George Casey Quotations

the possibility for condition-based reductions of coalition forces still exists for 2006.

The referendum on the constitution and the elections at the end of December are the most important aspects of what we're doing now.

When I checked in the morning, the ice was nice and clear, not milky. That usually means that the ice layer was solid enough to do the job.

Level 1 is being totally independent, and we know they're not going to be there in large numbers for a while. But they're already getting to level 2, which means they can get into and lead the fight.

Look, you guys read the polls just like I do. And this is a terror campaign. And they are trying to create the impression that we and the Iraqis cannot succeed in Iraq,

Now this constitution has come out, and it didn't come out as the national compact that we thought it was going to be. And there's division there, ... And that caused the situation to change a little bit.

Next year, at this time, I'll be much more concerned about it. Right now, I'm not,

I can tell you, Congressman, it's all going to be conditions-based,

We are fighting with them side by side on a daily basis, improving their capabilities day by day, ... We are measuring this very carefully, and we're not going forward with this capriciously.

what you are seeing is a change in tactics to more violent, more visible attacks against civilians and that is a no-win strategy for the insurgency.

I would not say necessarily as forceful as Senator Levin just put it,

I think we'll open up with a good price. What's a good price I don't know.

It got down to about 20 degrees by 4 a.m., but judging by the amount of ice we laid down, it looks like we got through okay. But it was a very long night.

I think that's entirely possible, senator, ... I mean, as we've looked at this, we've looked for the constitution to be a national compact, and the perception now is that it's not, particularly among the Sunni.

It is important for the American people to understand that we should not be afraid of this fight, ... This is a tough fight. Their armed forces members are committed to this. The Iraqis are committed to this.

Over the past several months, I have received reports of serious physical abuse of detainees by ISF (Iraqi Security Forces).

reducing the visibility and ultimately the presence of coalition forces as we transition to Iraqi security self-reliance remains a key element of our counter-insurgency strategy.

I think right now we're in a period of a little greater uncertainty than when I was asked that question back in July and March,

We do not have a timeline or milestones that directly tie the draw down of coalition units to numbers of Iraqi battalions,

We've looked for the constitution to be a national pact, and the perception now is that it's not.

We have built enough Iraqi capacity where we can begin talking seriously about transitioning this counterinsurgency mission to them,

What's important is ... is that the one and three are irrelevant,

Fighting insurgencies is a long-term proposition, and there's no reason that we should believe that the insurgency in Iraq will take any less time to deal with.

There is still lots of tough work to do and we should expect the insurgency not to just go away because there were elections.

We fully recognize that Iraqi armed forces will not have an independent capability for some time, because they don't have the institutional base to support them,

We certainly do expect that there is some infiltration of the police and ... the military forces, ... But we don't see it in the way that would render these forces incapable.

We say we make progress relentlessly in little steps a day at a time. And we just keep taking little steps. And every once in a while, you get to see what happens when all those little steps yield something.

We should expect the insurgency not to just go away, but to gradually reduce.

And we certainly do look to do that over the course of next year.

I share your concern about our Army's operational readiness and force protection posture,

And there's division there ... and that caused the situation to change a little bit,

A year from now, if there are not more battalions at level one I will be concerned. Right now, I am not. I am concerned about level two and we are making very good progress there,

They were involved in about a monthlong planning cycle with us. And they were well-integrated with us. ... I've heard nothing but positive things about how they performed,

do everything in their power to try to stop the march of freedom. And our troops are ready for it.

Conditions-based reduction of coalition forces is a critical element of our strategy,

The next 75 days are going to be critical for what happens,

No, it's not a setback. I mean, unit readiness is going to fluctuate. And it is such a small number. And at this stage, I'm not concerned about small numbers,

Things change in a battalion. We're making assessments on leadership, on training. There are a lot of variables that are involved here, senator,

Increased coalition presence feeds the notion of occupation. It contributes to the dependency of Iraqi security forces on the coalition, ... It extends the amount of time that it will take for Iraqi security forces to become self-reliant. And it exposes more coalition forces to attacks.

In a year from now, if there's not more battalions at Level One, I'll be concerned. Right now, I'm not,

The Iraqis are seeing that they need to take a stand against the foreign fighters and the Iraqis that support them so they can get on with their future,

And it's obviously something that one has to be attentive to. It's obviously something that General Casey and his troops are attentive to and have to be concerned about,

The development of the Iraqi security forces is very much on track,

The level of attacks they've been able to generate has not increased substantially here over what we've seen in the last year, ... This insurgency is not progressing.