AP: U.S. Military Bringing Equipment Home

[ProSense]

AP: U.S. Military Bringing Equipment Home

By RYAN LENZ
The Associated Press

BALAD, Iraq - The U.S. military has begun sending thousands of battered Humvees and other war-torn equipment home as more Iraqi units join the fight against insurgents and American units scheduled for Iraq duty have their orders canceled.

In the last four months, the Army has tagged 7,000 Humvees and 17,000 other pieces of equipment to be shipped to the United States to be rebuilt. They then will be distributed among active and reserve units at home, or possibly returned to equip Iraqi security forces.

The military said the shipments will result in a reduction in the amount of U.S. equipment in Iraq, a cut made possible because the area patrolled by American troops is shrinking. The move also anticipates that the number of American troops in Iraq will decline.

"This is all a byproduct of Iraqi forces accepting battle space and U.S. forces being displaced, which has allowed our government to decide not to send more forces," said Col. Jack O'Connor, commander of the U.S. Army Materiel Command's sustainment brigade in Iraq.

Snip...

Four combat brigades, in Texas, Alaska and Colorado, were notified this week that they will deploy to Iraq late this year. The roughly 21,000 soldiers would replace troops heading home from Iraq, and do not signal a change.

more...

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/93-06212006-673654.html

So, they're withdrawing the equipment and handing over responsibility, but are sending more troops?


Set a date and get out!

[Captain Hilts]

1. They've BEEN doing this, I don' t know where the idea this is new ...

comes from.

[Sadie5]

2. replacements?

They plant stories like this to make us think they are slowly withdrawing, but we might never hear of the tons of new equipment that arrives in Iraq.