States is on schedule to end combat operations in Iraq by Aug. 31.
However, a residual force of at least 50,000 "noncombat" troops will
remain in Iraq for the next year. So what exactly are noncombat
troops?
Whatever you want them to be. The distinction is more political than
military. The White House says the remaining troops will "train and
advise Iraqi Security Forces; conduct partnered and targeted
counter-terrorism operations; and protect ongoing U.S. civilian and
military efforts." All of this has the potential to involve quite a
bit of combat.
When asked about the distinction, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said
last year that thought the units in Iraq will still have combat
capability, "the notion of being engaged in combat in the way we have
been up until now will be completely different."
It's true that the majority of U.S. troops left in Iraq will rarely
leave base, but that's already the case. However, the units involved
are certainly prepared for combat should the need arise. For instance,
the first division deployed in support of the new noncombat mission --
which the Obama administration decided in February to rechristen
Operation New Dawn -- is the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Division,
and armored cavalry unit.
The remaining U.S. troops will participate in combat patrols with
Iraqi forces. (This isn't new. According to the U.S. military,
independent operations have not been carried out for several months,
and the Iraqi government's approval of any combat mission has been
required since the 2008 Status of Forces Agreement.) U.S. special
operations troops will continue, in partnership with Iraqi forces, to
conduct counterterrorism raids against insurgent groups. Additionally,
Iraqi forces are still largely dependent on the United States for air
support, artillery and medical assistance.
And of course, as Gen. Ray Odierno, the outgoing U.S. commander in
Iraq, recently pointed out, "as we moved away from combat operations,
the enemy has not." Even if the U.S. combat role has been reduced,
U.S. facilities and patrols will still come under attack and need to
be defended. The threat of insurgent attack certainly distinguishes
the "noncombat" garrisons in Iraq from those in South Korea and
Germany. (Thankfully, U.S. troop fatalities are now down to below 10
per month from a high of nearly 70 in 2007.)
So while the next stage of the Iraq war may be, as Obama described it,
a transformation from "a military effort led by our troops to a
civilian effort led by our diplomats," the actual mission of the
remaining troops will stay largely the same: building the capabilities
of the Iraqi military and rooting out the extremists.
The scope of that mission will certainly change as troop levels
continue to decline, though of course this isn't the first time a
president has declared an end to "combat" in Iraq.
Thanks to Mike Few, Iraq combat veteran and assistant editor at Small
Wars Journal, and the U.S. Army public affairs office.