Detroit Free Press May 01, 2004
AT HOME IN IRAQ: While their length of involvement remains indefinite, U.S. troops make the best of it
QUESTION: Major combat has been over for one year. So, what do we call this, a war? ANSWER: Call it a war; the Pentagon views Operation Iraqi Freedom as part of the broader war on terrorism. Experts agree that whatever the semantic definition of war, it has little to do with duration, intensity or balance of forces.
"There is no international standard organization that issues quality control criteria for what constitutes a war. It's not like the Olympics. For the innocent civilians who were killed in Iraq, it certainly was a war," said John Pike, head of GlobalSecurity.org, a military think tank in northern Virginia.
The technical definition of war is sustained combat between two countries that leads to more than 1,000 battle deaths, said J. David Singer, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Michigan.
Q: What's the current battlefield strategy?
A: Isolating Fallujah, a city of about 300,000 people 35 miles west of Baghdad. Controlling other renegade cities and towns, such as Ramadi, west of Fallujah, and possibly Najaf, south of Baghdad.
Capturing or killing Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has raised a small army against U.S. troops.
U.S. troops also are becoming more assertive on the ground.
Q: How long will U.S. troops be in Iraq?
A: At least through 2006, says Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Q: How many troops are in Iraq?
A: The number changes daily because replacements arrive as veterans prepare to leave. As of Friday, there were 138,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and 24,900 troops from coalition countries.
Q: Will the government bring back a draft to keep the ranks filled?
A: Not likely. Some members of Congress have suggested that a draft may be needed, but Pentagon planners say U.S. forces and reserve and National Guard troop strength is sufficient.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld opposes a draft. Many top military officials also are opposed, saying a volunteer military produces better soldiers.
"I know of nobody who is studying reinstituting the draft at the present time. And I would think I would know," Rumsfeld said this week.
Q: How many troops in Iraq are National Guard and reserve soldiers? A: From Sept. 11, 2001, through the end of last year, 319,193 reserve and guard troops were mobilized for active duty globally. As of Thursday, 170,487 were on active duty, about 53,000 of those in Iraq or in support of troops there.
Q: Do U.S. troops wear body armor? Can that stuff protect them?
A: Yes, sometimes. Body armor using ceramic plates has reduced injuries to soldiers' torsos, military officials say. A new Kevlar helmet that offers some protection against bullets has been issued to some special operations soldiers. But those helmets offer little protection against the AK47 rifle fire common in Iraq, officials say. There is no bulletproof helmet on the horizon.
Q: Are head wounds common?
A: Slightly more than three in 10 combat deaths result from a head wound.
Recent figures on how troops were wounded show:
Q: Do U.S. troops get something extra for service in Iraq?
A: A $225-a-month pay bonus. The rate is the same regardless of rank.
© Copyright 2004, Detroit Free Press Inc.
