GAO Chief: Pentagon Stonewalling Release Of Iraqi Troop Preparedness Data
GAO Chief: Pentagon Stonewalling Release Of Iraqi Troop Preparedness Data
In announcing his escalation plan earlier this month, President Bush argued the additional U.S. forces were needed to help support Iraqi forces. Whether the escalation makes any difference to the security situation depends in part on the capability of the Iraqi forces.
According to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Iraqi forces have not been properly equipped to handle their missions. “In the interview yesterday, Maliki said many American and Iraqi lives would have been spared if the Iraqi forces were better equipped.” David Walker, head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO), said the Pentagon is refusing to release data on the troop readiness levels of the Iraqi security forces. GovExec reports:
Comptroller General David M. Walker told audience members at a Government Executive breakfast Wednesday that Defense has not complied with repeated Government Accountability Office requests for evaluations of Iraqi troop preparedness, known as transitional readiness assessments. The Pentagon develops those evaluations for Iraqi and U.S. forces, Walker said, and has a statutory obligation to release them to GAO.
[…]
Walker said he expected to find some embarrassing information that would account for the battle over obtaining them. “You just can’t go by how many people you trained,” he said. “Of the people that you’ve trained, how many are left? To what extent do they have loyalty to the unified government of Iraq? To what extent are they properly equipped? To what extent do they have appropriate support?”
Before the Bush administration commits more U.S. troops to Iraq, Congress must know whether Iraqi forces are presently capable of taking on this difficult mission.
Carpetbagger has more.
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24 Responses to “GAO Chief: Pentagon Stonewalling Release Of Iraqi Troop Preparedness Data”
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Wouldn’t this fall under the progress report Bush was to submit to congress every 60 days as per the only offical document pushing this mess forward. The Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq.
Section 4. Reports to Congress states a report once every 60 days on matter relevent to this resolution.
If the President can make a case the troops are needed then great, make the case. The status of Iraqi soldiers is vital in determining our level of support. If the Pentagon can’t produce this then there should be no additional troops sent.
Take the covers off of what you are hiding. We, the american public, have a right to know how are dollars are spent and where you put our soldiers and why.
January 18th, 2007 at 2:14 pmOf course the Keystone conquerors aren’t ready to release their data…
…they must first figure out how to properly falsify the record…
…after all, who has the cajones to admit to American taxpayers that much of their hard earned taxpayer dollars have been spent on…
…training Iraqi soldiers and police officers who are militia and insurgent plants determined to oust U.S. forces from their country…
…and whose loyalties lie with their (Imams) sects and cells…
…NOT the U.S. puppet Iraqi government?…
January 18th, 2007 at 2:14 pm#2 - Keystone conquerors!
January 18th, 2007 at 2:31 pmPrecious!~!
Congress needs to subpoena for those records. If the White House refuses, then hold them in contempt of Congress.
January 18th, 2007 at 2:58 pmI’m surprised Walker still has a job. Wonder how long he’ll last?
January 18th, 2007 at 2:59 pmIsn’t the the “old Indian trick”? The comment that we will “stand down” when the Iraqi troops “stand up” is a farce at best, an outright impossibility known by this administration due to the fact that we ARE NOT helping the Iraqi troops “stand up” by supplying them with armaments which are necessary for their troops to do the job properly. Why isn’t anyone except Al-Maliki saying that?? Why haven’t some of our illustrious cabinet members brought this fact to light? Aha! Therein lies the rub!
If this country of ours desires a protracted fight which maintains a “foothold” in the natural resources of that country, we MUST NOT allow the Iraqis to fend for themselves - ergo - our “surging” troops and not surging weaponry for their troops. What a con game, indeed!
More smoke and mirros of Bushco and Al-Maliki is calling a spade a spade. Finally, someone has the moxie to do so. Maliki said that he’s dissing Bush’s plan and, instead, would like american support in the way of weapons & military machinery. Now shouldn’t that make perfect sense to anyone with sanity and at least a grade school education these days???
But no….we play the charade game and lie to ourselves repeatedly while presenting an IMPOSSIBLE mantra “We’ll stand down when the Iraqi military stand up”…well, without our supplying them with the necessary tools (something we haven’t even done for our own soldiers for cripe’s sakes)….they can and will never “stand up”.
More jokes, charades and chicanery on the american people by the Bushbots!
January 18th, 2007 at 3:00 pmThe american people are sick and tired of being lied to by the con men of this administration. We have a right to know where EVERY SINGLE PENNY of our taxpayers money is going in Iraq - billions are now reported “missing”, records are so flimsy that no one really knows how deeply lined Cheney’s Halliburton’s pockets are with OUR money - along with the Carlyle Group (Papa Bush’s Saudi friends)….it’s time for the american people to take back the reins of this country and DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY and demand it now or PRESS HARD FOR IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS. This democracy doesn’t have another two years under this imperial president. It is self-destructing at Bush’s hands right before our very eyes. Wake up people and find your nearest peaceful demonstration to pressure this war-monger president and to send another clear signal to this new congress that we will not wait for them to pussyfoot around any longer…..April is right around the corner and it may be Boston Tea Party redux??
January 18th, 2007 at 3:05 pmYou can’t expect the Decidicator to worry about such trifling issues when there’s decidificationalizing to be done!
January 18th, 2007 at 3:47 pmRice meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel : Whole of Mideast wants peace
So It was nice knowing America ( NOT) now put the borders of Isreal back to 1967 like the international community want and ALL Arabb countries and In future just stay in your little Bubble and leave the world ALONE you hear me
January 18th, 2007 at 4:06 pmAs the Iraqi forces stand up, we will stand down. That was the Bush refrain for at least 2 years. Nice little Catch-22 there, we don’t provide Iraqi forces with the equipment needed for them to stand up.
And what is one of the consequences of the decision not to properly equip the Iraqi forces. More American deaths!
What has Bush proposed in the way of changing the rules of engagement? Transfer some of the soldiers involved with force protection to embedding with Iraqi forces. And what is one of the consequences of this decision? More American deaths.
Why does Bush hate the soldiers so much?
January 18th, 2007 at 4:07 pmAt the moment the Iraqi troops are running round with Hockey sticks saying bang bang to insurgents your dead
January 18th, 2007 at 4:08 pmLet’s say those records are supoenaed, not produced, and the administration is held in contempt. All of that is merely foreplay.
Maybe it is necessary foreplay to build a consensus that impeachment is the only remedy. If so, let the foreplay begin.
The question then becomes, “Why isn’t the administration being barraged with many, many supoenas TODAY by each and every Democratically controlled committee?”
It seems to me that THIS is the issue that needs to be pressed with our elected officials, because only this course will eventually lead to a majority for impeachment.
January 18th, 2007 at 4:08 pmbeen telling you all this story all day
America’s refusal to give Baghdad’s security forces sufficient guns and equipment has cost a great number of lives, the Iraqi Prime Minister said yesterday.
Nouri al-Maliki said the insurgency had been bloodier and prolonged because Washington had refused to part with equipment. If it released the necessary arms, US forces could “dramatically†cut their numbers in three to six months, he told The Times.
January 18th, 2007 at 4:12 pmStory here
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/ newspaper/ 0,,173-2553148,00.html
BUSH is responsible for the death of his won troops then
January 18th, 2007 at 4:15 pmThe George and Dick Show:
Accountability??? We don’t need no stinking accountability!!!!!
These guys are so lame!!!!!
January 18th, 2007 at 4:15 pmBush has no data on anything about Iraq! The whole operation has been a giant swindle to steal billions of dollars for Bush family cronies, so no records are kept of transactions.
January 18th, 2007 at 4:48 pmHere’s the blatant assessment:
January 18th, 2007 at 4:58 pmZip.
Nada.
Zilch.
Nuttin.
Nope.
Unh uh
Trying to prop up a jello statue of the Iraqi trooper.
the sad fact (one of many now coming out) is that there is no real record keeping showing the qty. of equipment and associated dollar amounts. Billions have been pissed away.
They can’t account (there’s that word again mighty aphrodite) for the no bid contracts and the buildings that weren’t completed and the infrastructure jobs that were going to happen.
January 18th, 2007 at 5:10 pmhellina - is it true that if MA’s skin touches the word account, or any of its kin - accountable, accountant, etc., that it bursts into flames?
January 18th, 2007 at 5:47 pmThis is what I was hearing today the minute the Nuclear Bombs land On Iran whether isreal or America all ASDA and McDonalds in the UK will be torched ….ha ha ha ha ha ah
January 18th, 2007 at 5:55 pmMaliki hits out at lack of US backing
Mr Maliki said that if Iraqi security forces were given sufficient training and equipment, they could stabilise the country enough to allow US troops to start withdrawing within six months - a period in which a military build-up would still be under way.
“I think that within three to six months our need for the American troops will dramatically go down,” Mr Maliki said. “That’s on the condition that there are real strong efforts to support our military forces.”
Mr Maliki said the US “refusal” to provide Baghdad’s security forces with adequate weaponry and other equipment was slowing down the withdrawal of US troops.
“I believe that such statements give moral boosts to the terrorists and push them towards making an extra effort and making them believe that they have defeated the American administration, but I can tell you that they haven’t defeated the Iraqi government.”
He said he did not think his government was on borrowed time. “Secretary Rice is expressing her own point of view if she thinks that the government is on borrowed time, whether it is borrowed time for the Iraqi government or American administration.”
BRILLIANT MALIKI AND SISTANI HAVE OUTFOXED BUSH AND CHENEY WELL DONE MATES
January 18th, 2007 at 6:43 pmSeems Walker is on a roll these days. Check this out: US comptroller says US taxes would have to double to pay for Bush budget in 2040
Follow the link: http://www.rawstory.com/ news/ 2007/ Government_watchdog_says_control_spending_or_0115.html
Theresa
January 18th, 2007 at 9:49 pmBush needs to keep the American troops in Iraq and the Iraqies supressed until the Bushco contractors have a contract signed that they have full control over production in the oil fields and sale of the oil. After that is done payment to Iraq will be made based on what Bushco feels is reasonable. Then Bushco can leave and it will not matter to them what happens in Iraq because when the day comes that they can go back in and work the oil fields the money will be theirs. It is these historic contracts that rules the world today. The lines drawn in the sand that today gives us the the place called Iraq for example. Now that place can give all its oil to Bushco. Get American troops out of Iraq. They are taking part in a confidence game that will steal the future from the Iraqis.
January 19th, 2007 at 5:38 amWoodrow Wilson’s comment that “America’s business is business” has brought America to being a heavy fisted pirate roaming the seas. Your neuclear submarines are nothing but trugeons used to threaten people of independant mind. You have two of those floating cities in the Gulf region today. Their deadly power along with Israel’s are just the same old gun boat “diplocacy.” Ahgh I choke on the treachery of it.
January 19th, 2007 at 5:45 am