Iraq War: Defense Program Implications for Congress

Publication Date: June 2003

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Military and defense

Type:

Coverage: Iraq

Abstract:

The recent war against Iraq may have implications for various defense programs of interest to Congress. This report surveys some of those potential implications, and will be updated periodically as new information becomes available. Three cautionary notes associated with post-conflict “lessons-learned” reports apply to this report: Information about the Iraq war is incomplete and imperfect, so early lessons are subject to change. Each war is unique in some ways, so observers should avoid “over learning” the lessons of the Iraq war. And potential U.S. adversaries can derive lessons from the Iraq war and apply them in future conflicts against U.S. forces, possibly devaluing U.S.-perceived lessons. It can also be noted that some persons or organizations offering purported lessons of the Iraq war may have a financial, institutional, or ideological stake in the issue.

Many observers have concluded that the Iraq war validated the Administration’s vision for defense transformation, or major parts of it. Other observers disagree. The issue is potentially significant because implementing the Administration’s vision could affect the composition of U.S. defense spending, and because the Administration may invoke the theme of transformation to help justify or seek rapid congressional consideration of legislative proposals, including proposals that could affect Congress’ role in conducting oversight of defense programs. The Iraq war may influence debate on whether active-duty U.S. military forces are sufficiently large to carry out current U.S. military strategy, and on whether greater emphasis should be placed on forces that are less dependent on access to in-theater bases.

One of the most significant defense-program debates going into the Iraq war – and potentially one of those most significantly influenced by the war – concerns the future size and composition of the active-duty Army. Both supporters and opponents of maintaining at least 10 active-duty Army divisions may find support in the Iraq war for their positions, as may both supporters and opponents of the current Army plan to shift toward a mix of fewer heavy armored units and a larger number of lighter and more mobile units.

The Iraq war validated the effectiveness of combat-aircraft armed with precision-guided weapons, and may influence discussions about current plans for investing in specific aircraft and munitions programs. The Iraq war may reinforce support generated by the war in Afghanistan for increased investment in U.S. special operations forces. It may also highlight questions concerning reserve combat divisions and the potential consequences of extended call ups of large numbers of reserve forces.

The war appears to have demonstrated the value of network-centric operations and timely battlefield intelligence, and the potential value of psychological operations. It appears to have confirmed the importance of preparing for urban combat. The war offered a limited real-world test of the Patriot missile defense system. The war may lead to renewed discussions about strategies for reducing friendly fire incidents. It may reinforce support for investing in aerial refueling capabilities, and increase interest in potential new airlift and sealift technologies.