IRAQ -- PENTAGON MAKING PREPARATIONS TO KEEP TENS OF THOUSANDS OF TROOPS IN IRAQ FOR DECADES

In testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee this month, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Peter Pace uttered a "carefully worded" statement revealing that the Pentagon had no plans to fully withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq if legislation passes Congress mandating troop redeployment. "[W]e have published no orders directing the planning for the overall withdrawal of forces," Pace said. NPR investigated Pace's statements and found that one scenario the Pentagon is considering would maintain a strong U.S. military presence in Iraq for several decades into the future. This so-called "lily pad" strategy entails keeping a "series of military installations around Iraq," with tens of thousands of U.S. troops remaining in the country for as long as a few decades. "[W]hat it essentially envisions is a series of military installations around Iraq, maybe five or six of them, a total of maybe 30-40 thousand U.S. troops in Iraq for a long period of time, lasting, maybe a few decades. ... And that will enable the U.S. military to maintain a presence in the country," NPR reported. The Pentagon's goal with the lily pads is to preserve U.S. interests in Iraq for years to come, "in the event that Congress or the administration pushes this [withdrawal plan] forward." As NPR details, those interests are at least three-fold: 1) Training Iraq forces, 2) Preserving economic interests, as "Iraq obviously [sits] on the second largest reserve of oil in the world," and 3) Providing a U.S. military "presence" to deter Iran and Turkey from "getting involved" after withdrawal. While 60 percent of Americans are calling for a withdrawal of the U.S. from Iraq, the Pentagon is instead making preparations for an unending occupying presence. [MORE]