Pentagon says Rumsfeld nixed Bremer troop request

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
turned down a request in May 2004 by Paul Bremer, the U.S.
diplomat governing Iraq at the time, for hundreds of thousands
more U.S. troops during a particularly violent period in the
Iraq war, the Pentagon acknowledged on Monday.

Bremer, who governed Iraq for 13 months after President
Saddam Hussein was toppled, said in an NBC interview aired on
Sunday that he wrote a memo in May 2004 to Rumsfeld suggesting
that about 500,000 U.S. troops were needed, more than three
times the 142,000 in Iraq at the time.

Congressional critics in both parties argued at the time
that the Pentagon had deployed too few troops to maintain
order, restore essential services and combat an insurgency that
was escalating in spring 2004. April 2004, the month before
Bremer’s memo, was the deadliest of the war to date for U.S.
forces.

Lawrence Di Rita, chief Pentagon spokesman, told reporters
Rumsfeld asked Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, then-chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and top commanders in Iraq to
evaluate Bremer’s recommendation and others.

“There was a specific conclusion that the military
commanders reaffirmed their belief that the level that they had
there was the proper level,” Di Rita said. “The secretary
relied on the judgment of the military commanders.”

“He (Bremer) had views on a variety of things over time
that he shared. He, I think, would be the first to acknowledge
he wasn’t responsible for military force levels. He, on many
times, demurred (in media interviews) when asked what the
proper levels of forces were during the course of his tenure
there, properly,” Di Rita added.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan added, “The president
believes that the decisions about our troop levels ought to be
based on the recommendations of our military commanders who are
on the ground in Iraq. They’re the ones who are in the best
position to say what they need to complete the mission.”

ESCALATING INSURGENCY

As head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, Bremer was
the Bush administration’s top official in Iraq from May 2003,
the month after Saddam was driven from power, until the United
States returned sovereignty in June 2004, at which time he
left.

Bremer, who is publicizing a book on his experiences, said
he “never had any reaction” from Rumsfeld on his memo.

“This was weeks before Jerry left,” said Di Rita, using
Bremer’s nickname. “So it’s not clear to me that he expected an
answer.” Di Rita noted this was the only time Bremer offered
advice on troop levels.

Bremer also said it was not fair to fault him for a
decision made shortly after his arrival to disband the Iraqi
military. This reversed plans by Jay Garner, his predecessor in
Iraq, to harness Iraq’s military to help rebuild the country.

Saddam had used the military to reinforce his hold on
power, but some experts contend that former members of the
disbanded military, suddenly jobless, went on to help form the
insurgency.

Bremer said “it wasn’t me” who was responsible for the
decision, which he said was approved “in Washington” based on
his recommendation. Supporters of the decision said the
military had effectively disbanded itself with thousands
deserting in the face of the U.S.-led invasion.

Di Rita called disbanding the military “a complex
decision,” adding, “It could have gone either way.”

“It was fully vetted by people here, but it was ultimately
Jerry’s decision, and he had that authority as the head of the
CPA,” Di Rita said.

(Additional reporting by Tabassum Zakaria)