Stabilizing Iraq: An Assessment of the Security Situation

摘要

From fiscal years 2003 through 2006, U.S. Government agencies have reported significant costs for U.S. stabilization and reconstruction efforts in Iraq. In addition, the United States currently has committed about 138,000 military personnel to the U.S.-led Multinational Force in Iraq (MNF-I). Over the past 3 years, worsening security conditions have made it difficult for the United States to achieve its goals in Iraq. In this statement, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) discusses trends in the security environment in Iraq, and progress in developing Iraqi security forces, as reported by the Departments of Defense (DoD) and State. GAO also presents key questions for congressional oversight, including the following: (1) What political, economic, and security conditions must be achieved before the United States can draw down and withdraw; (2) Why have security conditions continued to deteriorate even as Iraq has met political milestones, increased the number of trained and equipped forces, and increasingly assumed the lead for security; and (3) If existing U.S. political, economic, and security measures are not reducing violence in Iraq, what additional measures, if any, will the administration propose for stemming the violence.