A June 23 article on a new independent commission that will assess Iraq's military and police forces incorrectly described one commission member's employment. Former D.C. police chief Charles H. Ramsey was hired in February as a part-time contractor by the Senate sergeant-at-arms, not the U.S. Capitol Police.
Commission to Report to Congress on Iraqi Security Forces
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Saturday, June 23, 2007
An independent commission, headed by retired Gen. James L. Jones, and including former D.C. police chief Charles H. Ramsey, will assess the capabilities of the Iraqi military and police forces for Congress and offer a report in October, a statement by the newly formed group said yesterday.
The commission, funded in last month's war appropriation, will "examine the training, equipping, command, control and intelligence capabilities and the logistic capacity" of the Iraqi forces, the statement said.
Iraqi readiness to take control of the security situation from U.S. forces there is among the benchmarks listed in war funding legislation that President Bush signed last month. The administration must report to Congress in September on progress in 18 areas, including political and economic reforms.
Jones, a former Marine Corps commandant and the supreme allied commander in Europe until last year, said that the group will provide Congress an "independent, objective and nonpartisan perspective" of the security issues. Members of the commission will travel to Iraq this summer.
The Defense Department has agreed to support and facilitate the commission's work.
Although the group includes a number of retired senior military officers, none is among an increasing number of former officers who have publicly criticized the administration's policy or war strategy in Iraq.
Among the members of the high-powered panel are retired four-star generals John Abrams, Charles G. Boyd and George Joulwan. Civilians include John J. Hamre, former deputy defense secretary and now president of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Ramsey, whose primary role will be to assess the Iraqi police force.
Police chief of the District for nearly nine years, Ramsey stepped down in December when new Washington Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) made it clear that he wanted to pick his own chief. In February, Ramsey was hired by the U.S. Capitol Police as a part-time contract employee working on safety and security in the Capitol.
