Haley Stevens: “since 2005, the Defense Appropriations Committee has required the Department of Defense to report quarterly on the…”

“since 2005, the Defense Appropriations Committee has required the Department of Defense to report quarterly on the stability and security situation in Iraq. This is the most recent report. It was prepared in August and embargoed until September 1. Six pages of the bill language is very detailed. Starting on page 233--my colleagues can look in the bill--it requires a comprehensive set of performance indicators and measures for progress and political stability in Iraq. In other words, we continue in our bill already, without the Kennedy amendment, the concept that every quarter the Department reports to us. The first part of this report describes trends and progress toward meeting goals and political stability. That requirement is contained in section 9010 of our bill. The second section of this report describes training development and readiness of the Iraqi security forces, including the forces of the Ministry of Defense and police and paramilitary forces of the Ministry of Interior. The third section describes transfer of security responsibility from coalition forces to the Iraqi Government, including prerequisite conditions and criteria for assessing the readiness of provinces to assume responsibility for security. As I said, this report is already prepared and was presented on September 1 and is on every desk in the Senate. The current report addresses the prospect of civil war on pages 33, 34, and 35. It is very clear.…”