DoD Announces Adjustment to Iraq Deployment
May 08, 2006

The Department of Defense announced today that the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, based in Schweinfurt, Germany, will not begin its deployment to Iraq in early May as scheduled.

Additional information about this unit, to include its revised deployment date in the rotation plan, will be announced as decisions are made.

The adjustment to the unit’s deployment was made as commanders assess the security situation on the ground in Iraq. Decisions about troop levels are conditions-based. In consultation with the Iraqi Government, commanders continue to assess the situation to ensure sufficient force levels to best support the Iraqi government.

This decision affects approximately 3,500 U.S. active duty soldiers and their families, but in the near-term will not affect the current number of U.S. troops in Iraq, which is numbering approximately 133,000.

The Coalition remains committed to assisting the Iraqi people while their democratically elected leaders establish a national government and create conditions for greater security. Iraqi Security Forces continue to develop capability and assume responsibility for security in Iraq. To date, there are more than 254,000 trained and equipped Iraqi Security Forces.