SI
SI
discoversearch

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor.  We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community.  If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.
Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group
 Public ReplyPrvt ReplyMark as Last ReadFilePrevious 10Next 10PreviousNext  
To: FaultLine who started this subject4/8/2004 1:17:12 AM
From: Bilow  Read Replies (4) of 281500
 
Hi all; More US troops needed in Iraq:

U.S. to Raise Size of Iraq Force; Some Troops to Stay Longer
NY Times, April 7, 2004
The Pentagon said today that there will soon be a big increase in the number of American troops in Iraq to quell the violence there and speed the country's transition to a free government and society.
...
Pentagon officials said this afternoon that thousands of troops from one division that had been scheduled to be returning home in the coming weeks will be kept in Iraq. Their retention, plus the addition of a division scheduled to enter Iraq, will effectively boost troop strength by up to a division — perhaps 25,000 troops.
...

nytimes.com

-- Carl

P.S. The usual force ratio for hostile occupations like Iraq, as published by US military documents, is at least 20 per thousand. Given that there are 25 million Iraqis, that means that we need to have at least 500,000 ground troops. That would probably have been enough for a successful (though bloody) occupation a year ago, but now that the guerilla war is going, the number required is somewhat larger. My guess is that we now need something like 800,000 troops to pacify the place.

These figures are from my post back before the war: #reply-18657926 which also has links to the US military documents that back the numbers up.
Report TOU ViolationShare This Post
 Public ReplyPrvt ReplyMark as Last ReadFilePrevious 10Next 10PreviousNext  

HomeMailHotSubjectMarksPeopleMarksKeepersSettings
Terms Of UseContact UsCopyright/IP PolicyPrivacy PolicyAbout UsFAQAdvertise on SI
© 2025 Knight Sac Media.  Data provided by Twelve Data, Alpha Vantage, and CityFALCON News