AP INTERVIEW

BRIGADIER GENERAL STEPHEN LANZA, SPOKESMAN, MULTI-NATIONAL

FORCE - IRAQ

DATE: 23 JULY 2009

TRANSCRIBED BY: SOS INTERNATIONAL

PARTICIPANTS: BRIGADIER GENERAL LANZA WITH JACKIE QUINN FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS TELEVISION NETWORK (APTN)

(PH) = PHONETIC

(INAUD) = INAUDIBLE

REP:    Brigadier General Lanza? 

BG LANZA:                Yes, hi, how are you?

REP:                            Good afternoon, sir.  How are you doing today? 

BG LANZA:                I'm doing great.

REP:                            Good, good.  Glad to hear it.  Let me... 

(Comms chatter.)

REP:                            Ready to go? 

BG LANZA:                Ready to go.

REP:                            All right.  And I do have a tape recorder on; you need to know that.  Portions of this will be used for broadcast. 

So, sir, if you would be so kind, let's just start if you would provide us with an overall assessment of the security situation in Iraq today. 

BG LANZA:                Sure.  Let me give you just an overall quick overview of the situation right now.  As you know on 30 June we finalized the Security Agreement.  The Security Agreement was signed on 1 January of this year.  And this is has been an iterative process to remove combat troops from the city.  We have finalized that on 30 June so now all combat troops are out of the cities.  Their mission has changed from combat operations to stability operations in the city, and at the request of the Iraqi government, they are there to train, coordinate and advise the Iraqi Security Forces.  Outside the cities right now our forces are still conducting full‑spectrum operations by, with and through the Iraqi forces and partnered with them at every step of the way.  We have taken our efforts now and have moved them to securing the belts around the cities, interdicting the support zones for violent extremists, and also providing forces to help the Iraqis secure the borders and the ports of entry.

REP:                            Any ‑‑ Any changes in the last week?  Is there anything substantial that you ‑‑ that you would like to report on? 

BG LANZA:                I think there's a couple of things I'd like to highlight:  First of all, as you know, the Iraqi Security Forces now have primacy over the security.  There were three major events in Baghdad that were done completely with the Iraqi Security Forces.  The first was the March to Khadamiya by the pilgrims for the Seventh Imam Ali.  And they had over two million people coming to that shrine to worship, and there were no incidents inside that operation with the Iraqi Security Forces in the lead; second, there were two large soccer games in Baghdad last week, 60,000 people at both of those games with no incidents.  So what we're seeing right now is we're seeing the Iraqi Security Forces able to take charge of operations and conduct operations in the urban areas in the lead.  The third issue we've seen is a greater partnership as our operations develop in the cities to link our forces to the needs of the Iraqi Security Forces by providing them enabling capabilities such as intelligence, transportation, aviation and medical support, and we've taken a greater role outside the cities to interdict the violent extremists that move into the cities.  This has been extremely well done, and it is an iterative process that is moving forward, and we're happy to see this great improvement by both the Iraqi Security Forces and the sovereign Government of Iraq.

REP:                            You note a great improvement, and certainly early on, as U.S. troops are trying to train Iraqi troops, I believe that the start was rather slow.  What would you attribute this improvement to?  What has lead to that? 

BG LANZA:                Well, I think we've seen this improvement now going on for a while.  I was here in 2005, and this is certainly indicative of just how far we've come, not only in the training of the Iraqi Security Forces, but in the equipping of the Iraqi Security Forces and also in leadership development.  So their ability to do this has been growing over time.  And these are the dividends we see as a result of the hard work, sacrifice and dedication of our forces and the American leadership, and the Iraqi leadership to come to this point now where the Iraqi Security Forces are in the lead. 

REP:                            Okay.  Thank you.  And as you know, the Prime Minister is here in the U.S. now ‑‑

BG LANZA:                Yes.

REP:                            And a number of statements have been made about the future of the relations between Iraq and the U.S., yes.  So President Obama yesterday actually admitted that there are some minor differences in strategy that have arisen right now.  I'm wondering if, from a troop ‑‑

BG LANZA:                Sure.

REP:                            ‑‑ perspective if you have seen that, and if you can just tell us what that might be. 

BG LANZA:                Sure.  What that might be is when you go through transition there are going to be points of friction.  And there are things that have to be worked out with leaders on the ground in terms of their relationships and how they're going to conduct their operations.  So things that we saw in the first few days about the roles and missions of the Iraqi Security Forces and how we were going to integrate with them to train, coordinate and advise, had to be worked out.  Not every city here is different, and not every requirement here is the same based on what the Iraqi Security Forces need.  So as I said earlier, this has been an iterative process; it's evolving, and we are certainly much farther ahead now on the 23rd of July than we were on the 30th of June.

REP:                            Okay.  Now, the President says that despite the vow that U.S. forces will be out by 2011, he says that ‑‑ President Obama says we know that there's ‑‑ the violence hasn't ended and he said ‑‑ quote, unquote ‑‑ tough days ahead.  Again, from the military's perspective, what's a tough day, and how does the military prepare for a so‑called tough day ahead? 

BG LANZA:                Well, there are going to be challenges, and we've said all along there will continue to be challenges, and we'll continue to mitigate those acts of violence that are occurring here.  What's important to remember is that while there have been some sporadic acts of violence and very heinous attacks against innocent women and children in marketplaces, in mosques, against the most vulnerable, these attacks have not only galvanized the population, but they have not led to what the terrorists and what the violent extremists really want, which is to foment violent extremism ‑‑ excuse me, to foment the ethnosectarian violence that they want to get back to, which we've seen in the past.  And the population will not revert back to the dark days in the past.  So we have had those sporadic attacks; some of them have been heinous, but the population has not gone back to ethnosectarian violence, and that is a significant point to understand.  Both the leadership of this country, the military of this country, and the population do not want to revert back to those dark days.  They want to continue to move forward. 

REP:                            General, could you describe the public sentiment, these same civilians that you're talking about, being that again that the U.S. troop mission has changed, has the civilian attitude toward the U.S. troops changed in the region? 

BG LANZA:                Well, I've been around Iraq.  I was in Mosul, I was in Hilla, I've been in Kalsu (ph) and a variety of other places.  And what I have seen is I've seen the Iraqi population embrace their security forces being in charge.  There has been a total amount of support for the police and for the military to take over security within the cities.  And then our forces, obviously, are positioned in the cities, though a very small amount, to continue to train, coordinate and advise them.  And there have been different needs for our forces in different cities.  So I've seen the population being receptive to that, but I've seen the population also being receptive to the additional missions that we're doing outside the city.  So this has actually been a winning strategy, so to speak, for the Iraqis, where they're actually taking over the security forces and we're able to facilitate supporting them in other venues such as in the belts around the cities and at the borders.

REP:                            Is it fair to stay that this improves the security situation for the U.S. troops who are there? 

BG LANZA:                I think it does.  Remember every soldier here has the right for self‑defense, and the Iraqi Security Forces, as they take responsibility for security operations, it does not mitigate our ability to defend ourselves in accordance with the rules of engagement.  So we still have the right to do that, and we do that based on the standing ROE, the rules of engagement that we have here. 

REP:                            Okay.  The President is somebody that is also what you said, pretty much, that he's pressing there to be more reform when it comes to ethnicity and religious groups, that they need to coalesce to prevent more of the violence.  So is this a realistic goal, do you think, for Iraq, for these so different factions to come together? 

BG LANZA:                Sure.  And it's something that the Iraqi government has embraced.  It's really about national unity.  It's about bringing disparate groups together; it's about bringing different ethnic groups together, different sects together so where they coalesce around the sovereign nation of Iraq.  This is something that has been taking very seriously by this government, and it's been something that we take very seriously to enable them to get to that goal of national unity.  And I think you're seeing that in terms of what happened with the provincial elections back in January, and you're going to see this improve as we go through the Kurdish elections that are occurring on the 25th of July, and then the national elections that will occur 16 January.

REP:                            Okay.  And does that change the mission for the U.S. troops on the ground with these key elections coming up?  Are they gearing up for, perhaps, additional violence? 

BG LANZA:                Well, the mission on the ground, remember:  In the cities we are transitioning from combat operations to stability operations.  We are here to support the Government of Iraq and the Iraqi Security Forces in whatever they ask us to do.  So we are prepared; we are postured; we are trained and equipped so as we move to the elections, we can provide them the capabilities and whatever they need to facilitate security for the elections.  But they are in charge of security for the elections every step of the way, and they are in the lead as per the implementation of the Security Agreement.

REP:                            Understood.  Because you ‑‑ they are now calling the shots, if you will.  Understood.  So... But again, is there an anticipation that violence is going to ramp up with these various big elections? 

BG LANZA:                As I said earlier, there is the potential for violence, there always is.  We're prepared for these challenges.  But if you look at this in context of violence right now, this is the lowest level of violence that we've had here since 2003.  And right now there is a significant improvement in just how far we've come.  I can just tell you with my personal experiences, having been in southern Baghdad just a few years ago, we have come a tremendous way in terms of bringing together a better quality of life here and better security for the Iraqi people.  And the actions are obvious on the ground.  Will we still have challenges?  Absolutely.  We will mitigate those and we will ensure that we do not go back to the ethnosectarian violence that almost tore this country apart.

REP:                            Okay.  Actually I'm glad you raised that, because I did want to talk a little bit about reconstruction, because I know that that was certainly a key part of helping this transition to improve the physical life of the people of Iraq.  And I don't know ‑‑ I haven't heard that much lately, so I'm just wondering, things like, you know, bridges being repaired, utilities, running water ‑‑

BG LANZA:                Sure.

REP:                            -‑ air conditioning?  How are those projects doing? 

BG LANZA:                We're still doing some projects to support the Iraqi government.  As part of our counterinsurgency strategy, these projects have the desired effect to enable local leaders, both within the local governing provinces, it provides a measure for us to keep those fragile security gains that were so hard for us to achieve.  And we want to make sure we keep those and also provide some essential services that the population needs.  These projects are essentially a bridging strategy that gives us economic security now that allows the government to move forward with long‑term economic development and long‑term economic growth.

REP:                            And again, in terms of ‑‑ part of it is it was essential to help win over the hearts and minds of those ‑‑ the civilian population of Iraq.  So is ‑‑ are things better?  Are people happier, hopefully because their physical situation has improved? 

BG LANZA:                I think overall people are happier because there is a sovereign Iraq right now.  People are happier because their military is in charge.  People are happier because there's a sovereign government that has been elected by the people.  They're happier because they're moving towards the elections.  Are there still issues to work through?  Absolutely.  The government recognizes that, as do we, and we continue to move forward.  But overall, the atmospherics here in terms of the Iraqi population overall is much better than it was a few years ago, certainly much better than it has been since 2003.  And the conditions are set right now for the Iraqi government to move forward, for elections to occur, and most importantly, to facilitate private investment and the growth with sovereign neighbors and sovereign partners.

REP:                            Okay.  And indeed there is this conference coming up, I believe it's November, correct me if I'm wrong there ‑‑

BG LANZA:                It's October or November, but you're right, there is a conference that's coming up.

REP:                            Okay.  Can we talk a little bit about the troop drawdown, because obviously ‑‑

BG LANZA:                Sure.

REP:                            ‑‑ that is essential to continue reducing the number of troops.  In terms of the goals and in terms of the numbers, are things progressing as expected? 

BG LANZA:                Absolutely.  Right now we have 131,000 that are in Iraq overall; we have drawn down in the last few months, 6500 soldiers.  We are well within our goals right now in terms of a responsible drawdown to go to 50,000, and then eventually 35,000, and then no forces by December of 2011.  So our benchmarks are set and we have done a very good analysis to get us through the elections and then to start to conduct a responsible drawdown within this country, to move our forces out.

REP:                            Okay.  Here's the final question I have, and it is staying in that vein:  Can you talk a little bit about the steps being taken to help the soldiers ease the transition?  You know that there are some problems here at home; suicide's become an issue, violent situations on base or around their bases.  So is there something being done in theater to help ease that transition back home? 

BG LANZA:                Sure.  We have a very strong reintegration plan for our soldiers that occurs as units are prepared to reintegrate back to their bases, either back to the United States or back in Germany.  It starts inside the units when they're here.  It then goes to Kuwait.  And there's a very extensive program that the units do once they hit the ground at their home station.  And the unit does a very good program in identifying those soldiers that are potentially at risk, and they screen them for those soldiers that have issues that perhaps need to start being checked now in accordance with getting things developed for when they get home.  We also bring families into this process, and that's an iterative part of this, or an integral part of this.  So as the soldiers go home, not only do they have to reintegrate, but their families have to reintegrate too due to the separation that they've had for a year or more.  So the military and the Army have done a very good job over the last few years in building this as a formal program, not only within the units, but also back at home station with families and with support elements for our soldiers, and we're very proud of what we've done with reintegration.

REP:                            Last week there was an announcement, and do forgive me because I really don't remember exactly who it was.  It was in Colorado, and there was a request for more services in the U.S.  And one of the things that was discussed was even volunteers, in terms of mental healthcare, like counselors ‑‑ not even necessarily official mental healthcare ‑‑ but counselors that troops could speak with when they came home.  I'm wondering if that's something you might be able to add to from your perspective in the field. 

BG LANZA:                I really can't add to it, but certainly we welcome all the great people that have volunteered to help our soldiers.  The ability to volunteer both at military bases throughout the United States, we have seen tremendous support from everyone around the world.  These volunteers are instrumental in helping our soldiers.  They help them not only with the mission set, they help with their families, but they provide a quality of morale and support that is just unheard of in our military.  And we're extremely proud of the support we get from those that enable our soldiers.

REP:                            Okay.  General, is there anything else you would care to add? 

BG LANZA:                Well, what I would like to add is just how proud we are of our brave American men and women whose sacrifice, dedication and service has gotten us to this point where the Iraqis have taken over.  The hard work of the last six plus years is certainly indicative of our ability to turn over security to the Iraqi Security Forces.  And the time on 30 June was the right time to do that.  And we ought to be proud of their accomplishments, and I'm also proud of the support we get from the families and our great people back in the United States that support our brave men and women here.  So thank you for the opportunity to talk to you today.  It's been a pleasure. 

REP:                            I think you, general, very much. 

BG LANZA:                Thank you very much.

[END]