Commends and expresses gratitude to: (1) the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces for the service, sacrifices, and heroism that made the success of the troop surge in Iraq possible; and (2) General David H. Petraeus, General Raymond Odierno, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker for the distinguished wartime leadership that made such success possible.
Recognizes the success of the troop surge in Iraq and its strategic significance in advancing U.S. vital national interests in Iraq, the Middle East, and the world, in particular as a strategic victory in a central front of the war on terrorism.
Recognizes that the gains achieved as a result of the troop surge are significant but not permanent, and that it is imperative that no action be taken that jeopardizes those gains or dishonors the service and sacrifice of the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces who made those gains possible.
[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[H. Res. 1475 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1475
Recognizing the strategic success of the troop surge in Iraq and
expressing gratitude to the members of the United States Armed Forces
who made that success possible.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 22, 2008
Mr. Marshall submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the strategic success of the troop surge in Iraq and
expressing gratitude to the members of the United States Armed Forces
who made that success possible.
Whereas by the end of 2006, it had become clear that, despite exceptional
efforts and sacrifices on the part of the United States Armed Forces in
Iraq, the United States was pursuing a failed strategy in Iraq;
Whereas by the end of 2006, large-scale sectarian violence was accelerating
throughout Iraq, al Qaeda had established significant safe havens there,
militias sponsored by the Government of Iran had seized effective
control of large swaths of Iraq, and the Government of Iraq was
suffering from political paralysis;
Whereas by the end of 2006, insurgents and death squads were killing more than
3,000 civilians in Iraq each month and coalition forces were sustaining
more than 1,200 attacks each week;
Whereas in December 2006, the Iraq Study Group warned that ``the United States
is facing one of its most difficult and significant international
challenges in decades'' in Iraq and that ``Iraq is vital to regional and
even global stability, and is critical to U.S. interests'';
Whereas in December 2004, Osama bin Laden said the following of the war in Iraq:
``The most important and serious issue today for the whole world is this
Third World War. . . . The world's millstone and pillar is Baghdad, the
capital of the caliphate.'';
Whereas on January 10, 2007, in an address to the Nation, President George W.
Bush acknowledged that the situation in Iraq was ``unacceptable'' and
announced his intention to put in place a new strategy, subsequently
known as ``the surge'';
Whereas President Bush nominated and the Senate confirmed General David H.
Petraeus as the Commander of Multi-National Forces--Iraq, a position he
assumed on February 10, 2007;
Whereas General Petraeus, upon assuming command, and in partnership with
Lieutenant General Raymond Odierno, the Commander of Multi-National
Corps--Iraq, and United States Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker,
developed a comprehensive civil-military counterinsurgency campaign plan
to reverse Iraq's slide into chaos, defeat the enemies of the United
States in Iraq, and, in partnership with the Iraqi Security Forces and
the Government of Iraq, reestablish security across the country;
Whereas, under the previous strategy, the overwhelming majority of United States
combat forces were concentrated on a small number of large forward
operating bases and were not assigned the mission of providing security
for the people of Iraq against insurgents, terrorists, and militia
fighters, in part because there were insufficient members of the United
States Armed Forces in Iraq to do so;
Whereas, as an integral component of the surge, approximately 5 additional
United States Army brigades and 2 United States Marine Corps battalions
were deployed to Iraq;
Whereas, as an integral component of the surge, members of the United States
Armed Forces were deployed out of large forward operating bases onto
small bases throughout Baghdad and other key population centers,
partnering with the Iraqi Security Forces to provide security for the
local population against insurgents, terrorists, and militia fighters;
Whereas additional members of the United States Armed Forces began moving into
Iraq in January 2007 and reached full strength in June 2007;
Whereas, as a consequence of the additional forces needed in Iraq, in April 2007
the United States Army added 3 months to the standard year-long tour for
all active duty soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the United States
Marine Corps added 3 months to the standard 6-month tour for all active
duty Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan;
Whereas, as an integral component of the surge, members of the United States
Armed Forces began simultaneous and successive offensive operations, in
partnership with the Iraqi Security Forces, of unprecedented breadth,
continuity, and sophistication, striking multiple enemy safe havens and
lines of communication at the same time;
Whereas, as an integral component of the surge, additional members of the United
States Armed Forces were deployed to Anbar province to provide essential
support to the nascent tribal revolt against al Qaeda in that province;
Whereas those additional members of the United States Armed Forces played a
critical role in the success and spread of anti-Qaeda Sunni tribal
groups in Anbar province and subsequently in other regions of Iraq;
Whereas, since the start of the surge in January 2007, there have been marked
and hopeful improvements in almost every political, security, and
economic indicator in Iraq;
Whereas in 2007, General Petraeus described Iraq as ``the central front of al
Qaeda's global campaign'';
Whereas in 2008, as a consequence of the success of the surge, al Qaeda has been
dealt what Director of Central Intelligence Michael Hayden assesses as a
``near strategic defeat'' in Iraq;
Whereas, as a consequence of the success of the surge, militias backed by the
Government of Iran have been routed from major population centers in
Iraq and no longer control significant swaths of territory;
Whereas, as a consequence of the success of the surge, sectarian violence in
Iraq has fallen dramatically and has been almost entirely eliminated;
Whereas, as a consequence of the success of the surge, overall insurgent attacks
have fallen by approximately 80 percent since June 2007 and are at their
lowest level since March 2004;
Whereas as a consequence of the success of the surge, United States casualties
in Iraq have dropped dramatically and United States combat deaths in
Iraq in July 2008 were lower than in any other month since the beginning
of the war;
Whereas, as a consequence of the success of the surge, the Government of Iraq
has made significant strides in advancing sectarian reconciliation and
achieving political progress, including the passage of key benchmark
legislation;
Whereas, as a consequence of the success of the surge, the Iraqi Security Forces
have improved markedly and approximately 70 percent of Iraqi combat
battalions are now leading operations in their areas; and
Whereas, as a consequence of the success of the surge, General Petraeus
concluded in 2008 that conditions on the ground in Iraq could permit the
additional brigades and battalions dispatched to Iraq in 2007 as part of
the surge to be safely redeployed without replacement, and all such
brigades and battalions have been successfully withdrawn without
replacement: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House--
(1) commends and expresses its gratitude to the men and
women of the United States Armed Forces for the service,
sacrifices, and heroism that made the success of the troop
surge in Iraq possible;
(2) commends and expresses its gratitude to General David
H. Petraeus, General Raymond Odierno, and Ambassador Ryan
Crocker for the distinguished wartime leadership that made the
success of the troop surge in Iraq possible;
(3) recognizes the success of the troop surge in Iraq and
its strategic significance in advancing the vital national
interests of the United States in Iraq, the Middle East, and
the world, in particular as a strategic victory in a central
front of the war on terrorism; and
(4) recognizes that the hard-won gains achieved as a result
of the troop surge in Iraq are significant but not yet
permanent and that it is imperative that no action be taken
that jeopardizes those gains or dishonors the service and
sacrifice of the men and women of the United States Armed
Forces who made those gains possible.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
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