US prepares for massive troop rotation

The Pentagon is gearing up for a massive rotation of about a quarter million troops in and out of Iraq, a giant logistics chore complicated ...

The Pentagon is gearing up for a massive rotation of about a quarter million troops in and out of Iraq, a giant logistics chore complicated by concerns about opportunistic attacks targeting Americans as they arrive or depart.

Between late January and May, 1,23,000 weary US troops will be pulled out of Iraq and replaced with about 1,10,000 fresh Army soldiers and Marines. In addition, 11,000 US troops in Afghanistan will be brought home and replaced with about the same number.

Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, called the rotation ‘‘a logistics feat that will rival any in history. So there’s going to be a lot of turbulence in the system, as you would expect.’’ ‘‘Turbulence is always undesirable,’’ added Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

The rotation will be accompanied by change in equipment to fight an insurgency rather than organized military units. There will be fewer heavy M-1A1 Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles but more armoured Humvees intended to protect against rocket-propelled grenades or roadside bombs, officials said. — (Reuters)

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