yet another indication that what the government of Iraq needs to do is connect these ink blots … of their legitimate security forces, so that there isn't this constant back and forth.”
Iraq’s Oil Infrastructure

Beiji, part of the Iraqi oil infrastructure, remains a contested area, the chairman said. “[But] when the Iraqis have full control of Beiji,” he added, “they will control all of their oil infrastructure, both north and south, and deny ISIL the ability to generate revenue through oil.”

The ISIL threat to the refinery is serious, Dempsey said, because the extremist group penetrated the outer perimeter.

“It's an extraordinarily large expanse of facility,” he said. “The refinery itself is at no risk right now, and we're focusing a lot of our [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] and air support there.”

Overall, the chairman said, the security environment in Iraq remains as dynamic as it's ever been. “And we remain focused on ensuring that our troops have the leadership, the training, and the resources to accomplish the tasks we ask of them,” he added.

CHAIRMAN JOINT CHIEFS DESCRIBES WHY IRAQ IS IMPORTANT TO U.S.

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Chairman Describes U.S. Interests in Iraq

By Jim Garamone

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, July 3, 2014 – The United States has sent troops back to Iraq because it is in America’s interest for the country to remain stable and to counter Sunni militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey told a Pentagon news conference that Iraq’s leaders must form an inclusive government that respects the rights of all groups.
Iraq can and should be a U.S. partner in countering terrorism, Dempsey said. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which has captured large sections of the country’s north and west over the past few weeks, is a regional threat, Dempsey said, but could become a transnational and global threat in the future. They have “made some pretty significant and rapid advances.”

Yet “they’re stretched right now,” the chairman said, “stretched to control what they have gained and stretched across their logistics lines of communication.”
There are currently nearly 800 American service members in Iraq, with some protecting the American embassy and other facilities. Other U.S. troops are assessing the situation on the ground and have now opened a second joint operations center in Erbil in northern Iraq after establishing one in Baghdad last month. President Barack Obama ordered up to 300 U.S. special forces to the country last month to provide advice on how best to assist the Iraqi military in their fight against Sunni militants.

Meanwhile, Iraqi security forces have stiffened resistance in face of the militants’ gains.

“I don’t have the assessment teams’ exact language, but some initial insights are that the ISF is stiffening, that they’re capable of defending Baghdad,” Dempsey said.

Iraqi forces would be challenged however, if they went on the offensive against the militants, he added.

Dempsey emphasized the ability of Iraq’s military to defend the country depends on political leaders in Baghdad uniting to form a government of national unity.
In addition, what role the United States will play in Iraq going forward, he said, depends on the conclusions of the U.S. military assessment teams, as well as Iraq’s political progress.

Currently, U.S. advisors in Iraq are not involved in combat operations, Dempsey said, but he did not rule that out.

“If the assessment comes back and reveals that it would be beneficial to this effort and to our national security interests to put the advisors in a different role, I will first consult with the secretary, we will consult with the president,” he said. “We’ll provide that option and we will move ahead.”

Even so, he said U.S. involvement in Iraq does not amount to “mission creep.” Choosing to characterize it instead as “mission match.”

“We will match the resources we apply with the authorities and responsibilities that go with them based on the mission we undertake, and that is to be determined,” the chairman said.