Defense and Security Policies: Perspectives and Challenges

The Broader View is pleased to post our first piece by a guest writer, MAJ Reynold Arredondo. MAJ Reynold Arredondo, currently assigned in Balad, Iraq on his second tour, is a West Point graduate and active duty officer in the US Army. His total service in Iraq is 23 months to date. MAJ Arredondo has missed three Christmases in a row, but has a soldier in his charge who has missed five in a row. According to MAJ Arredondo, this soldier is the real hero. "He never complains and he is the best soldier I have."

We are grateful to MAJ Arredondo for his service to the nation and the ongoing sacrifice of our men and women in uniform. May he stay safe and do everything to ensure the safety of the men and women in his charge.

The views expressed are solely those of the writer.
Duty, Honor, Country
Elad Yoran


Defense and Security Policies: Perspectives and Challenges
By MAJ Reynold R. Arredondo


Decisions in reference to security policies for our current and future administrations are vital to our role as a major player in our world society. First and foremost, we have to always have a long term perspective. This is how we facilitate change here and now. To be successful we have to continue the momentum we have established in Iraq. Secondly, we have to do it as a nation united.

We can no longer look at things as Democratic or Republican, but what is best for humanity. Divisiveness is contradictory to our success; however, we need to truly unite in our efforts to pave the way ahead. We are not able to optimize our strengths, when we continue to look at our nation as Democratic or Republican. When viewed from the outside, division is a weakness exploitable by our adversaries. Our adversaries can be bellicose and/or friendly. They can be our social, political, military, economic, infrastructure and information adversaries. We [The United States] have some ground to gain back.

In Iraq, we need to establish enduring bases which facilitate change from war to peace. We already have a Status of Forces Agreement, currently called a Security Agreement. We are able to transition three locations in Iraq to bases, as we did in Germany after WW II. This will allow us a seat at the table in all matters Middle East. The reality of the world’s current crisis stem from the fanaticism/radicalism in the Middle East. More so, our Soldiers, Marines, Airmen, and Sailors deserve to see a policy that works. Every step forward is scrutinized by our volunteer forces, who are not authorized to scrutinize those decisions.

Bases in Iraq? Yes, bases in Iraq. Let’s stop kidding ourselves and move to a real solution that does not undo all of the progress we have made. These bases would have all elements of combat power, to include strategic location for our Provincial Reconstruction Teams, United Nations High Commission for Refugees, as well as ability to forward launch forces to Afghanistan and any other location near Iraq. We need to solidify the relationship with the Government of Iraq for the future. If we do not, someone else will. If we were to withdraw all forces from here, the void would be filled by someone less desirable. There are plenty of Foreign Influences here that we tend to not mention because of political sensitivity. Guess what? They are here. And some of the nations that profess to be our friends are our friends, but they are also friends with the less desirable.

President Barzani’s (Kurdistan Regional Government) Chief of Staff, Dr. Fuad Hussein, told me, “You can pick your friends, and we choose the United States, but you cannot choose your brothers.” He was referring to Iran, Turkey and Syria which all border the Kurdistan Region. The Kurds of Iraq have social, political, and economic ties with all of these countries which they cannot cut away from. They are part of the family, and sometimes family will supersede friendship, especially if the friend goes away.

Point being, enduring bases makes us part of the family. As part of the family, we eat and sleep at the same table. We are here now, leaving would make us just another meddler in Middle Eastern Affairs. If you do not think this effects Israel and Afghanistan, you are mistaken. Oh, and do not forget that Russia and China are watching to see how we handle ourselves. China already has an oil deal with Iraq to start drilling in the Basrah Province.

To make it more palatable, let me share with you the successes we are seeing here in Iraq daily. Since the surge, which was the exact tactic needed here, the Iraqi citizens have seen for themselves that the negative stereotypical portrayals of Americans they were brainwashed to believe were wrong. Our soldiers manning Joint Security Stations and checkpoints with the Iraqi Security Forces proved to them, that we are great humans establishing security and a new hope for them. They can see that it is now in their hands to dictate their future. That is why the Iraqis are stepping up and helping their own country. They are the solution. Is it going to happen overnight, no, but we are headed in the right direction. And our direction, guidance, and presence all have to remain for a long time. Please, do not kid yourself on this point anymore. This is our “New Frontier.” If you do not think this sounds politically correct, label it as our “Strategic Alliance.”

How does having bases in Iraq help our situation in the Middle East? As mentioned, it provides us a seat at the bargaining table, forced, but a seat nonetheless. Secondly, we would have a secure staging area for aircraft, troops, logistics, and our non-government agencies to forward stage and provide services and training for the people of Iraq and the Middle East. This would act as a deterrent for our would-be adversaries near Iraq who are flexing their own agendas outward. This would also alleviate the need to use Pakistan or Kyrgyzstan as a staging base to enter Afghanistan.

Where would we have these bases? We would need three bases. One is in Al Asad, location of MNF-W Headquarters. Second location is at the Victory Base Complex/Liberty Base, current location of MNF-I, MNC-I, and MND-B Headquarters. These two locations have large enough airfields to support our largest aircraft. Also, the airfields are dedicated to our operations. Most importantly, we are established at these locations. We would not have to build-up any extra amenities. In fact, we would be able to draw down our forces and bring in more Department of State and Non-Government Agency Personnel.

Lastly, we need a base in Erbil, Kurdistan. The Kurds of Iraq are a distinct group of people who are our strategic partners in Iraq by choice. They feel a debt of gratitude to the United States for ridding them of Saddam Hussein, who was responsible for the Anfal Massacres during his Arabization of northern Iraq. The base formerly used by the Korean Forces (Camp Zaytun) is co-located near the Erbil International Airport (EIA). We currently use the EIA for our limited military flights. If we coordinated with the KRG, they would dedicate an area for our use. In fact, they would be willing to build onto their existing facilities for our use. A key factor to staging in Kurdistan is that their security forces are top notch. Their training and professionalism eclipses that of the Iraqi Security Forces, simply out of survival. They have a dedicated police academy as well as an established Peshmerga Military supported by a well networked Intelligence Branch (Asayeege and Parastin) equivalent to our FBI and CIA. I know this because I spent 8 months as the first ever Liaison Officer to the KRG from MNC-I under GEN Odierno. In this capacity, I interacted with President Barzani, Prime Minister Barzani, and their entire staff on behalf of GEN Odierno and coordinating meetings for GEN Petraeus and the MNF-I level Commands and Staff.

So, how does this help Afghanistan and the rest of the Middle East? First, location, location, location. There are too many issues using Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan to launch into Afghanistan. We are here, we are not going anywhere, let’s optimize our resources. We are a Strategic Partner and need to act like it. If we use Iraq for bases, in lieu of Wartime Deployments, our soldiers are on unaccompanied tours in Iraq. This allows us to drawdown the numbers and change the focus of our forces in Iraq. They go from Warfighting to an advisor, trainer, and re-builder role. However, they are not alone in this endeavor. We invite American businesses, construction companies, NGOs, and Department of State representatives. Talk about job opportunities…instant employment of a volunteer “Re-building Iraq and the Middle East Corps.” We need to quit thinking inside the box and create new ideas and jobs. This is a way to do that.

From a logistics and air support view, we can utilize the bases to support our offensive COIN Operations in Afghanistan. And do we need to worry about world opinion, yes, but we need to own up to why we came here in the first place. We need to bring peace to the Middle East. We cannot do it, unless we live and operate out of here. Sir T.E. Lawrence stated that in order to understand and work the Arabs, you have to think and live with the Arabs. We are doing that, and our relationship, while young, is improving every day. We need to let them know we will neither abandon the Iraqi people nor the Middle East.

Afghanistan would remain a Wartime deployment supported by the rest of our Forces around the globe. This would give a singular focus to our war efforts, while maintaining the operational pulse by, with, and through the Government of Iraq. By having a singular focus, we can combine our efforts to defeating Al Qaeda, and re-invite and re-invigorate our Coalition Partners to achieve success. Once again, it will not be easy, but we need to focus our efforts.

While we are re-building the new Iraq, fighting Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, we are legitimizing our national standing in the Middle East. If we leave, we will undermine our position and be tagged as the losers in the Iraq War. We cannot afford to do this. This rolls over into the bargaining power we have against any other potential enemies of the States in the Middle East.

Iran has been a busy bee pollinating in many flowers. If we do not do this correctly, the pollination will result in a large garden. Worse, their legitimacy as a Middle Eastern power and in the world will increase, while usurping ours. We cannot afford this in Iraq, Afghanistan, and in Israel. “Okay, touchy subject now.”

Israel and the United States have had a silent partnership, at least in thinking, since the creation of Israel. It is time to make peace in the Gaza Strip and establish a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. We owe it to our world society to mend this wound once and for all. The only course of action I see to make this work is if we are a partner in the Middle East by virtue of operating military bases and having our private sector part of the economic rebuilding in Iraq. Once, the Arab countries realize that we are not leaving; they will accept us as part of their reality. As of now, they see us as someone weak, who will eventually go away. Our media consistently undermines our successes by not publicizing them, and focusing on the negative aspects of our operations. We need to get past this, too. Another subject for another day.

Our success in Iraq and Afghanistan is paramount to a reasonable solution in Israel. And that solution stems from us wielding a sturdy stick, which when pulled out should calm the beast. That beast is fanaticism, anti-establishment, and radical Islam. Through a military presence, we will provide a deterrent as well as an ally to help in the re-building of a new Iraq.