| Dear John,
In Foreign Policy, my colleagues Jason Beardsley and Reid Smith write about withdrawing American troops from Iraq. They argue the strategic and human costs of our decades-long military engagement there outweigh the benefits. They address the facts, that a real exit will require logistical precision, political resolve, and a break from the past:
“Since engaging in the first Gulf War, the United States has never really left Iraq. Desert Storm gave way to military and humanitarian operations that established no-fly zones, monitored Iraqi forces, and enforced sanctions. These activities continued until the 2003 invasion. When Operation Iraqi Freedom ended in 2011, a small advisory presence remained to train and assist Iraqi forces. In 2014, the United States returned in force to prosecute counter-Islamic State operations. That combat mission ended in December 2021, leaving the residual 2,500 service members.
Now, for the fourth time in as many decades, the United States is preparing to leave Iraq, in keeping with the concluding mission’s changing scope and objectives. As usual, the Pentagon is already hedging. “The U.S. is not withdrawing from Iraq,” Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon’s deputy press secretary, recently told reporters. “Our footprint is going to be changing within the country.”
Like Jason, I faced combat in Iraq, and I personally witnessed the human costs of America’s endless conflicts abroad.
Getting U.S. troops out of harm’s way, out of unnecessarily vulnerable positions in the Middle East has long been a goal of Concerned Veterans for America – and one we will continue to advocate for, regardless of the upcoming election's outcome.
Read the full article in Foreign Policy here.
Sincerely,
John Byrnes
Strategic Director
Concerned Veterans for America |
