Iraqi Military "Handover" Finally Goes Ahead

After what appears to have been much browbeating behind the scenes, Iraqi prime minister al-Maliki finally signed the document for the pretend-handover of his paper-tiger military to his own government's control.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Coalition forces handed over control of Iraq's armed forces command to the government Thursday, a move that U.S. officials have hailed as a crucial milestone on the country's difficult road to independence.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki signed a document taking control of Iraq's small naval and air forces and the 8th Iraqi Army Division, based in the south. However, it is still unclear how rapidly the Iraqi forces will be prepared to take over their own security.

"From today forward, the Iraqi military responsibilities will be increasingly conceived and led by Iraqis," said Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, at a ceremony.

Handing over control of the country's security to Iraqi forces is vital to any eventual drawdown of U.S. forces here. After disbanding the remaining Iraqi army following the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, coalition forces have been training the new Iraqi military.

However, it is unclear exactly how quickly Iraqi forces will be prepared to take over their own security.

Previously, the U.S.-led Multinational Forces in Iraq, commanded by Casey, gave orders to the Iraqi armed forces through a joint American-Iraqi headquarters and chain of command. Senior U.S. and coalition officers controlled army divisions but smaller units were commanded by Iraqi officers.

Now, the chain of command flows directly from the prime minister in his role as Iraqi commander in chief, through his Defense Ministry to an Iraqi military headquarters. From there, the orders go to Iraqi units on the ground. Initially, this would apply only to the 8th Iraqi Army Division, the air force and the navy.

The other nine Iraqi division remain under U.S. command, with authority gradually being transeferred. U.S. military officials said there was no specific timetable for the transition.

Days before the engagement, the 8th Division's commander, Brig. Gen. Othman al-Farhoud, told The Associated Press his forces still needed support from the U.S.-led coalition for things such as medical assistance, storage facilities and air support.

However, even moderate Republican's are sceptical about just how much of a huge deal this actually is:

It’s not entirely clear that anything substantive has taken place here, Caldwell’s proclamations notwithstanding. Iraq’s government dubbed itself “sovereign” quite some time back without gaining much in the way of actual autonomy. To say that the Iraqi prime minister has command of armed forces that are unprepared to handle the security threats facing the nation, infiltrated by enemy agents, and split along sectarian lines is not quite the same thing as saying the U.S. president is in command of our military; one is theoretical, the other tangible.

Let's add to that list a military that has only four small patrol boats for its whole force, an airforce without even a gun and an army that needs US forces for armor, artillery, airstrike, medical and communications support - giving US commanders an absolute veto over what gets done despite this document.

It's worth noting that the US military spokesman, Lt. Col "Baghdad Barrie" Johnson, gave at least three different excuses for the double-postponement of this ceremony, none of which gave the real reason, and that the Iraqis described the disagreement over the document as "it deals with the whole handover of sovereignty."

Here's my previous post on the mystery of the postponed ceremony.