Odierno, who is being succeeded by Gen. Mark Milley as the Army’s top staff person, said the Islamic State has exploited fissures created by the inability of Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish Iraqis to settle their differences and form a united government that provides equally for all three ethnic and religious groups.
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“If we find in the next several months that we aren’t making progress, we should absolutely consider embedding some soldiers (in Iraq)”, said Gen Odierno at his final press conference before retiring. He noted, however, that the withdrawal from Iraq had been negotiated under President George W. Bush in 2008 and in 2011 only carried out under President Obama.
“I worry about our senior leaders”, Odierno said. “I think that we will probably run another course in November that will be integrated – that’s where we’re headed right now”, he said.
“That certainly is not our policy and not our view and not the future that we seek for Iraq”, spokesman John Kirby said. He said the United States could probably go into Iraq with enough force to defeat the Islamic State, but the success would not last.
“In my opinion, we’ve held the military hostage because of the arguments we’re having over the rest of government”, Odierno said.
Odierno served 39 years, including two as the top U.S. commander in Iraq.
Odierno said ISIS’s territorial expansion has been halted since the US started its air campaign and largely credited the Kurds for pushing back ISIS in Iraq. “Because we should never forget the sacrifice that they made and the sacrifice that their families that send their children continue to make, because their dad or mom’s no longer here”.
“For me it is about altering the dynamics, the political dynamics, the financial dynamics, and it has to be carried out by these in the area”, he stated. “I think it’s important for us to support that”.
He said the Army has been working to rebuild its ability to fight an adversary like Russian Federation over the past 18 months, mainly training for hybrid warfare, which includes a mix of conventional, counterinsurgency, cyber, space and other military capabilities. He said violence was down, the economy was growing and the political situation was stable.
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ISIS still retains between 20,000 and 30,000 soldiers despite a year of American-led airstrikes which U.S. officials say have killed thousands of militants and extremist leaders. “When people become frustrated, they tend to turn to violence”.
