HQDA Talking Points Memo...

Coded instructions received. Must now disseminate...

If you love the Armorer, the Armorer would *really* like this for the celebration of his Natal Day. SWWBO has already responded in the negative... specifically:

"ha ha!

love,

Beth

Sadly, the Armorer suspects no one of sufficient means has the necessary fondness for the Armorer... The Armorer is now slipping badly into Dole-like third person referents...

It's tough to be Irish. My name is Donovan. I know.

New Army Manual sets limits on interrogation methods. Just shows what being badly out of practice and out of favor does to you when you have to relearn old stuff.

PVT Graner, now a resident near me, is being stupid and stubborn. He probably thinks he's being loyal. But then he also thought what he did at Abu Ghraib was a good idea, so I don't think I'll adopt his standards.

Remember the drowning incident that involved some Iraqi bloggers? Someone is going to jail. Another new resident near me.

The Big Chief, General Myers, says things are looking up in Iraq. General Myer's full points are in the Flash Traffic/extended entry of this post.

Uh-oh. Kos, Eschaton, Marshall, call your office. Dang the Chimp, anyway!

CENTCOM's projected Way Ahead.

Prime Minister Berlusconi looks to the polls. The Brits will probably be asked to pick up the slack... I wonder how much slack they've got? How about now that things are looking up, some other players step up to the plate?

Looks like we've turned over some more rocks in our POW handling. Would that the UN would take the same kind of look at it's operations... We should continue to dig - just wish the people who prod us to would do so themselves.

To close out the upper part - via Cassandra, Major K.

IRAQ UPDATE

Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, Chairman, JCS

Trend lines on progress in Iraq are up, and Iraq and the Coalition are on track with work to rebuild the country.

- Iraqi Security Forces are increasingly taking more responsibility for the security mission.
- Forces now number 145,000, including the army and various police units.
- Their capacity and capabilities continue to grow
- They have been playing a larger role in leading the counter-insurgency effort.
- Iraqis continue to battle the insurgency.
- The people causing instability are more criminal in nature than they are a true insurgency.
- Even so, the most deadly acts of violence are the work of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his al Qaeda helpers. Former regime elements also play a large role in the violence.

Army Lt. Gen. John Vines, Commander, MNC-I

The goal of Coalition forces in Iraq is to enable Iraqi forces to conduct independent counter-insurgency operations.

- As Iraqi forces improve, there will be less need for Coalition forces; however, decisions on force size will be driven by events on the ground.
- Iraqi Security Forces have valuable capabilities Coalition forces don't, such as language skills, cultural insights and access to certain intelligence.
- Iraqi forces have performed brilliantly, most recently in the elections.

Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, Commander, Multi-National Security Transition Command Iraq

- The success of the Iraqi elections boosted morale in the Iraqi Security Forces, and trust by the Iraqi people in their security apparatus.
- Iraq has 96 operational combat battalions.
- Forces are conducting independent operations and getting results.
- Forces are "shouldering the burden" in 12 of the 18 provinces - the three Kurdish provinces in the north and nine provinces in the south.
- Momentum is going forward in all aspects: Recruits are being trained; the supply system is equipping them; and the infrastructure is maturing at the right time to house and maintain the units.

Marine Corps Col. Kerry Burkholder, Deputy Chief of Coalition Operations, U.S. Central Command

- The 72-nation Coalition supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom is making significant contributions and remains committed to the cause.
- Twenty-five coalition members are contributing more than 20,000 troops to the operation.
- The Poles lead the Multinational Division Center-South.
- The British lead the Multinational Division South-East.
- The Koreans lead the Multinational Division North-East.
- Other nations provide intelligence and humanitarian support, back the Coalition politically, donating money or supplies, help train Iraqi forces, or support security and maritime-interdiction operations.

Source: DOD