The Iraqi Army is making fitful progress toward becoming a reliable
and disciplined fighting force loyal to the national government. By
the end of 2006, the Iraqi Army is expected to comprise 118 battalions
formed into 36 brigades under the command of 10 divisions. Although
the Army is one of the more professional Iraqi institutions, its
performance has been uneven. The training numbers are impressive, but
they represent only part of the story.
Significant questions remain about the ethnic composition and
loyalties of some Iraqi units--specifically, whether they will carry
out missions on behalf of national goals instead of a sectarian
agenda. Of Iraq's 10 planned divisions, those that are even-numbered
are made up of Iraqis who signed up to serve in a specific area, and
they have been reluctant to redeploy to other areas of the country. As
a result, elements of the Army have refused to carry out missions.
The Iraqi Army is also confronted by several other significant
challenges:
--Units lack leadership. They lack the ability to work together and
perform at higher levels of organization--the brigade and division
level. Leadership training and the experience of leadership are the
essential elements to improve performance.
--Units lack equipment. They cannot carry out their missions without
adequate equipment. Congress has been generous in funding requests for
U.S. troops, but it has resisted fully funding Iraqi forces. The
entire appropriation for Iraqi defense forces for FY 2006 ($3 billion)
is less than the United States currently spends in Iraq every two
weeks.
--Units lack personnel. Soldiers are on leave one week a month so that
they can visit their families and take them their pay. Soldiers are
paid in cash because there is no banking system. Soldiers are given
leave liberally and face no penalties for absence without leave. Unit
readiness rates are low, often at 50 percent or less.
--Units lack logistics and support. They lack the ability to sustain
their operations, the capability to transport supplies and troops, and
the capacity to provide their own indirect fire support, close-air
support, technical intelligence, and medical evacuation. They will
depend on the United States for logistics and support through at least
2007.