IV 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 245
Expressing the sense of Congress that it is in the national security interests 
of the United States to remain engaged in Iraq in order to ensure 
a peaceful, stable, unified Iraq with a representative government, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 16, 2003
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida submitted the following concurrent resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on International Relations 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress that it is in the national 
security interests of the United States to remain engaged 
in Iraq in order to ensure a peaceful, stable, unified 
Iraq with a representative government, and for other 
purposes.
Whereas the United States, with the support of Great Britain 
and other countries, historically and courageously liber-
ated Iraq in three weeks; 
Whereas conditions on the ground in parts of Iraq continue 
to pose a grave threat to United States troops, thereby 
complicating efforts to restore law and order and essen-
tial public services for Iraqis, and these efforts are fur-
ther complicated by the absence of effective communica-
tions with the Iraqi people;
•HCON 245 IH 
Whereas ultimately, maintaining law and order in Iraq and 
preserving its territorial integrity will require the creation 
of a professionally-trained Iraqi police force and a re-
formed Iraqi military, but that will take a significant 
amount of time and in the meantime international armed 
forces and police must assume these responsibilities; 
Whereas approximately 145,000 United States troops are 
currently deployed in Iraq, meaning that United States 
Armed Forces comprise approximately 90 percent of Coa-
lition forces, and even if, as the Department of Defense 
has stated, an additional 10,000 international troops join 
the Coalition effort in Iraq by September 2003, United 
States Armed Forces will still comprise approximately 85 
percent of Coalition forces; 
Whereas maintaining the existing force level in Iraq currently 
requires at least $3,900,000,000 each month; 
Whereas the Department of Defense has stated that it will 
require one year to train a new Iraqi Army of 12,000 sol-
diers and three years to train 40,000 soldiers; 
Whereas the Coalition Provisional Authority has stated that 
it will require at least one year to recruit and train a po-
lice force of 40,000 officers capable of assuming minimal 
police functions in Iraq, that it will require five years to 
recruit and train a full force of 75,000 officers, and that 
at least 5,500 additional international police are needed 
to train, assist, and jointly patrol with the existing Iraqi 
police force; 
Whereas President Bush has noted that ‘‘[t]he rise of Iraq, 
as an example of moderation and democracy and pros-
perity, is a massive and long-term undertaking’’, and it 
is clear that increasing the number of troops and police
•HCON 245 IH 
from countries other than the United States will reduce 
risks to American soldiers and the financial cost to the 
United States; 
Whereas Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld testified that ‘‘[w]e 
certainly want assistance from NATO and from NATO 
countries’’ and it is clear that involving the North Atlan-
tic Treaty Organization, as is being done in Afghanistan 
and has been done in Kosovo and Bosnia, allows the Coa-
lition to maintain a robust military presence while de-
creasing the exposure and risk to United States troops; 
and 
Whereas rebuilding Iraq’s neglected infrastructure and econ-
omy and administering Iraq, including providing basic 
services and paying public sector salaries, is likely to re-
quire tens of billions of dollars over several years and 
projected Iraqi oil revenues will be insufficient to meet 
these costs: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that—
(1) it is in the national security interests of the 
United States to remain engaged in Iraq in order to 
ensure a peaceful, stable, unified Iraq with a rep-
resentative government; 
(2) the Organization for the Prohibition of 
Chemical Weapons and other appropriate inter-
national and nongovernmental organizations should 
provide assistance to the Coalition in Iraq in order 
to contribute to international security and stability,
•HCON 245 IH 
general and complete disarmament, and global eco-
nomic development; 
(3) the President should consider requesting 
formally and expeditiously that the North Atlantic 
Treaty Organization (NATO) raise a force for de-
ployment in post-war Iraq similar to what it has 
done in Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Kosovo and should 
urge NATO allies and other countries to provide 
troops and police to Coalition efforts in Iraq; and 
(4) the President should consider calling on the 
United Nations to urge its member states to provide 
military forces and civilian police to promote sta-
bility and security in Iraq and resources to help re-
build and administer Iraq.
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