Sir, the training of the Iraqi soldiers

started almost immediately in 2003. It was done at a very small

level, and in or around the summer...

Sir, let me do this. I probably have the

information with me.

I do not have that specific----

Sir, right now, they have--when you are

talking about Iraqi forces, I am assuming that you are talking

about the police and the army.

Sir, there are about 80-plus battalions

at this time who are able to operate in the lead.

Sir, when we have got it, I will get

right back with you.

Oh, yes, sir. I am saying somebody behind

me is going to hand me the answers.

Sir, I am taking a while just to think

about how to answer that. I mean, it is a lot----

Sir, that is what I am about to do.

Sir, any job----

I am sorry, sir?

Sir----

Sir, I think that the training team is

trained and equipped, and what they are capable of doing in

some measure is a reflection of the capability...

Excuse me.

Mr. Skelton, I did not realize you were going to give up. I

am a little confused here. The gentleman said that he was going

to...

He said a few moments. That was a few

moments. You have got somebody right there. They are writing

numbers down there. We do not even know...

Sir, nobody has given me numbers yet, no.

Sir, I am not sure what information

specifically you received. I know that the strategy is that as

we build the capacity for the Iraqi security...

Sir, they go through a foreign military

sales program no different than what any other country would.

So that is how they secure it.

As far as leaving behind equipment, U.S. equipment, if it

is appropriate and it is excess and in accordance...

Sir--I will take a shot at that, sir.

I think the key part is to making sure that we train them

correctly and we man them correctly, and...

Real quick, just one addendum. Sir, one

of the other important pieces is, that is why then we equip

that force clearly with communications...

I will start off here. Just some

interesting statistics here. You talk about, sir, whether it is

career enhancing to have been an adviser....

First, Congressman Simmons, you are indeed

welcome.

Mr. Chairman, whenever you would like to send someone,

either Members or staff,...

Sir, I accept your question, I am not in

a position to answer--I don't have the knowledge, I mean, this

is a policy issue. Things were made--decisions...

Sir, I just say one thing on that. I don't

think we have that information. And but the other part I say, I

think one of the things that...

Sir, as I said in my opening statement, the

training is standards based. We in the Marine Corps, very

similar to how the Army does it, we...

Sir, if I could and what I like to do

is--I don't have the casualty rates. We will--matter of fact,

one of the things we watch very carefully,...

Mr. Skelton, I do have an answer to his

questions.

Sir, the question that you asked me was

the numbers of units that are in the lead. There is a total of

ten divisions in the Iraqi security...

Sir, I will take a shot at that. In my

discussions, very frequently, with the commander of the Iraq

Assistance Group, who is in Iraq and...

Sir, the feedback that we have gotten from the

early deploying transition teams was that the number one task

that they thought that they...

Sir, we focus heavily now in the training to

make sure that the teams, for example, understand the hierarchy

of a tribe. So there may be...

The other thing I was going to ask was

General Ham to sort of a follow-on piece, because you had

talked about the skill sets would be, sir--to...

One thing we have learned in lessons learned

in this is the importance when you pick advisers is they have

to be patient. You know, we have...

Ma'am, a couple of things. One of the things

that helps with the training now is now we are starting to see

advisers come back who now have...

Ma'am, I wouldn't know the answer to that

question. I am not sure about that at all.

But when we do our training in January, our new revised

training,...

I haven't heard of anybody being burdened

with paperwork. I don't think they think Marines can do

paperwork. Maybe that is the problem.

Let me do this. If I could capture a

couple of quick points. The Krepinevich article. We have been

engaging with him because from our perspective,...

I think the point is good because that is

why when we invite people to go to Fort Riley, one of the

reasons we have focused on the post--I...

Yes, sir, I could.

During the training, as I mentioned, the teams do get some

language training, but as Congressman Snyder indicated, it...

Sir, I am confident that the teams--if you are

talking about the teams having the equipment they need,

absolutely.

First off, the teams do have what they

need. That is a priority fill of equipment for those units

going into the theater. They get up-armored...

Roger, sir.

Let me tell you what I know, sir, and I

will have to take for the record as far as how we track. I

don't know in general, because I thought...

Sir, can I take it for the record?

I can't answer.

Sir, I didn't say nobody was. All I said

was I don't have that information. I am sure that probably

somebody in theater is tracking those...

Sir, I will have to turn to the people

who have the books behind me and see if I could--if I could

give you a wait out and see what I have...

Sir, again, the questions are things that

theater would track here. I do not have that--we do not have

that information. I apologize. We...

No, sir.

Sir, I can answer that a little bit. I know

that the adviser teams report up through the chain of command

on their readiness assessments....

Sir, again, I would have to pass on that

one. That is best up to the operational commanders to address

because I do not have visibility...

Sir, my honest answer to that is the enemy

gets a vote in this, so I say it is event-driven rather than

time-driven. So every action we...

Sir, I want to--this is not meant to be a

flippant answer, but from what you just described, it could

have described the Continental Army...

Sir, I was just going to say one thing.

I think, appropriately, the initial focus of the training

and advisory mission was at the combat...

Ma'am, I know on our transition teams we use

both active and reserve forces.

We have in the past, yes, ma'am.

Ma'am, we do in the Army as well. We have

significant participation by Army Reserve and Army National

Guard as members of the transition...

It is me. Although you would like for him

to answer, I----

General Ham can answer it any way he

wants. I am going to answer for the Army, ma'am.

The pursuit of the 1st Infantry Division is a--we...

Ma'am, whether we keep it at the 1st

Infantry Division or not, I already know that we have every

intention of modulizing his headquarters...

I will try first.

I think there are a couple of factors, ma'am, that are at

play. We are better now at the training of advisors and the

preparation...