Rumsfeld urged major Iraq tactics shift

WASHINGTON – Pre­sident George W Bush said he wants to hear all advice before making decisions about changes in Iraq strategy, even as it was disclosed that Donald H Rumsfeld called for major changes in tactics two days before he resigned as defence secretary.

“In my view it is time for a major adjustment,” Rumsfeld wrote in a November 6 memo to the White House. “Clearly, what US forces are currently doing in Iraq is not working well enough or fast enough.”Existence of the classified memo was first reported by The New York Times on its Internet site Saturday evening in a story for the paper’s Sunday editions.Pentagon press secretary Eric Ruff said he was not the source of the leak to the Times, but confirmed the memo’s authenticity to The Associated Press late Saturday.”The formulation of these ideas evolved over a period of several weeks,” Ruff said in a telephone interview.He said the options presented in the paper were Rumsfeld’s personal ideas developed in conversations with a variety of people, not part of a formal Pentagon review that also is under way.Rumsfeld had previously said publicly that he believed US efforts in Iraq were not working well enough or fast enough, but he has not called for a “major adjustment” in the US approach to stabilising Iraq.Ruff also emphasised that Rumsfeld does not endorse any one particular recommendation, and that he notes in the memo that “many of these options could and, in a number of cases, should be done in combination with others.”Specifics on his options checklist: -“Publicly announce a set of benchmarks agreed to by the Iraqi government and the US …to chart a path ahead for the Iraqi government and Iraqi people (to get them moving) and for the US public (to reassure them that progress can and is being made).”-‘Significantly increase US trainers and embeds, and transfer more US equipment to Iraqi security forces.”-“Initiate a reverse embeds programme …by putting one or more Iraqi soldiers with every US and possibly coalition squad.”-Aggressively beef up Iraqi ministries by reaching out to US military retirees and Reserve and National Guard volunteers.-Conduct an accelerated drawdown of US bases, noting they have already been reduced from 110 to 55.”Plan to get down to 10 to 15 bases by April 2007, and to 5 bases by July 2007.”-“Retain high-end …capability …to target al Qaeda, death squads, and Iranians in Iraq, while drawing down all other coalition forces, except those necessary to provide certain key enablers” for Iraqi forces.-Provide US security forces “only for those provinces or cities that openly request US help and that actively cooperate.”-Stop rewarding “bad behaviour” with reconstruction funds and start rewarding “good behaviour.”-“Position substantial US forces near the Iranian and Syrian borders to reduce infiltration and, importantly, reduce Iranian influence on the Iraqi government.”-Withdraw US forces from vulnerable positions and move to a quick reaction force status, operating from within Iraq and Kuwait, to be available when Iraqi security forces need assistance.-“Begin modest withdrawals of US and coalition forces (start ‘taking our hand off the cycle seat’) so Iraqis know they have to pull up their socks, step up and take responsibility for their country.”Rumsfeld also listed a handful of “below the line” (less attractive) options that included continuing on the current path, moving a large fraction of all US forces in Iraq into Baghdad, increasing US forces substantially, setting a firm withdrawal date and pushing “an aggressive federalism plan” that would lead to three separate states – Sunni, Shia and Kurd.Nampa-AP”Clearly, what US forces are currently doing in Iraq is not working well enough or fast enough.”Existence of the classified memo was first reported by The New York Times on its Internet site Saturday evening in a story for the paper’s Sunday editions.Pentagon press secretary Eric Ruff said he was not the source of the leak to the Times, but confirmed the memo’s authenticity to The Associated Press late Saturday.”The formulation of these ideas evolved over a period of several weeks,” Ruff said in a telephone interview.He said the options presented in the paper were Rumsfeld’s personal ideas developed in conversations with a variety of people, not part of a formal Pentagon review that also is under way.Rumsfeld had previously said publicly that he believed US efforts in Iraq were not working well enough or fast enough, but he has not called for a “major adjustment” in the US approach to stabilising Iraq.Ruff also emphasised that Rumsfeld does not endorse any one particular recommendation, and that he notes in the memo that “many of these options could and, in a number of cases, should be done in combination with others.”Specifics on his options checklist: -“Publicly announce a set of benchmarks agreed to by the Iraqi government and the US …to chart a path ahead for the Iraqi government and Iraqi people (to get them moving) and for the US public (to reassure them that progress can and is being made).”-‘Significantly increase US trainers and embeds, and transfer more US equipment to Iraqi security forces.”-“Initiate a reverse embeds programme …by putting one or more Iraqi soldiers with every US and possibly coalition squad.”-Aggressively beef up Iraqi ministries by reaching out to US military retirees and Reserve and National Guard volunteers.-Conduct an accelerated drawdown of US bases, noting they have already been reduced from 110 to 55.”Plan to get down to 10 to 15 bases by April 2007, and to 5 bases by July 2007.”-“Retain high-end …capability …to target al Qaeda, death squads, and Iranians in Iraq, while drawing down all other coalition forces, except those necessary to provide certain key enablers” for Iraqi forces.-Provide US security forces “only for those provinces or cities that openly request US help and that actively cooperate.”-Stop rewarding “bad behaviour” with reconstruction funds and start rewarding “good behaviour.”-“Position substantial US forces near the Iranian and Syrian borders to reduce infiltration and, importantly, reduce Iranian influence on the Iraqi government.”-Withdraw US forces from vulnerable positions and move to a quick reaction force status, operating from within Iraq and Kuwait, to be available when Iraqi security forces need assistance.-“Begin modest withdrawals of US and coalition forces (start ‘taking our hand off the cycle seat’) so Iraqis know they have to pull up their socks, step up and take responsibility for their country.”Rumsfeld also listed a handful of “below the line” (less attractive) options that included continuing on the current path, moving a large fraction of all US forces in Iraq into Baghdad, increasing US forces substantially, setting a firm withdrawal date and pushing “an aggressive federalism plan” that would lead to three separate states – Sunni, Shia and Kurd.Nampa-AP