Breakdown and deployment of US forces in Iraq

[Michael Hoover <hooverm@xxxxxxxxxx>]

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_orbat.htm
Break down and deployment of US forces in Iraq

This is a "best available" listing of US forces deployed to the Central
Command AOR for Southwest Asia and for US forces deployed to European
Command's locations in Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria. It does not include
forces deployed exclusively for operations in Central Asia though it may
at times list units that are involved in both Operations Iraqi and
Enduring Freedom.

The task of developing a comprehensive listing of US forces present in
the area is particularly difficult as forces have been known to rotate
in and out of the region in response to heightened operational tempo or
exercises. The events of Sept. 11, 2001 and the Global War on Terrorism
has made such an effort significantly more difficult as the military
seeks to improve operational security and to deceive potential enemies
and the media, among others.

Furthermore, the volume of troops moving in and out of the region will
surely result in mistakes, misidentifications, or ignorance regarding
specific units.

Exluding forces deployed in direct support of Operation Enduring
Freedom, there are probably about 156,000 military personnel in the
CENTCOM area of responsibility, including about 350 aircraft of all
types. The number of troops deployed in the area fluctuates on a daily
basis as new forces surge into the region and some units begin to return
to the United States. Of the 150,000 soldiers in the region, the
National Guard Bureau on September 17, 2003 indicated that 29,000 are
from the Army and Air National Guard and 50,000 from the reserves.

Ground Forces in the region include virtually all of 101st Airborne
Division, 4th Infantry Division, 1st Armored Division, 3rd Armored
Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade,
and an element of the 82nd Airborne Division have been deployed to Iraq.
There are a significant number of echelon above division support units
in the region. It is believed that the total Army presence in Iraq is
nearly 130,000 soldiers.

The US Air Force's Expeditionary Air and Space Force (EAF) concept and
organization sets a guideline for Air Force deployments to operational
locations. The EAF is comprised of 10 Aerospace Expeditionary Forces
(AEF) each with lead combat and support wings including on-call wings
that could be deployed if required. Deployments for active duty units
lasts roughly 90-days while Reserve and Guard units deploy typically for
30 - 60 days. In an effort to provide relief to pilots that had been
deployed for prolonged periods of time the Air Force initiated a "Blue"
rotation that would bring new assets to the region. It is not clear just
how many airmen are deployed, though the number is likely to be around
10,000 with roughly 250 aircraft of all types.

Naval units include a headquarters and shore-based units comprised of
about 1,200 people at Manama in Bahrain. Nearly a thousand civilian
mariners are associated with Military Sealift Command ships at Diego
Garcia. During the 1990s overall Naval force personnel levels in the
CENTCOM AOR typically varied between 8,000 and 15,000. Each Carrier
Battle Group, with its associated Carrier Air Wing, has approximately
11,000 sailors embarked. As of 15 October 2003 there was one carrier
strike group and one expeditionary strike group in the area for a total
of around 16,000 naval personnel. These units included about 125
helicopters and aircraft. A total of about 425 Vertical Launch System
cells are available for Tomahawk cruise missiles, which is roughly three
times the average number typically deployed in recent years. Based on
estimates of prior deployments, perhaps as many as 200 Tomahawks are
actually deployed. The cruise missile force can be augmented
significantly within days.

As of 20 August 2003 a total of 27 countries, in addition to the United
States, had contributed a total of approximately 21,700 troops to
ongoing stability operations in Iraq. These 27 are Albania, Azerbaijan,
Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Georgia,
El Salvador, Estonia, Honduras, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia,
Lithuania, Macedonia, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway,
Poland, Romania, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Ukraine, and the United
Kingdom. In addition to the 27 countries with forces already on the
ground in Iraq, four others (Moldova, the Philippines, Portugal, and
Thailand) have committed to providing troops. Fourteen other countries
are currently considering whether to provide forces for Iraq.

Note: While this listing is dated, one should keep in mind that the page
is often edited numerous times during a particular edition, sometimes
daily. One should visit the page often to get the most up-to-date
listing of the situation.

Recent Developments
Joint
According to a report in the New York Times on November 7, 2003, Task
Force 20 has been disbanded in July and elements within it have been
merged with remaining elements of Task Force 5 to form Task Force 121.
The unit is comprised of Army, Navy, and Air Force Special Operations
Forces and is tasked with tracking down and capturing/killing Saddam
Hussein, Osama bin Laden and Mullah Muhammad Omar and other important
terrorist leaders.
Army
The Tacoma News Tribune reported on November 16 that the last of the 3rd
Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division had arrived in Kuwait and
were preparing to move into Iraq.
During a Department of Defense briefing held on November 6, 2003, Army
and National Guard officials detailed plans for the forthcoming troop
rotations for Iraq. It indicates that the 82nd Airborne Division, the
4th Infantry Division, the 1st Armored Division, and the 101st Airborne
Division would be replaced beginning in January 2004 through May 2004 by
an element of the 1st Marine Division reinforced with an unidentified
brigade of the 25th Infantry Division, the 1st Cavalry Division with the
39th Enhanced Seperate Brigade, and the 1st Infantry Division reinforced
by the 30th Enhanced Seperate Brigade and the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry
Division. Furthermore, National Guard infantry battalions from Florida
and Indiana (which have been identified as being part 53rd and 76th
Infantry Brigades though this is the first time they have been labeled
in such a way in their entire deployment) will be replaced by the 81st
Enhanced Seperate Brigade. The obvious differences from what was
disclosed in July are the deployment of the entire 1st Infantry
Division, instead of only portions of, the deployment of an element of
the 25th Infantry Division, and the deployment of elements of the 1st
Marine Division.
Marine Corps
The New York Times reported on November 6, 2003 that the Department of
Defense plans on deploying roughly 20,000 Marines from the 1st Marine
Division to serve in Iraq in support of OIF. Initial details were
sketchy, but the times indicates that roughly two brigades would be
deployed from Camp Pendleton, which would appear to be an error as there
is only one brigade associated with division. Details are said to be
forthcoming.
Air Force
Debka.com has reported (and various other groups including Orbat.com
have picked up on) that the United States is sending significant numbers
of fighters and bombers from the United States to the Middle East in
preperation for attacks on Syria or some other country. However, upon
conducting some research it becomes clear that the significant numbers
of aircraft that have been spotted over Scotland recently are actually,
cargo aircraft. In fact, the traffic over Europe in the last week or so
has consisted of cargo and refueling aircraft with some fighter flights
out of US bases in Europe. There was only one B-52 report. Furthermore,
there has not been any indication from airbases in the US that a major
deployment is under way. One might think that Debka is trying to make
Syria nervous.
Coalition
The Iraq Governing Council has rejected the deployment of Turkish
soldiers into Iraq.
The London Times reported on November 6, 2003 that the British Army
might still be in Iraq in 2005.