BAGHDAD — The outgoing commander of U.S. forces in Iraq said Tuesday that Iraqi security forces will continue to rely heavily on American funding as the U.S. troop drawdown accelerates, forcing them to take on more responsibility.
Gen. Ray Odierno and other American officials have been urging U.S. lawmakers to reconsider plans to substantially cut the amounts the military and State Department have requested for Iraq initiatives next year.
“It’s important that we continue to fund the Iraqi security fund so we can make sure they have the foundational capability that we feel comfortable will mitigate the risks associated with U.S. forces leaving,” Odierno said in an interview.
Keeping a robust civilian-led U.S. presence as the military ends its combat mission later this month will be costly, but Odierno said it was important to “fund that in such a way where we can continue to engage, continue to develop and continue to have influence in pushing Iraq forward.”
The U.S. has spent roughly $18 billion to date building up Iraqi security forces. In the budget for fiscal year 2011, the Pentagon requested $2 billion for initiatives to further equip and bolster the Iraqi forces.
The bleak economic situation in the United States and the rising costs of the expanding U.S. military presence in Afghanistan have become sources of deep concern to U.S. officials in Iraq, who worry that waning resources for Iraq could jeopardize tenuous security gains.
Odierno said there was a “misinterpretation that Iraq has this huge amount of wealth now,” adding that it is unlikely the country will substantially boost its output of crude oil before 2013.
