Withdrawing from Iraq Alternative Schedules, Associated Risks, and Mitigating Strategies
Walter L. Perry, Stuart E. Johnson, Keith Crane, David C. Gompert, John Gordon IV, Robert E. Hunter, Dalia Dassa Kaye, Terrence K. Kelly, Eric Peltz, Howard J. Shatz
Prepared for the Office of the Secretary of Defense Approved for public release; distribution unlimited
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this publication. 978-0-8330-4772-4
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Cover photo: The Iraqi flag flutters as a soldier of the 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry regiment, salutes during the transfer ceremony of the JSS Ghazaliyah IV security station to full Iraqi Security Forces control in the Ghazaliyah district of Baghdad on February 14, 2009. Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images
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Preface
Security has improved dramatically in Iraq since 2007; both the U.S. and the Iraqi governments want to see the U.S. presence reduced and have the Iraqis assume a greater role in providing for public security. These developments have brought the United States to a critical juncture in Iraq. The emerging challenge is to continue a withdrawal of U.S. forces while preserving security and stability in the country and in the region. With this in mind, the U.S. Congress provided resources in the fiscal year 2009 Defense Appropriations Act for an independent study to assess alternative schedules to draw down U.S. forces and effect the transition to Iraqi forces providing for the nation’s security. This study assesses the feasibility of three such plans and makes recommendation