Defense reluctant to share data on Iraqi troop readiness

The Defense Department has resisted auditors' efforts to obtain data on the military readiness of U.S.-trained Iraqi troops, according to a senior government official.

Comptroller General David M. Walker told audience members at a Government Executive breakfast Wednesday that Defense has not complied with repeated Government Accountability Office requests for evaluations of Iraqi troop preparedness, known as transitional readiness assessments. The Pentagon develops those evaluations for Iraqi and U.S. forces, Walker said, and has a statutory obligation to release them to GAO.

"We've received high-level briefings that are helpful, but not adequate," Walker said. He said he has yet to see the requested information, but Defense Deputy Secretary Gordon England has agreed in principle to turn it over.

The readiness evaluations are classified and GAO will honor that, Walker said. The agency is interested in developing a "public version," he noted. In the meantime, the assessments could be shared with members of Congress, and would facilitate effective and constructive oversight on Capitol Hill, he said.

Walker said he expected to find some embarrassing information that would account for the battle over obtaining them. "You just can't go by how many people you trained," he said. "Of the people that you've trained, how many are left? To what extent do they have loyalty to the unified government of Iraq? To what extent are they properly equipped? To what extent do they have appropriate support?"

Walker noted that GAO has been successful in gaining access to Defense's count of the number of attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq. The Pentagon does not release those numbers directly, but submits them on a quarterly basis to GAO, which has them declassified and then publishes them.

The most recent attack data, released as part of GAO's report this month on key issues for Iraq-related congressional oversight, showed that attacks on Iraqi security forces, Iraqi civilians and coalition forces have followed a wavering upward trend since early 2003, reaching a total of between 5,000 and 6,000 in October 2006. The majority of those were on coalition forces, according to the data.

The report also showed that roughly 300,000 Iraqi security forces have been trained and equipped to date, and that about 80 Iraqi army battalions are leading counterinsurgency operations. The readiness assessments would lend additional insight into those figures.

Walker said GAO would like to see the attack data released on a monthly schedule. "The public does ultimately gain access, the question is how quickly and through what means," he said.