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Iraq War troop surge of 2007

The Iraq War troop surge of 2007, commonly known as the troop surge, or simply the surge, refers to the George W. Bush administration's 2007 increase in the number of U.S. military combat troops in Iraq in order to provide security to Baghdad and Al Anbar Governorate.[5]

For Ford Motor Company's restructuring plan, see The Way Forward.

The surge was developed under the working title "The New Way Forward" and was announced in January 2007 by Bush during a television speech.[6][7] Bush ordered the deployment of more than 20,000 soldiers into Iraq (five additional brigades), and sent the majority of them into Baghdad.[6] He also extended the tour of most of the Army troops in country and some of the Marines already in Anbar.[6] The President described the overall objective as establishing a "unified, democratic federal Iraq that can govern itself, defend itself, and sustain itself, and is an ally in the War on Terror."[7] The major element of the strategy was a change in focus for the U.S. military "to help Iraqis clear and secure neighborhoods, to help them protect the local population, and to help ensure that the Iraqi forces left behind are capable of providing the security".[6] The President stated that the surge would then provide the time and conditions conducive to reconciliation between communities.[7]


Initiated against strong domestic opposition and after the Republican defeat in the 2006 midterm elections, the surge was considered to be extremely difficult politically. One White House staffer explained the political rationale succinctly: "If you're going to be a bear, be a grizzly."[8] In retrospect, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and other critics of the surge have argued that it was successful.[9][10]

Terminology[edit]

The phrases "New Way Forward",[11][12] "The New Way Forward" and "A new way forward in Iraq"[13] were widely used by White House Press Secretary Tony Snow[14] and the news media prior to the President's speech on January 10, 2007, announcing the policy change. The US press also refers to the increase as a "surge" or "Iraq troop surge". Following the speech, some Democrats began using the term "escalation" rather than "surge",[15] though others in the party used the terms interchangeably.[16]

Presentation[edit]

Pre-speech expectations[edit]

Bush was expected to announce a "surge" in forces that some sources say could be up to 20,000 troops. According to Reuters, "While Bush is to announce a complete overhaul of his Iraq policy, including economic and political components, the possibility of a troop increase has gained the most attention. Despite a divide on the issue, Bush in recent days has hinted toward a preference for increasing troop strength by saying he wanted to help Iraqis gain control of the security situation there. "One thing is for certain, I will want to make sure that the mission is clear and specific and can be accomplished," Bush said on Thursday when asked about a troop increase."[36] In fact, Bush's proposed increase was 21,000 US troops, 4000 of which would be Marine Corps focused on Al Anbar Governorate while the others would be embedded into Iraqi units to provide security to Baghdad.

Implementation[edit]

Personnel changes[edit]

In conjunction with the surge, the Bush administration implemented several personnel changes, as follows:[53]

Petersen, Roger D. (2024). . Oxford University Press.

Death, Dominance, and State-Building: The US in Iraq and the Future of American Military Intervention

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"Neocons Put on a Surge-Stravaganza," CommonDreams.org News Center, September 8, 2007

AEI Surge Study

Blythe, Jr., Wilson C. "III Corps During the Surge: A Study in Operational Art." Army Press Online Journal (13 January 2017).

Blythe-III Corps during the Surge

City Journal, Spring 2008

Hope for Iraq's Meanest City

by Patrick Cockburn, The Independent, 14 September 2008

Iraq: Violence is down – but not because of America's 'surge'

PBS NewsHour: Archived 2014-01-18 at the Wayback Machine Debate between "surge" architect Fred Kagan and journalist Nir Rosen (March 11, 2008)

"As Violence Peaks and Dips, Debate Over 'Surge' Persists"

RAND Report, Counterinsurgency in Iraq: 2003–2006

AmericanRhetoric.com

Transcript and Audio mp3 and Video of Entire Address

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Transcript of the presidential speech on the official White House website

by Michael R. Gordon, The New York Times, August 31, 2008.

Troop ‘Surge’ Took Place Amid Doubt and Debate