As the Obama transition team hashes out plans to downsize the U.S. military presence in Iraq, logistics experts are warning that it will take a minimum of three years to safely extract all troops.
DC Velocity, a logistics magazine, calculated that all 47 brigades in Iraq translate into 145,000 uniformed personnel (excluding contractors). On top of that, there’s 60,000 combat aircraft and combat vehicles; 120,000 freight containers; 34,000 tons of ammunition; and 22,000 non-combat civilian vehicles. In logistics terms, that’s about 106,000 truckloads. Military officials have indicated they can safely move out 3,000 truckloads per month, says DC Velocity.
“That means that once the withdrawal order is given, we are looking at three years, minimum, for a safe and orderly exit.”