**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

Aug. 19, 2003

FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact:

Dave Yonkman, press secretary

\(202\) 225-4401 office

\(202\) 226-0779 fax

[dave.yonkman@mail.house.gov]{.underline}

 

# Hoekstra Releases Iraq Congressional Delegation Report

### Intelligence report covers lessons and experiences of

### congressional oversight mission in Iraq

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, on Tuesday
released a congressional delegation (CODEL) report on his weeklong
intelligence trip to Iraq.

 

The report can be found on Hoekstra\'s Web site at
<http://www.house.gov/hoekstra>.

 

\"This proved to be a very meaningful trip that allowed us to witness
firsthand ongoing security and restoration efforts in Iraq,\" said
Hoekstra, R-Holland. \"My intent is to provide constituents in West
Michigan with thorough answers to questions about the status of
reconstruction efforts and the search for weapons of mass destruction. I
expect to continue to expand on and explain more of what I have learned
and experienced as I meet with people in the district in coming weeks.\"

 

Hoekstra was joined by U.S. Reps. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., Jerry Moran,
R-Kan., and Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., who traveled to Iraq to conduct
oversight related to their respective committee assignments and to meet
with troops deployed to the region.

 

The CODEL met with the Coalition Provisional Authority Administrator,
Ambassador L. Paul Bremer; Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, Commander
of Coalition Forces in Iraq; Dr. David Kay and Major General Keith
Dayton of the Iraq Survey Group; Major General David Petraeus,
Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division; Major General Raymond
Odierno, Commanding General of the 4th Infantry Division; and hundreds
of American military men and women.

 

As Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Technical and Tactical
Intelligence, Hoekstra also met with operational personnel from across
the intelligence community.

 

*-30-*

* *

***The complete executive summary and delegation report follows this
news release.***

*** ***

**Executive Summary**

 

The conventional war is over in Iraq.  The country is under U.S.
military control and is beginning to show signs of resuming post-war
function.  An unconventional was is now taking place in Iraq.

 

Ambassador L. Paul Bremer and Coalition Military Commanders have sound
plans in place and are making progress in the face of challenging
conditions, including unforgiving weather, a deteriorated infrastructure
and a devastated economy.  Successful implementation of the plans is
possible, but will require long-term funding and monitoring.  The
consequences of failure would be very harmful to the region and to
America\'s ability to provide constructive leadership around the world.

 

Successful conclusion of the conventional military campaign and the end
of Saddam Hussein\'s rule has made an important contribution to the
security of the region, the United States, and the world community. 
Future efforts in Iraq will require the participation of other nations,
including military and financial support.  The pace of obtaining broader
commitment from other nations needs to be accelerated.

 

 

CODEL Hoekstra to Iraq

 

 

**Security Situation**

 

-   Iraq remains a very dangerous place.  Although the conventional war
    is over, an unconventional war is now taking place.  There is
    absolutely no doubt that our soldiers remain in a combat situation. 
    Sporadic attacks and guerilla-like tactics are being employed
    against our troops, Iraqi citizens and Iraqi infrastructure.  It
    appears that the problems are coming from elements of Saddam\'s
    loyalists, criminals and long-established bootleggers aided by an
    undetermined number of foreign infiltrators.  Dozens of combat
    operations, although of a greatly smaller scale than those conducted
    prior to May 1, are performed daily by U.S. Armed Forces.

>  

-   Sadly, during the time the CODEL was in Iraq, six U.S. soldiers lost
    their lives there.  In addition, the CODEL had the somber honor of
    escorting the remains of one of those brave, fallen soldiers to
    Kuwait.

 

-   Civilian looting continues to be a problem for U.S. troops and poses
    a great challenge to the Coalition Provision Authority (CPA) in its
    attempt to establish reliable electrical power throughout the
    country

 

 

**The Coalition Provisional Authority**

 

-   The CPA, headed by Ambassador Bremer, has the monumental task of
    reconstructing Iraq, a country which has had its infrastructure
    crippled by decades of political barbarism and neglect.  Ambassador
    Bremer is focusing on political reconstruction and is making inroads
    into establishing a self-reliant, internationally recognized
    representative government of Iraq.

>  

-   Ambassador Bremer outlined clear, aggressive plans to re-establish
    security, revive Iraq\'s economy, stem violence and rebuild the
    country, but the challenges to meet success in all these areas are
    great.

 

-   Some members believe that Ambassador Bremer presented at times an
    overly optimistic perspective regarding the immediate and short-term
    developments of reconstructing Iraq.  Although the members of the
    CODEL appreciated the Ambassador\'s optimism, they would caution the
    CPA to set reasonable benchmarks and brief \"reasonable
    expectations.\"

 

-   Despite the Ambassador\'s positive attitude, progress in this area
    might be justifiably slow given that the long-repressed populace has
    a clear lack of understanding as to how democratic systems should
    work.

 

-   The CPA has already witnessed some notable success:

 

> o       After nationwide consultations, the CPA appointed a 25-member
> Governing Council.  The Council members were drawn from a broad range
> of Iraq\'s ethnic and sectarian divisions, including Shia, Sunni, and
> Christian; and Arabs, Kurds, and an Assyrian; as well as
> professionals, civic leaders, formerly exiled political activists and
> religious notables.  Three of the Council members are women.
>
>  
>
> o       There has been marked progress in rehabilitating and
> professionalizing Iraq\'s civil police force.  The CPA is in the
> process of recruiting, screening, training and paying local police. 
> More than 30,000 police are back to work throughout Iraq.

 

-   Ambassador Bremer appears to be an ideal selection for the job at
    hand and the CODEL expressed its support to him and for his goals.

>  

-   As the CPA is exercising the powers of government temporarily, the
    cost is large and is covered currently by money recovered from
    fleeing former regime officials and resource revenues.  However, in
    time, additional funding will be needed.  We hope that Donor
    conferences go well, but if funding will be requested from Congress,
    we would expect that such a request would be made with as much
    advance notice as possible.

 

 

**Weapons of Mass Destruction**

 

-   Due to the sensitivity of the information we received, we cannot
    repeat much of the information Dr. David Kay, General Dayton and the
    Iraqi Survey Group presented to us, but the CODEL was very impressed
    by the skill, dedication and frankness of Dr. Kay.  He is the best
    person for the job and the CODEL departed Iraq with a great deal of
    confidence that he would complete the mission for which he is
    assigned.

>  

-   According to Dr. Kay, the Iraqi Survey Group is making solid
    progress in unraveling Iraq\'s weapons of mass destruction (WMD)
    program.  They are, however, not yet at a point where they can
    deliver final judgments and provide compelling evidence about the
    full extent of Iraq\'s WMD programs, including the exact status of
    any weapons at the time of the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

 

-   The fact that it is taking more time than originally anticipated is
    due to:

 

> o       The extent to which Iraq\'s WMD programs were shielded,
>
> o       the conditions that prevailed at the time that Coalition
> Forces entered Iraq,
>
> o       the Group\'s desire to ensure that they have fully collected
> and assessed all possible evidence before reaching a conclusion.

 

-   Dr. Kay cautioned the CODEL to be patient, stating that Hussein
    spent more than two decades, billions of dollars and involved more
    than 10,000 troops in pursuing his WMD ambitions.  It is reasonable
    to expect that more time is needed to fully understand the depths of
    these programs.

>  

-   Dr. Kay explained that he is concentrating during his initial phase
    on the Biological Weapons program and the role of security and
    intelligence services in shielding and advancing all of Iraq\'s WMD
    activities.  He expects that the Survey Group is a couple of months
    away from fully understanding these two areas and having a full
    range of compelling evidence to support his conclusions. 
    Regardless, he believes that he knows where the evidence is and is
    hard at work on collecting it and analyzing it.

 

-   The Iraqis have begun to cooperate more fully with efforts to
    penetrate Iraqi WMD programs.

 

-   The CODEL traveled to the infamous al-Tuwaitha Camp, site of Iraq\'s
    past efforts to develop a nuclear program.

 

-   At this juncture, the evidence points toward weapons programs and
    does not necessarily point to the existence of large stockpiles of
    chemical and biological weapons.  Dr. Kay did not appear surprised
    by this fact, claiming that the intelligence community\'s previous
    assumptions about Iraq\'s WMD programs were based largely on
    fragmentary information collected from a closed society.

 

 

**Our Soldiers**

 

-   The morale of our soldiers is remarkably high.  The most impressive
    part of the CODEL was watching our soldiers conduct daily missions
    in temperatures exceeding 130 degrees Fahrenheit, covered in
    sweltering body armor and carrying heavy gear, all without
    complaint.  We have the finest military force known to mankind, a
    force that is not only tactically proficient and fiercely cohesive,
    but also remarkably compassionate.

>  

-   In addition to rooting out remnants of the remains of the former
    Iraqi regime, suppressing the operations of foreign operatives,
    quelling the occasional civil unrest and dismantling terrorist
    elements, Coalition military units are directly involved in
    providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Iraq.  Military
    commanders are working to ensure that every school is rebuilt and
    the hospitals are repaired.  These buildings were not damaged during
    the war, but were ruined by decades of government neglect.

 

-   Although immeasurably saddened by not being with their families,
    practically every soldier with whom the CODEL met expressed pride at
    being there, securing the freedom of people incapable of securing it
    for themselves.  Of course they want to come home, but not until
    they are replaced by other units capable of following through with
    the mission at hand.

 

-   The CODEL was most notably impressed by Major General David
    Petraeus, Commanding General of the 101^st^ Airborne Division and
    Major General Raymond Odierno, Commanding General of the 4^th^
    Infantry Division.  These men represent the finest our military has
    to offer.  They are brilliant and stalwart and focused tirelessly on
    the mission and their troops.  The CODEL departed knowing that the
    welfare of our troops is in very fine hands.

 

** **

**Military Strikes**

 

-   The CODEL participated in more than a dozen flights inside Iraq,
    many times flying over extensive portions of a few of Iraq\'s major
    cities.  The CODEL personally viewed the effects of highly specific
    and remarkably accurate military strikes aimed at buildings used by
    senior regime officials responsible for waging the war.  Most of the
    damage in the city was clearly due to looting and decades of
    neglect.

 

 

**Terrorism**

 

-   Terrorism continues to be a problem in Iraq.  With the influx of
    foreign operatives before and during the war, our soldiers continue
    to be at risk from Improvised Explosive Devices, car bombs and
    suicide bombers.

>  

-   Ansar al-Islam, a terrorism group with some links to al-Qaeda that
    had taken control of several villages in Kurdish-controlled northern
    Iraq prior to the onset of the war, has not yet been completely
    defeated or driven out of Iraq.