III 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 616 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States civil-military 

partnership in Iraq, under the current leadership of General Raymond 

Odierno and Ambassador Christopher Hill, has refined and sustained 

an effective counterinsurgency and counterterrorism strategy that has 

enabled significant improvements in the security, governance, and rule 

of law throughout Iraq, and that these leaders should be commended 

for their ingenuity, resourcefulness, courage, commitment, and sacrifice. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 5, 2010 

Mr. BURR submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States 

civil-military partnership in Iraq, under the current leadership of General Raymond Odierno and Ambassador 

Christopher Hill, has refined and sustained an effective 

counterinsurgency and counterterrorism strategy that 

has enabled significant improvements in the security, 

governance, and rule of law throughout Iraq, and that 

these leaders should be commended for their ingenuity, 

resourcefulness, courage, commitment, and sacrifice. 

Whereas members of the United States Armed Forces will 

end their combat mission in Iraq on August 31, 2010, 

and retain a transitional force of up to 50,000 troops to 


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•SRES 616 IS 

train and advise the Iraqi Security Forces, conduct 

partnered and targeted counterterrorism operations, and 

protect ongoing United States civilian and military efforts; 

Whereas, on August 31, 2010, Operation Iraqi Freedom will 

end and a transitional mission called Operation New 

Dawn will begin, and the nature of the United States 

commitment in Iraq will shift from one led by the military to one that is civilian-led, with the military in a supporting and reinforcing role; 

Whereas the transitional force will retain sufficient combat 

power and continue to support Iraqi Security Forces, and 

the civilian force will strengthen the partnership between 

the Governments of the United States and Iraq in fields 

such as education, the rule of law, trade, and technology; 

Whereas the United States is fully committed and will remain 

committed to the security and stability of Iraq and the 

Middle East region; 

Whereas the ongoing reduction of United States combat and 

combat support units from Iraq and the conclusion of 

United States-led, direct support and combat operations 

provides an opportunity to recognize and honor the important contributions of the United States Armed Forces 

and the critical civilian agency support that have enabled 

the Iraqi Security Forces to take the lead in conducting 

security and stability operations across the 18 provinces 

of Iraq; 

Whereas the surge of United States military units into Iraq 

in 2007 and 2008 was instrumental in seizing the initiative from insurgent and terrorist elements and providing 

the space and time for the development of the Iraqi SecuVerDate Mar 15 2010 04:39 Aug 06, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR616.IS SR616

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•SRES 616 IS 

rity Forces and the establishment of governmental, political, and economic capacity at the local level; 

Whereas the meticulous and persistent contributions of the 

United States military and civilian leadership under General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker contributed greatly to the successful build up of the Iraqi 

Security Forces and the development of stable governance in Iraq; 

Whereas, in June 2006, the Iraqi Security Forces numbered 

approximately 152,000 and due to the subsequent deployment and employment of critical United States Military 

Transition Teams, Border Transition Teams, and Police 

Transition Teams and the extensive partnering of additional United States military units with Iraqi units, the 

total Iraqi Security Forces grew from approximately 

559,000 in May 2008 to reach approximately 665,000 in 

August of 2010; 

Whereas the ongoing security and stability provided by the 

partnership between the United States Armed Forces and 

Iraqi Security Forces has allowed United States Provincial Reconstruction Teams, embedded with United States 

military units and working alongside Iraqis at the local 

and provincial levels, to have facilitated thousands of reconstruction projects across Iraq that provide necessary 

access to capital and subject matter expertise for the repair of petroleum production facilities and desalination 

plants, expansion of electrical generation and telecommunications networks, building of schools, initiation 

of agricultural projects, spurring of Iraqi-owned businesses, and the attracting of foreign investment to improve the infrastructure of Iraq; 


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•SRES 616 IS 

Whereas improved communication and coordination between 

the Government of Iraq in Baghdad, the Provincial Governors, and local political and tribal leaders has helped 

foster legitimate political alliances that, while still fragile, 

have exhibited the resiliency and potential for the resolution of conflicts through civil discourse, rather than violence; 

Whereas the security situation in Iraq has improved markedly 

since 2007, and while it remains uneven and violent attacks by anti-government elements persist, the frequency 

of these attacks and the resources available to the insurgents and terrorists have declined to such an extent that 

the Government of Iraq remains capable and secure; and 

Whereas these positive developments and trends are evidence 

of the success of the United States civil-military strategy 

in Iraq and are essential to the ongoing reduction of 

United States military forces from the current troop levels of approximately 64,000 to approximately 50,000 

combat and combat support troops by September 1, 

2010, further signaling a robust and ongoing commitment to advise and assist Iraqi Security Forces, while retaining the ability to respond in direct support of Iraqi 

Security Forces when necessary and to conduct counterterrorism operations against insurgent and terrorist elements: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 

2 (1) the counterinsurgency and counterterrorism 

3 strategies of the United States initiated in 2006 and 

4 sustained from 2007 until the present day have suc5 cessfully enabled the Government of Iraq to reach 

6 major milestones in the critical areas of security, 


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•SRES 616 IS 

1 governance, and rule of law and have set the condi2 tions for the responsible and gradual reduction of 

3 United States combat and combat support units 

4 from Iraq and the change of their mission to advis5 ing and assisting the Iraqi Security Forces; 

6 (2) United States Forces-Iraq was instrumental 

7 in effecting the recruitment, training, retention, and 

8 employment of approximately 700,000 Iraqi Security 

9 Forces who have assumed and maintained the lead 

10 for security operations within the 18 provinces of 

11 Iraq; and 

12 (3) United States commanders, their troops, 

13 their civilian partners in the Department of State, 

14 the United States Agency for International Develop15 ment, the Department of the Treasury, the Depart16 ment of Commerce, the Department of Justice, and 

17 the Department of Defense, Federal contractors, 

18 and the Provincial Reconstruction Teams should be 

19 commended for their ingenuity, resourcefulness, 

20 courage, commitment, and sacrifice and their contin21 ued dedication and service to the United States. 

Æ 


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