Sustainability of Occupation Forces in Iraq
Congressional Budget Office Analysis
I appreciate the opportunity to discuss the ability of the U.S. military to sustain an occupation in Iraq. More than 150,000 U.S. military personnel are currently involved in the occupation of Iraq — about 120,000 of them deployed in Iraq itself and the rest supporting the occupation from neighboring countries (primarily Kuwait). This past September, at the request of the Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) examined the United States’ capability to sustain an occupation force in Iraq over the long term and the associated costs. My testimony today describes the results of that…
