Iraqi Air Force Reborn

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Iraqi Air Force Reborn

Author : Arnaud Delalande
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780985455477
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (554 download)

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Book Synopsis Iraqi Air Force Reborn by : Arnaud Delalande

Download or read book Iraqi Air Force Reborn written by Arnaud Delalande and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Iraqi Air Power Reborn provides the most authoritative account of the Iraqi air arms in the years following Operation Iraqi Freedom. In the space of over a decade since Harpia Publishing presented its groundbreaking and ever-popular Iraqi Fighters, the Iraqi Air Force has undergone an unprecedented transformation. Having been almost entirely decimated by coalition air strikes in 2003, and during the insurgency that followed, Baghdad has set about rebuilding its air power from scratch. This book summarizes the history of the Iraqi Air Force and its various incarnations until 2003 before detailing the efforts to establish a new-look Air Force, which began with training formations, before adding transport and reconnaissance squadrons, and finally attack and fighter squadrons - the latter now equipped with the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon. Coverage also extends to Iraqi Army Aviation, and its various transport, special operations, armed reconnaissance and attack squadrons. Iraqi Army Aviation in particular has been blooded in the fighting that has plagued Iraq since the coalition invasion, and, using pilot testimonies and other sources, author Arnaud Delalande provides exhaustive coverage of successive campaigns waged by Iraqi air power against local and foreign insurgents, including the so-called Islamic State. As well as an overview of Iraq's air arsenal, therefore, this work also serves as a primer of the ongoing conflict within the country. A map of all current Iraqi air bases complements the comprehensive photographic coverage and a detailed order of battle is included, together with squadron patches. A full list is provided of aircraft serial numbers and attrition to all causes since 2004. Iraqi Air Power Reborn is one of the first books in an all-new format from Harpia Publishing. Those readers familiar with Harpia's previous titles will recognize the format, layout, and high-quality production standards. Compared to earlier Harpia titles, however, the new series are altogether more compact, running to a total of 80 pages, and enabling coverage of 'smaller' themes. Of course, these books also retain the now-familiar in-depth coverage, painstaking research and lavish illustrations of their 'bigger brothers'.

Desert Storm Air Power

Author : Roy Braybrook
Publisher : Osprey Publishing
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 72 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Desert Storm Air Power by : Roy Braybrook

Download or read book Desert Storm Air Power written by Roy Braybrook and published by Osprey Publishing. This book was released on 1991-05-23 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Iraq invaded the sovereign state of Kuwait in the early hours of 2 August 1990 the United Nations immediately condemned the invasion and sanctioned the use of force to remove the Iraquis from Kuwait. At the time of the invasion the Iraqui Air Force was a large force, though without the tactical capabilities possessed by the Western forces. On 17 January 1991 Operation Desert Shield was initiated, targeting enemy airfields and air defence. The threat of the IAF was largely negated in the face of the overwhelming air superiority provided by the coalition forces.

Wings of Iraq

Author : Tom Cooper
Publisher : Middle East@War
ISBN 13 : 9781914377174
Total Pages : 88 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (771 download)

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Book Synopsis Wings of Iraq by : Tom Cooper

Download or read book Wings of Iraq written by Tom Cooper and published by Middle East@War. This book was released on 2022-02-15 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Officially established on 22 April 1931, around a core of 5 pilots and 32 aircraft mechanics, the Royal Iraqi Air Force was the first military flying service in any Arab country. Wings of Iraq, Volume 2 tells the story of the Iraqi Air Force between 1970 and 1980. In doing so it examines the air force's involvement in the October 1973 Arab-Israeli War, and then the showdown with the Iranian-supported Kurdish insurgency in northern Iraq in 1974-1975. These two affairs taught the Iraqis that numbers alone did not make an air force. Correspondingly, during the second half of the 1970s, Baghdad embarked on a project based on full technology transfer from France, which was intended to result in preparing the IrAF for the twenty-first century. This process hardly began when the new ruler in Baghdad, Saddam Hussein at-Tikriti, led his country into an invasion of neighboring Iran, embroiling it in a ruinous, eight-year-long war. This volume details the events leading up to the beginning of that war and its opening moves in the air. Although virtually 'born in battle', collecting precious combat experience and playing an important role in so many internal and external conflicts, the Iraqi Air Force remains one of the least known and most misinterpreted military services in the Middle East. Richly illustrated, Wings of Iraq, Volume 2, provides a uniquely compact yet comprehensive guide to its operational history, its crucial officers and aircraft, and its major operations between 1970 and 1980.

Adapt Or Fail

Author : George Cully
Publisher : Independently Published
ISBN 13 : 9781097783458
Total Pages : 162 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (834 download)

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Book Synopsis Adapt Or Fail by : George Cully

Download or read book Adapt Or Fail written by George Cully and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2019-05-10 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Prior to its involvement with the Iraqi air force in 2004, the US Air Force (USAF) was relatively inexperienced in helping to create an air force for a partner nation. Usually the partner nation would already have an air force and the requisite infrastructure-only needing better airplanes, more training, or additional spare parts for the equipment already on hand. None of those conditions were present in Iraq when the Coalition Military Assistance Training Team (CMATT) was tasked to create an air corps for what the Coalition Provisional Authority called the New Iraqi Army. Nor were the handful of USAF personnel assigned to the CMATT air cell (CMATT-A) given any special preparations or high-level support and oversight after that task had morphed into the creation of a full-fledged Iraqi air force- and all that must accompany such an undertaking-in 2005.The resulting ad hoc nature of CMATT-A's operations combined with other factors to produce an untenable situation for the USAF, USAF Reserve, and other Department of Defense component advisors involved. Unfortunately, that increasingly serious situation did not garner the attention of the USAF's senior leadership until such neglect was found to be a contributing factor in an aircraft accident that took the lives of five dedicated Airmen-four USAF members and an Iraqi Air Force officer-on 30 May 2005.This study summarizes the events that led up to that accident and the consequences that followed, including the decision to replace CMATT-A with a larger, better-resourced organization led by a USAF general officer, the recognition of the need to deploy significantly greater numbers of suitably trained USAF instructor/advisor Airmen to Iraq, and the concerted action to assist the Iraqi Air Force in obtaining more capable aircraft. These improvements took the better part of two years' analyses, preparations, investment, and adjustments. This study summarizes the essentials of that complex sequence of events. It is a story about accomplishing a demanding, unheralded mission under harrowing conditions in a foreign land.

On Target

Author : Richard G. Davis
Publisher : Department of the Air Force
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 408 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis On Target by : Richard G. Davis

Download or read book On Target written by Richard G. Davis and published by Department of the Air Force. This book was released on 2002 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Advise and Dissent is the personal odyssey of James Abourezk, from his coming of age as the son of Lebanese immigrants in South Dakota, through his hardscrabble days as a farmhand, bartender, bouncer, and cook, to his entrance into and voluntary exit from the U.S. Senate. His is a quintessentially American story that entertains as it challenges the thinking of our nation. Abourezk refused to compromise his beliefs. He championed Native American self-determination and demanded the creation of a Palestinian state. He challenged the flow of special interest money through political action committees and tried to overthrow the structure that keeps small farmers in an economic stranglehold. His memoir takes the reader on a remarkable and wise tour through the corridors of power. At a time of waning public confidence in government, he makes us realize the importance of participatory democracy.

Adapt Or Fail, The USAF's Role in Reconstituting the Iraqi Air Force, 2004-2007, 2017

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (987 download)

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Book Synopsis Adapt Or Fail, The USAF's Role in Reconstituting the Iraqi Air Force, 2004-2007, 2017 by :

Download or read book Adapt Or Fail, The USAF's Role in Reconstituting the Iraqi Air Force, 2004-2007, 2017 written by and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Wings of Iraq

Author : Tom Cooper
Publisher : Middle East@War
ISBN 13 : 9781913118747
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (187 download)

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Book Synopsis Wings of Iraq by : Tom Cooper

Download or read book Wings of Iraq written by Tom Cooper and published by Middle East@War. This book was released on 2020-08-19 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Virtually born in battle, collecting precious combat experience and playing involved in so many conflicts, the Iraqi Air Force remains one of the most misinterpreted military services in the Middle East. Wings over Iraq provides a uniquely compact yet comprehensive guide to its operational history, officers, aircraft, and major operations.

Iraq's Armed Forces

Author : Ibrahim Al-Marashi
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1134145640
Total Pages : 268 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (341 download)

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Book Synopsis Iraq's Armed Forces by : Ibrahim Al-Marashi

Download or read book Iraq's Armed Forces written by Ibrahim Al-Marashi and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2008-04-03 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides the first comprehensive study of the evolution of the Iraqi military from the British mandate era to post-Baathist Iraq. Ethnic and sectarian turmoil is endemic to Iraq, and its armed forces have been intertwined with its political affairs since their creation. This study illustrates how the relationship between the military and the political centre in Iraq has evolved, with the military bringing about three regime changes in Iraq’s history before being brought under control by Saddam Hussein, up until the 2003 war. The instability that followed was partly due to the failure to create a new military that does not threaten the government, yet is still strong enough to deter rival factions from armed conflict. The reconstitution of the armed forces will be a prerequisite for an American withdrawal from Iraq, but this book argues that immense challenges lie ahead, despite the praise from the Bush administration for the progress of the new Iraqi army.

Iraqi Mirages

Author : Tom Cooper
Publisher : Middle East@War
ISBN 13 : 9781912390311
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (93 download)

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Book Synopsis Iraqi Mirages by : Tom Cooper

Download or read book Iraqi Mirages written by Tom Cooper and published by Middle East@War. This book was released on 2018-07 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally envisaged and acquired as a 'pure' interceptor, before long the Mirage F.1 in Iraqi service proved a highly capable multi-role platform aircraft, and was widely deployed not only for ground attack but also anti-shipping purposes, as an aerial tanker, and for delivering long-range pin-point attacks.

Military of Iraq

Author : Source Wikipedia
Publisher : University-Press.org
ISBN 13 : 9781230578149
Total Pages : 124 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (781 download)

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Book Synopsis Military of Iraq by : Source Wikipedia

Download or read book Military of Iraq written by Source Wikipedia and published by University-Press.org. This book was released on 2013-09 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 123. Chapters: Iraqi Air Force, Iraqi Army, Iraqi Navy, Iraqi military personnel, Military equipment of Iraq, Military history of Iraq, Military installations of Iraq, Military units and formations of Iraq, Paramilitary forces of Iraq, Technical, Republican Guard, Anglo-Iraqi War, Iraqi Armed Forces, Battle of Sheikh Sa'ad, Invasion of Kuwait, Mesopotamian campaign, Battle of Gaugamela, Salman Pak facility, Iraqforce, SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, Iraq 1973-1990, Baghdad Central Prison, Iraqi Ground Forces Command, Camp Taji, Sharifian Army, Camp Ashraf, Siege of Kut, Al Hussein, Iraqi biological weapons program, Battle of Wadi, FOB Iskandariyah, List of current equipment of the Iraqi Army, Coalition Provisional Authority Order Number 2, RAF Habbaniya, Camp Cropper, RAF Iraq Command, Battle of Jalula, Combatants of the Iraq War, Lionel Charlton, International aid to combatants in the Iran-Iraq War, Latif Yahia, Fort Suse, Habforce, Fuhrer Directive No. 30, Anbar Salvation Council, Fedayeen Saddam, Alleged British use of gas in Mesopotamia in 1920, Mohammed Abdullah al-Shahwani, Al Taqaddum, Iraqi Popular Army, COB Speicher, Iraqi Army Ranks Insignia, FOB Kalsu, List of former equipment of the Iraqi Army, Action of Khan Baghdadi, Siege of Baghdad, FOB Duke, Forward Operating Base Falcon, Urartu-Assyria War, Timeline of the Gulf War, Gocol, Battle of Ayn al-Tamr, Special Republican Guard, Golden Square, Ministry of Defence, Joint Forward Intelligence Team, Battle of Hira, Seleucid-Parthian wars, Battle of Ramadi, Saadoun al-Dulaimi, The Monument to the Unknown Soldier, Directorate of General Military Intelligence, Number 2 Armoured Car Company RAF, Iraqi M80 Helmet, Jasim Mohammed Saleh, Kingcol, Mercol, Combat Outpost Shocker, MEK Compound, Al-Shaheed Monument, Samarrah Offensive, Camp Rustamiyah, List of United States...

Iraqi Fighters

Author : Ahmad Sadik
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
ISBN 13 : 9780615214146
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (141 download)

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Book Synopsis Iraqi Fighters by : Ahmad Sadik

Download or read book Iraqi Fighters written by Ahmad Sadik and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2008-07-19 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides an exclusive insight into service history of 13 fighter jet types - from Vampires and Hunters to MiG-29s and Su-24s - that served with Royal Iraqi Air Force (RIrAF) and Iraqi Air Force (IrAF) between 1953 and 2003. Serious investigative research, including exclusive primary evidence gathered by both authors in- and outside Iraq, generated a level of detail and color of unmatched degree in any previous publications about any Arab air force. The result is a detailed history of RIrAF and IrAF markings, serial numbers and camouflage patterns, the in-depth history of each Iraqi fighter squadron, their equipment over the time as well as unit and various special insignias. Richly illustrated with photographs and artworks, the book provides details about a number of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, many put to the ultimate test only by the Iraqi Air Force. A list of original names for air bases used by IrAF is included as well. An appendix lists the existing plastic scale model kits in 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32 scale as well as decals sheets in regards to Iraqi Air Force.

Iraqi Mirages in Combat

Author : Miguel Garcia
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781717467553
Total Pages : 230 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (675 download)

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Book Synopsis Iraqi Mirages in Combat by : Miguel Garcia

Download or read book Iraqi Mirages in Combat written by Miguel Garcia and published by . This book was released on 2018-04-26 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Strongly influenced by the outcome of the 1967 war against Israel, Iraq sought to obtain aircraft with advanced avionics in early 1968. Extensive negotiations between Baghdad and Paris for the acquisition of Mirage 5s, however, ended at the time without substantial results. During French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac's three-day trip to Baghdad in December 1974, the possibility of Iraq purchasing Mirage fighters was again raised. Initially, then Iraqi Vice-President Saddam Hussein expressed his intention to buy the same Mirage fighters that Israel used with success against Egypt and Syria during the 1973 war. Nevertheless, when Dassault and French military engine manufacturer SNECMA sent a technical team to Baghdad, they offered him one better; the Mirage F1. When the French salesmen showed films of the new fighter in action and an extensive technical briefing of the weaponry it could deliver, Saddam's military advisors were simply overjoyed.As the biggest export customer for Mirage F.1, the Iraqi Air Force significantly contributed to the further development of this aircraft. They played a key role in the research and development of a number of systems that eventually found their way into operational service in the Armée de l ́Air. Originally developed and acquired as an interceptor, the F.1EQ proved a highly capable multirole aircraft which was widely deployed not only as a recce/ground-attack plane, but also as an anti-shipping weapon. It also had the extra function of serving as an in-flight refueling platform capable of performing impressive long-range attacks which ultimately contributed to shift the balance in the air in favor of Iraq.While much was written about the Mirage F.1 in its French variants, the aircraft's combat deployment by Iraq still remains an unknown topic that must be addressed following an exhaustive research based on IQAF documents and interviews with key people involved. The purpose of this book is to provide in-depth, first-hand insight into the acquisition process, development and equipment of custom-tailored variants made for Iraq, training of Iraqi personnel and their combat/reconnaissance missions during the Iran-Iraq war, the 1991 Gulf War, the embargoed 1990s and the last stand during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. Illustrated with over 200 pictures, 70 color profiles and 13 maps, the author provides an unprecedented 230-pages in full color covering the story of the F.1EQ in Iraq. It is the author's hope that this publication will prove to be a great reference on missions, weapons configurations, onboard equipment, camo schemes and markings of Mirage F.1EQ in Iraqi service.

Airpower Reborn

Author : John Andreas Olsen
Publisher : Naval Institute Press
ISBN 13 : 1612518060
Total Pages : 257 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (125 download)

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Book Synopsis Airpower Reborn by : John Andreas Olsen

Download or read book Airpower Reborn written by John Andreas Olsen and published by Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 2015-04-15 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Airpower Reborn offers a conceptual approach to warfare that emphasizes airpower's unique capability to achieve strategic effects. Six world-leading theorists argue that a viable strategy must transcend the purely military sphere, view the adversary as a multi-dimensional system, and pursue systemic paralysis and strategic effects rather than military destruction or attrition. The book is divided into three parts. The first section presents a historical perspective on airpower theory and airpower strategy, tracing their evolution from the 1920s to the 1980s. The second section contains in-depth examinations of the strategic concepts that John R. Boyd and John A. Warden developed in the 1980s and 1990s, with an emphasis on their contemporary relevance. The final section provides further context on modern airpower theory and strategy. Theory, in this setting, serves as the basic paradigm, strategy represents its generic, mechanisms-centered application, and plans of campaign constitute the specific steps for any given situation. In short, the authors look beyond the land-centric, battlefield-oriented paradigm that has continued to dominate military theories and strategies long after airpower offered new options. The book acknowledges the essential role of advanced technology in improving airpower capabilities, but emphasizes that air services must cultivate and harness the intellectual acumen of airmen and encourage officers and men to think conceptually and strategically about the application of aerospace power. Modern airpower can offer political decision-makers more and better options-provided the underlying strategy coherently links the application of airpower directly to the end-state objectives rather than limiting it to “the battle.” The book recommends that all countries should consider establishing a dynamic and vibrant environment for mastering aerospace history, theory, strategy, and doctrine; a milieu for cultivating broader knowledge of and insight into airpower; and a setting in which airpower experts have the opportunity to communicate their narrative to politicians, the media, and fellow officers, and to interact to mutual benefit with experts from all sectors of governance. This effort should emphasize the potentially unique contribution of airpower to political objectives and joint operations, and in turn connect to operational headquarters that do operational planning. Mastering such strategic thought lies at the heart of the military profession, but it requires in-depth knowledge and understanding of theory, strategy, and airpower, and transcends traditional metrics.

STORM OVER IRAQ PB

Author : Hallion Rp
Publisher : Smithsonian
ISBN 13 : 9781560987239
Total Pages : 383 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (872 download)

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Book Synopsis STORM OVER IRAQ PB by : Hallion Rp

Download or read book STORM OVER IRAQ PB written by Hallion Rp and published by Smithsonian. This book was released on 1997-03-17 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An incisive account of the Persian Gulf War, Storm Over Iraq shows how the success of Operation Desert Storm was the product of two decades of profound changes in the American approach to defense, military doctrine, and combat operations. The first detailed analysis of why the Gulf War could be fought the way it was, the book examines the planning and preparation for war. Richard P. Hallion argues that the ascendancy of precision air power in warfare—which fulfilled the promise that air power had held for more than seventy-five years—reflects the revolutionary adaptation of a war strategy that targets things rather than people, allowing one to control an opposing nation without destroying it.

Iraq Reborn

Author : Ismāʻīl ʻĀrif
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 152 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Iraq Reborn by : Ismāʻīl ʻĀrif

Download or read book Iraq Reborn written by Ismāʻīl ʻĀrif and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Hunting the Caliphate

Author : Dana J.H. Pittard
Publisher : Post Hill Press
ISBN 13 : 1642930563
Total Pages : 363 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (429 download)

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Book Synopsis Hunting the Caliphate by : Dana J.H. Pittard

Download or read book Hunting the Caliphate written by Dana J.H. Pittard and published by Post Hill Press. This book was released on 2019-08-27 with total page 363 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this vivid first-person narrative, a Special Operations Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) and his commanding general give fascinating and detailed accounts of America’s fight against one of the most barbaric insurgencies the world has ever seen. In the summer of 2014, three years after America’s full troop withdrawal from the Iraq War, President Barack Obama authorized a small task force to push back into Baghdad. Their mission: Protect the Iraqi capital and U.S. embassy from a rapidly emerging terrorist threat. A plague of brutality, that would come to be known as ISIS, had created a foothold in northwest Iraq and northeast Syria. It had declared itself a Caliphate—an independent nation-state administered by an extreme and cruel form of Islamic law—and was spreading like a newly evolved virus. Soon, a massive and devastating U.S. military response had unfolded. Hear the ground truth on the senior military and political interactions that shaped America’s war against ISIS, a war unprecedented in both its methodology and its application of modern military technology. Enter the world of the Strike Cell, secretive operations centers where America’s greatest enemies are hunted and killed day and night. Plunge into the realm of the Special Operations JTAC, American warfighters with the highest enemy kill counts on the battlefield. And gain the wisdom of a cumulative half-century of military experience as Dana Pittard and Wes Bryant lay out the path to a sustained victory over ISIS. For more information about the book, visit www.huntingthecaliphate.com.

Withdrawal from Iraq

Author : Anthony H. Cordesman
Publisher : CSIS
ISBN 13 : 0892065532
Total Pages : 226 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (92 download)

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Book Synopsis Withdrawal from Iraq by : Anthony H. Cordesman

Download or read book Withdrawal from Iraq written by Anthony H. Cordesman and published by CSIS. This book was released on 2009 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Iraq and the US face a critical transition during the period through 2011 and beyond. There is still a war to finish, but this is only part of the challenge both countries face. No one can be certain whether Iraq can achieve a stable level of political accommodation to deal with its internal problems. Iran seeks to expand it's influence, and Turkey will not tolerate a sanctuary for hostile Kurdish movements like the PKK. Arab support for Iraq remains weak, and Iraq's Arab neighbors fear both Shi'ite dominance and what that could mean in terms of Iran's role in Syria and Lebanon as well as Iraq. Even if it moves forward towards stability and political accommodation and largely ends the insurgency, it will be extremely difficult for Iraq to develop all of the security capabilities it needs for even the counterinsurgency mission before the full US withdrawal scheduled to take place by the end of 2011. This could force the US to hand over responsibility to the Iraqi Security Forces before these forces are fully able to do the job. It could also force the US to withdraw prematurely the US trainers and partner units that the IRS needs to secure the country and defend it from any threat from it's neighbors. ... Dealing with these issues will be a critical priority for the US for at least half a decade to come.