The War in Iraq Three Years Out: A Successful Exit Strategy and Securing Our Future

The War in Iraq Three Years Out: A Successful Exit Strategy and Securing Our Future
Submitted by Phil Giltner on July 28, 2006 - 1:19pm.

At the three-year anniversary of "Mission Accomplished", it is time to honor our troops, clarify the mission and to offer a real strategy for success. Our troops have served America with distinction and we are grateful for their service and sacrifice. Our troops and America deserve more than the current undefined strategy of "staying the course" and partisan political rhetoric that only divides Americans. The current Administration and its supporters in Congress have avoided the critical discussions of what our goals are in Iraq and the details of an exit strategy. These Congressional leaders have failed to provide the critical oversight and accountability that the balance of powers provided for in our Constitution demands. Now, more than ever, our nation needs real political leadership that is both tough and smart.

I believe that our primary duty is to secure a future in which our children and our grandchildren will not have to live in fear of terrorism. This means destroying terrorism at the roots. To further this goal, we must ensure that Iraqis have the best possible opportunity to reject Islamist extremists and choose a democratic society for their own country.

In order to provide the Iraqis with the best opportunity to reject terrorism from within, we must, as Americans, unite behind a clearly defined mission, endpoints and exit strategy. Our mission must be to eliminate terror and to promote self-determination for the Iraqi people. Our strategy for a successful mission should include the following aspects:

* Issue an immediate declaration that the US will not maintain permanent bases in Iraq and will have no claim on Iraqi oil;

* Put the Iraqis on notice that they must decide their own destiny and give them a defined notice period for the Iraqi political groups to choose between compromise and conflict and put a working government in place;

* Provide full US political and military support during this notice period and implement a comprehensive political strategy to give each sectarian group a stake in a peaceful and stable Iraq.

* Commit to redeployment of US forces out of Iraq starting at the end of this notice period.

Issuing a declaration of no permanent bases immediately takes away one of the main recruiting tools for terrorists around the world looking to attack America. Putting the Iraqis on notice that we will be leaving gives them an urgent incentive to negotiate a political compromise that does not currently exist because they believe we will be in Iraq indefinitely. The best solution for Iraq is a political one that undermines terrorist organizations and builds consensus by promoting increased regional autonomy for the Sunnis, Shiia and Kurds, oil revenue sharing between these groups, regional control of reconstruction projects and strong rights for minorities in the Iraqi Government.

We must make it clear to the Iraqis that after this notice period, we will commence a complete redeployment away from policing the streets of Iraq. US troops could first be redeployed to bases inside Iraq, then to the borders, then to other areas like Afghanistan and the home front. Our security priorities would be protecting the borders, conducting strategically targeted missions to eliminate terrorists within Iraq, training Iraqi forces and providing support for Iraqi Government peacekeeping operations on an as-needed basis.

The principles I have laid out here are clear and crucial: self-determination and democracy for the Iraqis is best facilitated by our declared intent not to stay in Iraq while allowing them a reasonable notice period of our full support to put in place a working Government. That period might reasonably be six, nine or twelve months - anything shorter would not be reasonable given the task; anything longer is too indefinite. The exact length of time taken is secondary to making the commitment to a concrete exit strategy with the goal of eliminating terrorism and setting it in motion. Indeed, the details of the redeployment that commences after the notice period should be left to our US military commanders.

We must remember that Iraq is only one front in the broader fight to keep Americans safe. The American people and our military men and women also deserve real answers to how we effectively pursue the world's most dangerous terrorist groups like Al Qaeda, prevent the spread of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, strengthen and protect our homeland, and address the rising threats from Iran and North Korea.

To address the threat of global insurgencies and attacks on our homeland, we need an aggressive and comprehensive approach that requires the following priorities:

* Empower our military to bring the fight to the terrorist cells by implementing a combination of policy and organizational changes that include employing the most advanced and effective methods available for gathering and using intelligence to politically weaken terrorist organizations and destroy these cells. As part of this strategy, we should plan over the next two years to significantly increase the size of Special Operations Forces, who are trained to fight terrorism at the cell level.

* Provide greater support for our troops fighting on the ground, through better technology, armor, supplies and training. All troops, including the Guard and Reserve Forces, should be provided full body armor as standard issue upon deployment. The commitment to our troops also cannot end when they return from abroad. We must support our troops and veterans when they come home with health care benefits, combat pay, support for job training, education and home loans. We need to fully fund our VA Hospitals so that the men and women who served receive the promised support that they are due.

* Immediately implement the recommendations of the 9-11 Commission that provide for increased infrastructure, port and cargo security. We must make it an immediate priority to safeguard our power and chemical plants, waterways, ports and airports, including: implementing aircraft defense systems against shoulder-fired missiles, implementing port security that scans for radioactive materials, implementing improved cargo security and state-of-the-art baggage screening, and investing in walk-through explosive detectors at airports.

* Secure all nuclear materials currently stored in the former Soviet Union. The conditions under which nuclear materials are being stored leave them vulnerable to theft and therefore to possible sale on the black market. If the weapons-grade materials housed in the former Soviet Union make it to the black market, the threat by rogue states and terrorists groups to American security will be severe.

* Appropriately devote national security spending to homeland security for our first responders because, as Hurricane Katrina has shown us, our first responders still lack the crucial communications apparatus they need to operate during an emergency.

* Promote new energy technologies as a national priority as part of our national security agenda. When it comes to our reliance on oil, we have a choice to make for our children - either we make energy innovation and independence a national priority or we will be forced to commit our armed forces to decades of fighting to secure oil fields and supply lines around the world.

This Administration and the current Congressional leadership has failed to properly address these fundamental security issues. We cannot accept this lack of vision and these failed policies any longer. It is time for a new direction -- we need accountability and honest leadership - we need real security and real change.

As a challenger for a Congressional seat, my guiding principle is one of improving representation and accountability. I am not afraid to put out policy ideas and will discuss them in open forums throughout the district during this campaign and hopefully well beyond. I believe the role of a public servant is to represent the people, discuss the issues and lead us toward solutions. Now is the time to offer concrete ideas about how to secure our safety and our children's futures, and I welcome the debate.

http://www.gillibrand2006.com/node/266