U.S. Planning Troop Buildup in Gulf After Exit From Iraq

saltwn · #1 (**permalink**) 10-30-2011, 03:46 PM

Quote:

MacDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — The Obama administration plans to bolster the American military presence in the Persian Gulf after it withdraws the remaining troops from Iraq this year, according to officials and diplomats. That repositioning could include new combat forces in Kuwait able to respond to a collapse of security in Iraq or a military confrontation with Iran.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/wo...lines&emc=tha2

seems like a logical move...

Quote:

In addition to negotiations over maintaining a ground combat presence in Kuwait, the United States is considering sending more naval warships through international waters in the region.

Quote:

With an eye on the threat of a belligerent Iran, the administration is also seeking to expand military ties with the six nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. While the United States has close bilateral military relationships with each, the administration and the military are trying to foster a new “security architecture” for the Persian Gulf that would integrate air and naval patrols and missile defense.

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition..

1069 · #2 (**permalink**) 10-30-2011, 04:15 PM

This crap in the middle east is never going to end.
I've already told my husband that priority number one with this new son of ours is that we will brainwash him, from birth, never to want to join the military.
I already had one son go that route, and I can't face it again. It's too scary.

faithful_servant · #3 (**permalink**) 10-31-2011, 01:15 AM

Think about this: This is the very thing that made us the target we are today. This all started because of radicalized Muslim whackos decided that our presence in thier holy lands was an affront to their god. I support this move, but the irony is so thick around this that you couldn't cut it with chainsaw. The anit-war leftist President and his amdin. deciding to expand the policies that got this country into the situation that opposition to that situation got them elected.

saltwn · #4 (**permalink**) 10-31-2011, 01:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by faithful_servant

Think about this: This is the very thing that made us the target we are today. This all started because of radicalized Muslim whackos decided that our presence in thier holy lands was an affront to their god. I support this move, but the irony is so thick around this that you couldn't cut it with chainsaw. The anit-war leftist President and his amdin. deciding to expand the policies that got this country into the situation that opposition to that situation got them elected.

he wanted out period. the pentagon wanted more; this is the compromise and I agree with it.

faithful_servant · #5 (**permalink**) 10-31-2011, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by faithful_servant

Think about this: This is the very thing that made us the target we are today. This all started because of radicalized Muslim whackos decided that our presence in thier holy lands was an affront to their god. I support this move, but the irony is so thick around this that you couldn't cut it with chainsaw. The anit-war leftist President and his amdin. deciding to expand the policies that got this country into the situation that opposition to that situation got them elected.

Quote:

Originally Posted by saltwn

he wanted out period. the pentagon wanted more; this is the compromise and I agree with it.

My post was about the irony of a President who was elected as a direct result of opposition to a situation that was cause by a very specific policy backing and even expanding on that policy. I wasn't disagreeing with it, just pointing out the irony....

mlurp · #6 (**permalink**) 10-31-2011, 01:10 PM

Add this to the picture and sense we never bothered when it was a possible to take Iran down, plus other countries that like to play around with security in this region.
And then the news about building up in the Pacific so we can keep China at bay.
Wipes out my mind to clean.

Now this is mostly about Iran except what is in bold.

Quote:

Iran FM says US buildup near Iraq lacks 'prudence'

By LARA JAKES - Associated Press | AP – 3 hrs ago. 31 Oct. 2011

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iran's top diplomat on Monday bitingly questioned reported U.S. plans to build up American military forces across Mideast countries after withdrawing from Iraq, calling on Washington to be "more prudent and wise" or risk more unrest in the region.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi also dismissed American concerns about Iranian meddling in Iraq after U.S. troops pull out at the end of December.

Those worries were a main motivation of failed U.S. efforts to leave at least several thousand American troops in Iraq beyond the Dec. 31 withdrawal deadline.

"Iraq does not need anyone to meddle in its internal affairs," Salehi told reporters in Baghdad, where he was meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari. "Iraqis know better than anyone else how to run their country."

Asked about U.S. plans to station more troops in the Mideast, Salehi urged the Americans to think again.

"The Americans always have a deficit, unfortunately, in rationality and prudence," he said.

"So what I expect is that it is about time for the Americans to be more provident, to be more prudent and wise in their approach, because the region is really going into troubles, and ... the consequences of these developments are not yet known to anybody. So one has to be cautious. Everybody has to be cautious, including the U.S."

Are we being cautious?

Senior U.S. military officials say Washington is considering putting more forces in Kuwait to bolster its presence in the region after leaving Iraq, but that decision has not yet been made. Negotiations with Iraq's government over leaving thousands of troops behind after the end of the year broke down over legal conditions.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said an estimated 40,000 U.S. troops will be stationed across the Mideast even after the Iraq withdrawal. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has warned Iran that it should not interpret the troop withdrawal as U.S. backtracking on its commitment to Iraq's fledgling democracy.

How much influence Iran may wield in Baghdad in coming years is a top topic of debate across Iraq. As the only two Shiite-led governments across the Sunni-dominated Mideast, the two nations have rebuilt diplomatic and economic ties since the U.S. ousted Saddam Hussein — an ardent enemy of Iran.

Zebari said Iraq is capable and mature enough to run Iraq without any outside help after the U.S. forces leave.

"No other party can fill the vacuum in Iraq, except the people of Iraq and the government of Iraq," Zebari said.

Salehi later met with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and discussed trade issues, including electricity, which Iran is selling to help counter Iraq's epic power shortages. In a statement, al-Maliki said Salehi also agreed to negotiate a settlement on waterway rights, long a sore spot between the two counties.

Iran FM says US buildup near Iraq lacks 'prudence' - Yahoo! News

Now with a lot of space to fill my empty mind, should I enjoy the bliss or start filling it back up?

waltky · #7 (**permalink**) 12-15-2011, 06:41 PM

Obama done whupped up onna terrorists till dey cryin' uncle an' askin' fer their mommas...

U.S. war in Iraq officially ends
15 Dec.`11 – The U.S. war in Iraq — a conflict that killed more than 4,000 American troops, cost $800 billion and divided the nation — officially ended with a ceremony held under tight security.

Quote:

"To be sure, the cost was high — in blood and treasure for the United States and also for the Iraqi people," Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said. "But those lives have not been lost in vain." The fighting resulted, Panetta said, in a "free and sovereign Iraq." He also warned that the Iraq will be tested by terrorism and other threats. The U.S., he said, remains committed to Iraq's success. Apache attack helicopters clattered overhead, a sign that the country remains dangerous. "We are out looking for guys who could pose a threat," said Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, the military's top spokesman in Iraq.

About 4,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq, their withdrawal expected to be complete by the end of the month. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff, who commanded the First Armored Division in 2003, said the first Gulf War and the current one have defined a generation of U.S. troops. "We've paid a great price here, and it's a price worth paying," Dempsey said. Later, in remarks to a group of reporters traveling with him, Dempsey expanded on his assertion that the war was worth the price.

"Those of us wear that wear the uniform and have served in and out of here have constantly asked ourselves that question through this eight years," Dempsey said. "I think what America's mothers and fathers want to hear is that it was worth it. So I very deliberately and consciously made that a part of my presentation today. To assure everyone that, first of all, we were appreciative of the fact, in a very profound way, that we have paid a high cost but it has been worth it."

Thursday's ceremony commemorated the "end of mission." The flag for the U.S. military in Iraq — white with the symbol of its headquarters in the center — was wrapped and placed in a camouflage sheath by Gen. Lloyd Austin, the top commander. Austin ordered troops to cross the border into Iraq from Kuwait in 2003 and is overseeing their complete withdrawal. The ceremony was "an especially poignant moment for me," Austin said. Austin acknowledged the more than 30,000 U.S. troops wounded in Iraq. "Please know you will always have a place in our formation," Austin said.

Source

saltwn · #8 (**permalink**) 12-16-2011, 05:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by faithful_servant

My post was about the irony of a President who was elected as a direct result of opposition to a situation that was cause by a very specific policy backing and even expanding on that policy. I wasn't disagreeing with it, just pointing out the irony....

He was elected because those of us who knew it was going to hit the fan, bounce off and hit us. We wanted a community organizer who had fought for elder and disenfranchised individuals leading the country through the quagmire of a depression
WE didn't count on the selfishness of those who like their Vietnam STRATEGY, wanted the champagne to bubble indefinitely.

Mikeyy · #9 (**permalink**) 12-16-2011, 06:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by faithful_servant

Think about this: This is the very thing that made us the target we are today. This all started because of radicalized Muslim whackos decided that our presence in thier holy lands was an affront to their god. I support this move, but the irony is so thick around this that you couldn't cut it with chainsaw. The anit-war leftist President and his amdin. deciding to expand the policies that got this country into the situation that opposition to that situation got them elected.

If he does a surge he is wrong. If we leave he is wrong. If he does a build up he is wrong. If he doesn't involve us in Iranian politics he is wrong. If he supports the rebels in Libya he is wrong. If he kills UBL he did it wrong. If he doesn't support a dictator he is wrong. Notice a trend?

Mikeyy · #10 (**permalink**) 12-16-2011, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by faithful_servant

My post was about the irony of a President who was elected as a direct result of opposition to a situation that was cause by a very specific policy backing and even expanding on that policy. I wasn't disagreeing with it, just pointing out the irony....

Nah, your post was yet another dig at Obama because you can't let a post go by without a dig.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to saltwn For This Useful Post:
mlurp, waltky

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to 1069 For This Useful Post:
mlurp, saltwn

The Following User Says Thank You to faithful_servant For This Useful Post:
mlurp

The Following User Says Thank You to faithful_servant For This Useful Post:
Gordon Shumway

The Following User Says Thank You to mlurp For This Useful Post:
waltky

The Following User Says Thank You to Mikeyy For This Useful Post:
Dave1