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:

QUOTE
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.

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