IRAQ UPDATE
Iraqis went to the polls on December 15 to choose their parliamentary leaders for the next four years. An estimated 65 to 70 percent of registered Iraqi voters turned out, a higher participation than the two previous Iraqi elections held last January and October.

There were some terrorist attacks with improvised explosive devices and isolated indirect fire incidents, but the levels of violence were below that of the January and October elections.

The polls were protected by Iraqi security forces just as they were for the last two elections. U.S. and coalition forces served as backup to the Iraqis if they were needed.

Elsewhere in Iraq, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said, while visiting Camp Fallujah on December 23, that the United States will have two fewer brigades in Iraq in 2006, dropping from 17 to 15 brigades. The change will drop the number of Americans in the country to under 138,000. The Secretary added that the coalition footprint must be large enough to help maintain security and allow the Iraqi forces to train, but not so large as to be intrusive or to antagonize the Iraqi people.

Rumsfeld credited the forecasted drawdown to the growing strength and capabilities of Iraqi security forces. He added that President George W. Bush approved the troop reduction in consultation with coalition allies and Iraqi officials. He also said that the size and composition of U.S. forces would remain situation-dependent.

According to Army Maj. Gen. William G. Webster Jr., commander of Multinational Division Baghdad, the number of operational Iraqi soldiers and police in Baghdad has increased 10-fold in the last year. There are now 22 Iraqi battalions in Baghdad. A year ago there was only one Iraqi army battalion in Baghdad. Twelve battalions are in charge of their own areas of operations.

Also in Iraq, command of northwest Iraq transferred from Task Force Freedom to Task Force Band of Brothers during a ceremony in Mosul on December 30. The transfer consolidated operational areas into a single multinational division under the command of Task Force Band of Brothers. With its new command responsibilities, Task Force Band of Brothers includes the 1st and 3rd Brigade Combat Teams from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), 1st and 3rd Brigade Combat Teams from the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized), the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.


TROOP REDUCTION IN AFGHANISTAN
The Pentagon plans to draw down the number of American troops serving in Afghanistan, currently about 19,000, by about 2,500 this year. Improved Afghan National Army and police forces and an expanded NATO contingent are enabling the reduced American military presence, according to Air Force Lt. Gen. Gene Renuart, the Joint Staff’s director for strategic plans and policy.

The Afghan National Army now stands at about 27,000 troops, and about 55,000 Afghan police have been trained and deployed. Afghan army soldiers work closely with U.S. Special Forces during counterinsurgency operations while the police deal with local law enforcement in cities, towns and other municipalities. NATO is slated to expand its International Security Assistance Force into southern Afghanistan.

The rotation of the 4th Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), which was to deploy to Afghanistan, has been reduced to one battalion-sized task force of about 1,200 soldiers, to be sent in mid-2006. The remainder of the 4th Brigade will remain at Fort Polk, La., and will be ready to deploy to Afghanistan within 15 days if required. In addition, American and Canadian forces will relieve the 173rd Airborne Brigade.

Three soldiers were reported killed in the month of December. PFC Jason D. Hasenauer, 21, died on December 28 when his Humvee accidentally rolled over during a patrol. First Sgt. Tobias C. Meister, 30, died on the same day when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee, also while he was on a combat patrol. SFC John D. Morton, 31, died on December 15 from small arms fire when his patrol came under attack.


NG FIGHTS FLOOD AND FIRE
National Guard units started the New Year helping to rescue people from floods in California and wildfires in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

Over the New Year’s weekend soldiers from the California National Guard helped rescue flood victims while working in tandem with civilian firefighters and swift-water rescuers after Northern California was wracked with flooding that threatened life and property. Six-foot-deep water rendered cars useless and roads nontraversable.

The California National Guard headquarters was placed on alert on December 29 and individual members of the Guard were called up the following day. By the morning of December 31, soldiers from the 579th Engineering Battalion in Santa Rosa had left to provide emergency services.

The Guard soldiers worked in nine and 10-man crews to rescue people in and around the towns of Guerneville, Forrestville and Ukiah. Local firemen rode along in National Guard vehicles, leading the way to trouble spots. Guardsmen also ferried technical workers to Guerneville’s water pumping station, which was damaged by the floods. In addition, a command cell provided supply and relief efforts, repairing and replacing damaged vehicles and equipment.

In Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, Army and Air National Guard soldiers aided firemen in dousing wildfires that burned more than 600,000 acres. UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters dropped buckets of water while Guardmembers on the ground used bulldozers and tractor trailers to fight the fire. Helicopter crews from the Louisiana National Guard also assisted.


DOD CIVILIAN PAY RAISES
At the beginning of 2006, Department of Defense civilians saw an increase in their paychecks. A 2.1 percent across-the-board pay raise, plus regional and other adjustments, brought overall pay hikes to between 2.83 and 5.62 percent. The increase came from appropriations legislation signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 30, 2005.

Some pay hikes are based on localities in order to be competitive with the private sector. Specific pay increases can be found on the Office of Personnel Management web site, http://www.opm.gov/Federal_Salaries_Wages/.


SEXUAL ASSAULT OFFICE
A new Defense Department organization is dedicated to addressing the needs of servicemembers who have been sexually assaulted. The threefold mission of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPR) is to reduce the number of sexual assaults in the military, including the service academies; to assist sexual assault victims in obtaining care; and ensure offender accountability.

Trained sexual assault response coordinators assigned to military installations worldwide are available to help victims obtain medical care and counseling and access other support resources. Sexual assault response coordinators (SARCs) have direct access to senior installation commanders.

SARC personnel also coordinate monthly case management meetings involving base chaplains, health care providers and law enforcement and legal representatives. Military sexual assault victims can opt to file a confidential, restricted report.


EMPLOYER SUPPORT AWARDS
Reserve component servicemembers who wish to recommend their employers for the 2006 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Awards have until February 28 to submit their entries. The award recognizes companies for supporting their employees’ military service and will be presented at a ceremony held on September 19 in Washington, D.C.

To recommend their employers, Guard and Reserve members must answer 10 questions about the support they receive from their employer. Questions target pay policies, benefits and leave policies, previous Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) awards, supervisor training, ESGR advocacy, servicemember recognition, family support, deployed member support, hiring preferences and general military support.

The nomination form is posted on the ESGR web site at http://www.esgr.org/.


THEME PARKS FREE
Anheuser-Busch Cos. announced on January 3 that it will extend free admission for U.S. military servicemembers and their dependents to the company’s adventure parks through 2006. The program, called “Here’s to Heroes,” allows free single-day admission to parks like SeaWorld and Busch Gardens for active duty, active reserve, ready reserve or National Guard soldiers and as many as three dependents. Interested servicemembers can register on-line at www.herosalute.com or register at the entrance of a participating park and show a DoD photo ID.


SOLDIER GIVES KIDNEY TO MARINE
Army Spc. Adam Douglas is living proof that although Americans might serve in different branches of the military, when the chips are down, they all serve together. Douglas proved this when he donated one of his kidneys to his brother-in-law, Marine Lance Cpl. Mitchell Pehrson.

While Pehrson was stationed in Japan, his kidney damage was discovered. He was flown to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where more tests confirmed that he had end-stage renal disease. He needed a kidney—fast.

When Douglas, who was stationed in Korea with the Army’s 304th Signal Battalion, found out about Pehrson’s ordeal he offered his kidney. After a series of tests in Korea, Douglas flew to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and on December 1, after six hours of surgery, the Army kidney was transplanted into the Marine. After Pehrson recovered from some post-surgery complications the two servicemen recovered at Pehrson’s home in Buhl, Idaho. Pehrson recently received an honorable medical discharge from the Marine Corps. Douglas, who now has a limited future in the Army, will finish his enlistment before deciding whether he wants to re-enlist. (This article is based on information from the Twin Falls, Idaho, Times-News.)


EXERCISE TO REDUCE FRIENDLY FIRE
The U.S. Army, along with eight other coalition countries, held a series of exercises to test combat identification technology from September 27 to October 7 in the United Kingdom. The goal is to reduce friendly fire incidents.

The U.S.-led, U.K.-hosted event, called Exercise Urgent Quest, included military representatives from Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden. It was the largest military assessment of coalition combat identification technology since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The exercise included a variety of field missions using combined forces from small unit (squad-level) to coalition task force. It tested six devices that help determine friend from foe on the battlefield: the battlefield target identification device, digital data link, radio-based combat identification, radio frequency tags, optical-combat identification system and the joint combat identification marking systems.