End of Mission-Iraq

[Steve the Planner]

Dayuhan:

Like Ken says, Tank Thinkers like Mr. Cordesman should very much no better than to be pushing/blaming Obama for all the SOFA deficiencies (in his opinion) and past Iraq issues which were not otherwise accomplished in eight years. Now that we are gone, we must make things perfect?

Tom Odom and I were chatting about the 16,000 US Embassy Mission, now couped up in the no-longer-secure Green Zone. A police training and NATO mission that the Iraqis apparently don't want.

A few years ago, as a DoS civilian, I could go to a ministry building in the Red Zone in a low-key movement. Now, they can't even leave the New Embassy Compound without the kind of security we used to drive from Tikrit to Baghdad in early 2008.

UNAMI has a large hoteling operation operated out of Amman, Jordan. Critical staff are rotated into Baghdad as and when needed (like they do for Afghanistan) for two week cycles. The administrative stuff like payroll and paperwork is done by staff in Amman.

If the US followed this hoteling practice, the majority of admin and support staff would be gone, and the huge security and logistic apparatus to support it. 16,000 down to, perhaps, 5,000 and, for Mike Few's benefit, a $6 billion cost dropped to maybe $4. (What's a billion or two here and there?).

This would do a lot to allay Iraqi concerns (and street rumors) that there is more going on in the Embassy than is appropriate. Despite that, in truth, like when the troops were moved out of the cities, little is actually going on but a lot of people standing by.

[Ken White]

Having seen the WaPo picture gallery of that completed Taj Mahal of an 'embassy' I can say with certainty it is now official:

We have lost our cotton picking minds.

[Steve the Planner]

Ken:

Nothing more telling than to see it from the other side of the Tigris (the Red Zone).

It is, with all portents, a broad and highly visible edifice.

Steve

[davidbfpo]

Steve The Planner,

You referred to:

.. the 16,000 US Embassy Mission..

Please confirm sixteen thousand Marines are the US Embassy guard. That is incredible, I don't have my IISS Military Balance to hand, but IIRC there is a SWJ article that refers to the Corps being 240k.

The logistics for the mission must be - well - interesting.

[Steve the Planner]

David:

No, there is a marine contingent, but half are embassy staff and half private security (the thing Iraqis objected to the most).

[Ken White]

The large ones, London, Paris, Tokyo, Beijing etc. have more while most smaller nation have less than a dozen. (LINK). In addition to the Marines, Embassies also have State Department Diplomatic Security officer, DoS civilian employees (LINK) and may also have civiilian contract security elements.

I think the total footprint in Iraq next year for US DoS and DoD (military training missions and military equipment delivery teams, no combat elements) and other agencies like Commerce, Agriculture and so forth (to include Contractors) is purported to be less than 6,000. Still a bunch, though Iran back in the days of the Shah had over 3,000 at times.

[Dayuhan]

Having seen the WaPo picture gallery of that completed Taj Mahal of an 'embassy' I can say with certainty it is now official:

We have lost our cotton picking minds.

I wonder if the roof is suitable for helicopter landings...

[Ken White]

is unkind

Though it's a quite valid and fair question...

[Steve the Planner]

Dayuhan:

The roofs are very heavily reinforced for routine mortaring (and sealable for gas attacks), but there are plenty of helo landing points on site below the exterior wall elevation.

Five-story height buildings with a twenty foot wall (wire included).

Much improved over Embassy Saigon.

Ken: Right. Plenty of DSS staff who are very well-trained. For private contractor movements, DSS runs the convoy.

[Dayuhan]

The roofs are very heavily reinforced for routine mortaring (and sealable for gas attacks), but there are plenty of helo landing points on site below the exterior wall elevation.

Five-story height buildings with a twenty foot wall (wire included).

Whoever designed that should have been reminded of this:

“Fixed fortifications are a monument to the stupidity of man”

George S Patton

[davidbfpo]

Marvelous description by the U.S. Ambassador James Jeffrey:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...024140494.html

In fact:

The four main U.S. diplomatic facilities—the embassy in Baghdad, consulates general in Basra and Irbil and a consulate in Kirkuk..and seven other facilities..

Distributed operations.