News Briefing with Maj. Gen. Joseph J. Taluto
- From: Otis Willie <americanwarlibrary@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 28 Oct 2005 22:55:56 GMT
News Briefing with Maj. Gen. Joseph J. Taluto
http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2005/tr20051028-4181.html
{EXCERPT} NEWS TRANSCRIPT from the United States Department of Defense
DoD News Briefing Commander, Multinational Division North-Central of
Task Force Liberty, Maj. Gen. Joseph J. Taluto Friday, October 28,
2005 - 9:02 a.m. EDT
(Note: The general appears via video teleconference from Baghdad,
Iraq.)
BRYAN WHITMAN (Pentagon spokesman): Well good morning, general, and
welcome again to the briefing room.
And welcome this morning to our Pentagon press. I think you all know
our briefer is Major General Joe Taluto. He's the commander of the
42nd Infantry Division and Task Force Liberty. His troops are
responsible for the ongoing security operations in North-Central
region of Iraq. That's the area that includes Balad, Kirkuk, Tikrit,
Samarra. And he -- it wasn't that long ago that he was speaking to you
-- I think it was in August -- where he gave you an operational date.
He is in Baghdad today. And this is probably his last time to talk to
you from Baghdad as his unit is getting ready to transfer authority to
the 101st Airborne Air Assault Division in the coming days.
So, general, if you'd like to give us a bit of an overview. I know
that it's been a tremendously successful year for your unit there, and
we certainly look forward to hearing that and asking you a few
questions.
GEN. TALUTO: Okay, Bryan. I don't know why you used the word
"probably" the last from Baghdad. We are headed out. I'm just joking.
Good morning, everybody. As Bryan mentioned, the 42nd Infantry
Division and the most part of Task Force Liberty is about to redeploy.
We have been focused forward each and every day since our mobilization
some 18 months ago, and we remain looking forward to ensure the safe
departure of our task force soldiers.
Soon we will be able to fully reflect on what has occurred during our
watch in Multinational Division North-Central. One thing we are
certain of: progress in every line of operation has been realized. I
frequently describe our mission in north-central Iraq this year as one
of transition. The role of the Rainbow Division Task Force in Iraq has
been to protect the democratic process while building up the
capabilities and sustainability of our Iraqi partners. Let me offer
you some of the most significant overall areas of progress.
First and foremost, substantial progress has been made in organizing,
training and equipping Iraqi security forces. In February, when we
TOA'd with the First Division, we had one division headquarters, four
brigades and 14 battalions. Today we have two division headquarters,
five brigades and 18 battalions. In February, we were issuing rifles
and uniforms and training troops at squad and platoon levels. Today
each brigade has had three CPXs with their organic battalions and can
conduct company- and battalion- level operations. In fact, they have
completed some brigade-level operations quite successfully. Nearly
half of our operations in MND North-Central are led by or conducted
only by Iraqi army forces. They are equipped with over 85 percent of
their organizational equipment and are working towards sustainment
capabilities.
I could describe to you numerous successful operations and events that
the Iraqi security forces have conducted -- more than our time would
allow. Suffice to say, these forces are on the rise. We must now
continue to grow their readiness by building sustainment capabilities
which will move them further toward independent operations.
Another achievement that does not get enough visibility, in my view,
is the reduction of coalition force bases. During our time, we have
been able to close 10 U.S. FOBs -- forward operating bases -- turning
most of those over to Iraqi army units, therefore reducing coalition
force presence. In fact, soon, the former palace complex of Saddam
Hussein in Tikrit, once the headquarters of Task Force Liberty and the
42nd Division, will be turned over to the people of Iraq.
Turning to important progress in the governance line, here, too, there
has been remarkable progress. In February, the provincial governments
were elected but not functioning. Now they are fully functioning with
provincial councils; local city governments have been elected, and for
the most part are up and running effectively. These governments have
been in charge of prioritizing and contracting projects in their
provinces through a collaborative Iraqi process. We have seen
Iraqi-elected leaders grow into their positions, becoming more
confident, visible and forceful. This is significant, as they have
taken on more and more responsibility for solving problems; in other
words, Iraqi solutions to Iraqi issues.
Another government capability that has progressed is the Joint
Coordination Centers. They have grown and become extremely effective.
They are located throughout all provinces and local municipalities.
Their planning, and the execution of that plan by Iraqi security
forces, produced a highly safe and secure referendum vote on October
15th.
Another impressive improvement has been the growth of the Iraqi media
capability in North-Central. Print media, radio, local TV and now a
satellite television station in Tikrit has given voice to the Iraqi
people. I can tell you that they are excited about it.
I can go on and on; however, suffice to say real, measurable progress
has been made this past year. Yes, the insurgency continues, but the
march to democracy is in full stride.
Let me end my comments by saying to the American people I wish that
they could see what I have seen over the past 11 months. And it's not
about the progress we made or even the bona fide relationships we have
established with the majority of the Iraqi people; it's about the
American soldiers that serve their country. I cannot adequately
describe their courage, their resiliency, their balanced warrior
spirit or their commitment to duty. It is truly inspirational and a
thing of beauty. Each and every American can take pride in their
soldiers because they are America's sons and daughters.
And with that closing comment, we can start our questions.
MR. WHITMAN: As is the case normally, the general can't see you, so if
you could identify yourself for him, that would be helpful. And we'll
start with Charlie.
Q General, Charlie Aldinger with Reuters. You said that Saddam's
palace headquarters in Tikrit will soon be turned over to the Iraqis.
When will it be turned over? And is it currently a U.S. military
facility headquarters, and will it be turned over to the Iraqi
military?
GEN. TALUTO: I think I got all your question there, Charlie. It is --
the U.S. military is moving off the complex. The government of Iraq,
through the minister of finance, is in conversation with the
provincial government in Tikrit and they are discussing who is going
to come on there. It is going to be totally and only an Iraqi presence
there as soon as we leave, and we'll be leaving there this month -- or
the month of November we'll be leaving.
Q Thank you.
MR. WHITMAN: Lolita.
Q General, Lolita Baldor with the Associated Press. Other commanders
have told us that there are problems with the Iraqi army ability to
get supplies and to have replacement parts, that that's one of the
things that's impeding their progress. Are you seeing that also? And
does that continue to be a problem?
GEN. TALUTO: Yes. As I said in my opening statements, we now have to
build the sustainment capabilities. That is not a mature system yet,
their sustainment capabilities, and so things like getting parts,
repairing vehicles, the list goes on with a number of logistical
sustainability issues. We have -- there are systems in place. They
have to improve. And that is one of the issues that I'm sure -- it is
being worked on now and that is going to improve here, I think, in the
near term. And especially once we get past the elections in December,
I think more and more once the permanent government is in place and
the ministries are solidified, I think you're going to see more
improvements in that area especially.
MR. WHITMAN: Jim?
Q General, this is Jim Mannion with Agence France-Presse. Based on
your experience and what you've seen, what do you think are the
prospects for a significant reduction of U.S. forces in Iraq
generally, or at least in your sector? And how long will it be before
the Iraqi security forces are able to control that sector entirely on
their own?
GEN. TALUTO: The first part of the question, I believe, the prospects
are very good for, you know, coalition force presence becoming less,
but it is -- we have, as I pointed out, more Iraqi army security
forces and the police forces are also fairly robust in North-Central,
and things are moving along to -- very well there. So I think
economies, you know, can be seen there, and that's just something that
our operational commanders above me will decide as they look at the
total theater requirements in places like that.
The second part of the question, how long before the Iraqi Army units
can take over totally. It kind of goes back to that sustainment
question to some extent. But we're making progress with bringing these
Iraqi army units up to a readiness level that is good enough to lead
and assume operational space. The fact is that you have to be able to
sustain that readiness level and in fact solidify it so that it even
improves. So the sustainment piece is now the next thing. We have to
make that better. We have got many of these units up to speed, and
many of them are functioning very well. They're on their own, doing
the counterinsurgency fight, leading most of our operations, and
certainly in doing traffic control and moving out doing flash and
hasty TCP work. They are virtually on every single raid we do, and
most of the time they are the ones that are the predominant force in
those raids.
So they're getting real, on-the-ground experience. Their training is
moving up in levels. They're training now at company and battalion
level. That's very sophisticated training up at the battalion level.
They're doing brigade CPXs. We have conducted some brigade-level
operations. So I think, you know, we're going to see some of these
units emerge as being able to take over the lead, and it'll probably
go in pieces. How long that takes -- a lot of conditions are based,
you know, it's a condition-based issue. Threats in that area,
particular area, how well they're able to control it, et cetera.
Q General, Vicky O'Hara of National Public Radio. When you say that
you think that the prospects are very good for coalition forces to
become to be reduced, are you speaking of north-central Iraq, or are
you speaking of the country as a whole? And my second question, is it
at all possible that once the elections are over, that U.S. forces
could be withdrawn from north-central Iraq, given the progress that
you cite?
GEN. TALUTO: I can only speak for north-central Iraq. I mean, that's
where we have worked in this past year. My other knowledge of the
theater is only for situational awareness, and certainly those
questions about what's possible with all that really resides, you
know, with the force commander and commanders above me because they
are the ones that have the full picture. So I'm only speaking about
north-central Iraq, good progress in north-central Iraq. There are
good battalions, good brigades, we're making great progress out there.
I think the second part of your question is about after the elections.
Certainly the December election now is going to take center stage,
just as the referendum did. And so our Iraqi army partners are -- have
done a marvelous job in the referendum ramp-up. They're now, you know,
refitting a little bit. There's some training going on. And they'll
soon be getting ready for the December period of time. And so after
December, I think you'll see, you know, more forceful training come
into play.
The other piece is that U.S. forces are transitioning; it has been a
transition that has started some time ago; it's going to go on for a
while. And during that period of time, we got to get the elections
over with, and then we move on into the next year. And I think -- my
opinion is that speed is going to pick up with getting some of these
Iraqi units even further along. And part of that goes to those
sustainability issues and the ability for them to not only sustain
maintenance-wise, they have to be able to sustain their personnel,
which they have had no problem with getting people into army service.
In fact, we have more than we need and can be choosey -- they can be
choosey. You have training sustainment. You can do operations, but you
always got to go back to conduct training, maintain proficiencies and
certain individual squad/platoon-level types of things. So you got to
go back and be able to sustain that. We want the Iraqi leaders to do
that so they are the ones that can sustain themselves as the coalition
draws down more and more away from supporting them.
MR. WHITMAN: Al?
Q General, it's Al Pessin with Voice of America. I want to follow up
on that point and then ask a question about the Iraqi media.
You mentioned the more senior generals, and they have said that they
hope to begin withdrawing substantial numbers of U.S. forces sometime
next year. And I wonder, now that you're talking about your successors
moving to this next stage of brigade-level training and sustainment,
is that a faster process than the part that you've done at the lower
levels? Is that something that you can see coming to fruition sometime
between this next spring and fall, let's say, when you could begin to
see some reduction in U.S. troop levels? So I'm just trying to get a
sense of how much work there is to do as it relates to the timing.
And then you mentioned that the media is developing in your area. And
there have been some reports in the past about the new Iraqi media as
to whether they're reliable in terms of the information that they put
out, whether they're helpful in terms of nation-building, or just
carrying rumors that are more harmful. So what's your evaluation of
the new Iraqi media in your area?
GEN. TALUTO: Okay, first part of the question, continuing now with
Iraq army. We're -- as I said back in February, we were at
squad/platoon level training and we weren't really conducting any
operations with the Iraqi army of any substance. So that just lets you
know where we were.
Building competencies at platoon and then getting it to company level,
that is not a -- you know, that's a fairly -- you know, and
everything's relative. If I say "fast process," what's fast? I mean,
those are the building blocks. When you start getting into
battalion-level operations and brigade-level operations, things --
there are just more moving parts; it's more complex in what you're
talking about doing there. And so yes, we are now starting to look at
brigades and how they can man and control, plan and execute operations
on a brigade-level basis. And sometime next year, they're going to
definitely be able to be looked at very closely with regards to being
able to start conducting brigade-level operations on a continuous
basis. And then it can be decided by the operational commanders
whether they are to take over that particular portion of battlespace,
et cetera.
So that's -- we're moving along. We're moving toward that goal. There
isn't anything that's been stopping us. The training's been going
fine, the operations have been going fine. It's, again, sustainment. I
keep bringing that in there because you get to a certain readiness
level and the readiness, you do not -- readiness goes up and down.
What the key is, is that on the bottom line, on the lower limit of
readiness, you don't want it to fall down below an acceptable level.
You want to keep it in a band of excellence, is what we call it -- a
top line and a bottom line. The top being right, you know, A-number
one, ready to go; the bottom line being the minimum acceptable
readiness level that you want to be able to stay at. You have to have
those sustainment programs to stay in that band of excellence, even
though the readiness will move up and down in there. Without
sustainment, you can have a drop-off that takes you down below
acceptable levels of readiness, and then that's a problem. So you have
to link the two. You're building it, you're building company,
battalion, brigade, and you have to start having sustainment in those
formations for them to stay up on their own and keep their readiness
on their own and conduct their own operations.
The second part, on the media, we've been very pleased with the media
process in North-Central. And we think it's very honest. Particularly
Salahuddin -- I mean, all the provinces are good. I mean, Diyala
Province, Kirkuk Province, Salahuddin Province, they all have their
print media, they all have their radio shows, they all have their
local television shows. They bring in people, notables in their
communities. They get them out there. They talk. They have discussions
on TV.
The satellite TV station in Tikrit is very exciting prospects for the
people in Salahuddin Province because they are going to be able to
speak, and as you know, that's a largely Sunni Arab province. And I
will tell you that their interest is in telling the real story about
what's going on in Iraq and not some of the fabrication that goes on
on other Arab channels. And I'm quoting Iraqis that are saying that.
And that doesn't mean that they're 100 percent pro. They have their
issues. They want to be able to say what their issues are. They want
to be able to talk about them. And that's what's really been evolving,
is that they see the media as their ability to combat this insurgency,
to combat certainly the greater insurgency, which is al Qaeda in Iraq,
and to tell their story.
So I think it's on the move and I think it's doing well. That is my
personal observations.
MR. WHITMAN: Let's go here to the back and work our way over.
Q General, I'm Carl Osgood. I work for Executive Intelligence Review.
Can you talk a little bit about what the impact of all of this
progress you're reporting has been on the insurgency, how has the
effectiveness of the insurgency changed over time? Because it seems
from back here to be as intense as it ever was.
GEN. TALUTO: The nature of the insurgency. It seems intense, and
certainly is when you take into consideration the spectacular attacks,
the VBIEDs, the attacks against Iraqi -- you have Palestine Hotel, the
other kinds of things they do in cities, that kill innocent people.
They always catch the headlines. Certainly IEDs are out there against
our forces and against Iraqi security forces, and they are the leading
casualty producer right now.
But a couple things that I see. Number one, I think we're getting
further division between al Qaeda in Iraq and the Iraqi rejectionists
or Saddamists. I don't think al Qaeda in Iraq's message is resonating
very well, and I think we're seeing, at least in North- Central, we're
not seeing as much of their influence in there.
I will tell you a little anecdote here. Back in June we had a
governors' conference, and in May and June in North-Central were the
two biggest months of suicide bombing and the killing and taking of
innocent life, way above our normal. Those were the only two months.
Everything other than that stayed relatively, you know, straight
across. They were not happy, and the governors decided in that June
meeting that they were going to come out strong and condemn violence,
and they all did, and they all did forcefully -- in Salahuddin, in
Kirkuk, in Sulimaniyah and in Diyala province -- the governors
personally, and they took this on. And I do believe since that period
of time, I have seen the attitudes about killing -- Muslims killing
Muslims -- that is not playing well with the Iraqi people.
Then we have the Saddamists and the Iraqi rejectionists. Looks like,
from this referendum vote, that we are starting to see that the Sunni
Arabs -- and I can tell you this for a fact -- they are going to
participate in the political process because they saw what happened in
January as not helpful to their cause. There are still -- an
insurgency there that are doing things that are not helpful, and, in
fact, have to be neutralized. But I believe that the Iraqis will
eventually get that part solved, I think as the political process goes
forward, as the issues are resolved, compromised, or a consensus comes
together. It is a political process. And that's they way I see -- I
see the -- I don't see a great bonding there or a coalescing, let me
say it that way.
MR. WHITMAN: We have time for one, maybe two more. All right, here to
Jim, and we'll finish up with Charlie, then, okay?
Q General, it's Jim Mannion from AFP again. I was wondering -- you
know, you were talking about sustainment. I wonder if you could just
define that, exactly what you mean by that.
GEN. TALUTO: I'm sorry, say -- I didn't quite get the -- about the
what?
Q You were talking about sustainment, about the importance of
sustainment. And I'm just wondering if you could define that and
explain exactly what you mean by sustainment.
GEN. TALUTO: All right, sustainment -- in the functional areas we have
personnel, we have logistics and we have training. In our logistics
arena -- everything about maintaining and sustaining your equipment
levels. So if you take a truck out, and it gets hit with an IED and it
gets destroyed, how do I get my truck replaced? If my truck breaks,
and I don't have parts to fix it, how do I get the parts -- the
necessary parts to put it back on the road? If my weapon systems break
down and I need small arms repair or heavy weapons repair, who's going
to come in and do that repair? And if it's above my level, who do I
send my weapon to to get fixed or where do I get new weapons? If I
need leaders and personnel, and I have to have -- rotate leaders,
there has got to be a system in place to -- and a thoughtful system on
how they select commanders, and put in leaders, and make assignments
because that sustains the personnel side.
In training, if I can conduct -- if I've got my soldiers and their
marksmanship is good, their -- they know how to conduct, aim, fire,
that their individual training skills are good, if I don't use those
skills, they will erode. So I need to understand that I have to
schedule time to go back to training at certain periodic times. I need
to be able to conduct that kind of training over again to sustain
their skills.
So in these functional areas, there are sustainment requirements, and
you have to have systems in place. And those systems emanate from on
high. In other words, it is from higher to lower that those
sustainment systems come into play. So while we're making good healthy
battalions that are capable, and we're putting together brigade
headquarters that are capable of planning and executing operations, we
have to have the sustainment programs that come from a community of
that kind of support that provides those services or trains those
services. Does that explain the sustainment question?
Q That was great. Thanks.
MR. WHITMAN: General, we'll make this the last one from here before we
sign off from this end.
Q General, just to clarify a couple things. Number one, Saddam's
palace in Tikrit, that's not your headquarters. That's not the
headquarters of the military for North-Central Iraq. That's just one
military headquarters. Am I wrong?
GEN. TALUTO: It has been the headquarters. The complex itself has been
a U.S. FOB, known as FOB Danger. It was occupied by the 4th Division.
It was occupied by the 1st Division, and it's been occupied by the
42nd Division Headquarters. There will be no more U.S. presence at --
and there will be no more FOB Danger. So the 101st who is replacing us
is going to be headquartered -- it will not be headquartered there.
It'll headquartered north of Tikrit.
Q And just one more question. You said that, I believe, that 10 --
you've closed 10 forward operating bases. You've been able to close or
move away from 10 forward operating bases since June or July, as I
remember. For some context, how many forward operating bases do you
have in your area in order to give us a comparison?
GEN. TALUTO: We started with 27 bases when we came in, and so we're
down to 17. And the prospects for closing more are there. As the 101st
gets in and gets past the election, and so on, and so forth, they'll
make their own assessments on where they can continue to draw down on
bases.
MR. WHITMAN: Well, General, this is Bryan Whitman again. And we just
want to thank you for not only taking the time today, but in your
previous occasions, to talk to us and to give us updates in terms of
what your unit has been doing. And by all accounts, what has been a
very successful year.
We wish you a speedy and safe redeployment, and we hope to see you
back here sometime.
GEN. TALUTO: Well, thank you very much. And God bless you all. I look
forward to being in your time zone.
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