[House Document 108-63]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
108th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 108-63
REPORT CONSISTENT WITH THE AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF MILITARY FORCE
AGAINST IRAQ RESOLUTION OF 2002
__________
COMMUNICATION
from
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
transmitting
A REPORT CONSISTENT WITH PUBLIC LAW 107-243, ``AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF
MILITARY FORCE AGAINST IRAQ RESOLUTION OF 2002''
April 29, 2003.--Referred to the Committee on International Relations
and ordered to be printed
The White House,
Washington, April 14, 2003.
Hon. J. Dennis Hastert,
Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Speaker: Consistent with the Authorization for Use
of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (Public Law
107-243), the Authorization for the Use of Force Against Iraq
Resolution (Public Law 102-1), and in order to keep the
Congress fully informed, I am providing a report prepared by my
Administration. This report includes matters relating to
planning for post-liberation Iraq under section 7 of the Iraq
Liberation Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-338).
Sincerely,
George W. Bush.
REPORT TO CONGRESS
Submitted consistent with Public Law 107-243:
``Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq
Resolution of 2002'', April 14, 2003
I. Executive Summary
This report covers approximately the period from February
11, 2003 to April 1, 2003. During this period, the President
concluded that the United States had exhausted diplomatic
efforts to bring about the disarmament of the Iraqi regime. On
March 18, he made available to Congress his determination in
connection with the Authorization for Use of Military Force
Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107-243). On March
19, after Saddam Hussein and his sons rejected a final
opportunity to leave Iraq peacefully, the President directed
U.S. Armed Forces, operating with other Coalition forces, to
commence combat operations against Iraq. The President took
this action pursuant to his authority as Commander-in-Chief and
consistent with the Authorization for Use of Military Force
Against Iraq Resolution (Public Law 102-1) and the
Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution
of 2002 (Public Law 107-243) to disarm the Iraqi regime by
force. This military action was designated ``Operation Iraqi
Freedom'' on March 20.
II. Transition to Democracy Planning
A. IRAQI INTERIM AUTHORITY
The President supports the establishment of an ``Iraqi
Interim Authority'' (IIA) as quickly as practical after the
liberation of Iraq. While the precise structure of the IIA has
yet to be determined, certain principles with respect to its
role and authority have been agreed upon.
As early as possible, we support the formation of
an IIA, a transitional administration, run by Iraqis, until a
permanent government is established by the people of Iraq.
The IIA will be broad-based and fully
representative, with members from all of Iraq's ethnic groups,
regions, and diaspora.
The IIA will be established first and foremost by
the Iraqi people, with the help of the members of the
Coalition, and working with the Secretary General of the United
Nations.
Civilian Iraqi leaders will emerge who can be part
of such an IIA.
The IIA will progressively assume more of the
functions of government.
It will provide a means for Iraqis to participate
in the economic and political reconstruction of their country
from the outset.
B. FUTURE OF IRAQ PROJECT
Background. Planning for post-Saddam Hussein Iraq has been
ongoing for nearly a year through the State Department's Future
of Iraq project. The project, announced in March 2002, brings
together experts from the Iraqi exile community, free Iraqis
living in northern Iraq, and international experts, in order to
address practical planning issues of concern after regime
change. Drawing on the resources of a community uniquely
positioned to understand the underlying complexity of Iraqi
society, the Future of Iraq project has better prepared not
only United States Government planners, but also the Iraqi
exiles themselves, to deal with the challenges Iraq faces after
regime change. We expect that the Iraqi population, as it
debates the nation's future, will be able to draw upon the work
done by this small group which, being outside the country, has
had the opportunity to meet and think freely about the nation's
future.
Recent Developments. The Future of Iraq project continues
to hold working group meetings and to undertake immediate,
practical post-regime change planning projects, such as
transitional justice, public health, democratic principles,
public finance, education, environment and water, the economy
and infrastructure, local government, oil and energy, the role
of the military, free press, and civil society. The results of
the working groups have been fed into several interagency
planning groups and made available to the Office of
Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) for its
postwar planning efforts.
C. ESF FUNDING OF IRAQI OPPOSITION
Background. Economic Support Funds (ESF) have been used to
aid opposition groups, support efforts to hold regime leaders
accountable for their crimes, provide humanitarian relief to
the people of Iraq, and support planning for Iraq's transition
to democracy. These activities are all critical elements in
laying the foundation for a free and democratic Iraq.
Recent Developments. In February 2003, the State Department
awarded a supplement of $7 million to the Iraqi National
Congress to continue support for a variety of activities,
including its newspaper and satellite TV broadcasts through
July. The State Department has also provided roughly $2 million
per year since FY 99 in support of war crimes investigation and
documentation. In addition to the State Department's funding
for war crimes investigations, the Defense Department will
provide critical support to identify and prosecute Iraqi war
criminals. The State Department further intends to provide up
to $3 million in additional emergency preparedness and response
assistance to meet the humanitarian needs of Iraqis outside the
control of the current regime. ESF support for the ``Future of
Iraq'' project was $5 million in FY 02 and an additional $3.5
million is anticipated from the FY 03 appropriation.
III. Relief and Reconstruction Planning
A. OFFICE OF RECONSTRUCTION AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
The Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance
was established on January 20, 2003. Its mission is to plan
for, and, in a post-hostilities environment, assist in
administering Iraq for a limited period of time, with the
objective of the immediate stabilization of post-war Iraq.
Under the direction of Retired Army General Jay Garner, ORHA is
organized around three core functions: humanitarian assistance;
reconstruction; and civil administration. Its staff includes
personnel from all relevant U.S. agencies and departments.
While hostilities in Iraq have continued, ORHA staff have been
conducting final planning and coordination in Kuwait. They have
been working to establish lines of coordination with U.N.
specialized agencies and other international institutions, our
Coalition partners, bilateral donors, and nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs). As soon as conditions permit, they will
start their work in Iraq. Upon deployment to Iraq, ORHA's tasks
will include assisting with humanitarian relief and
facilitating the country's reconstruction. A key U.S. priority
will be to assist with the reestablishment of key civilian
services, so as to demonstrate rapid improvements in the lives
of the Iraqi people. To the extent possible, existing Iraqi
ministries, infrastructure and civil servants will be called on
to perform their functions. It is anticipated that Iraqis
currently living outside the country, bringing technical skills
as well as experience in democratic societies, will also have
an important role. The ultimate goal for the United States is
to support a rapid transition of control of Iraq to the Iraqi
people.
B. HUMANITARIAN RELIEF PLANNING
Background. Decades of misallocation of resources and wars
of aggression against its neighbors by the regime of Saddam
Hussein have left the Iraqi population in a precarious
humanitarian situation, inconsistent with the country's natural
wealth and human potential. We are especially concerned that
the remnants of the Saddam Hussein regime will continue to use
Iraqi civilian populations as a shield for its regular and
irregular combat forces or may attack the Iraqi population in
an effort to undermine Coalition goals. Coalition planners have
prepared for these contingencies, and have designed the
military campaign to minimize civilian casualties and damage to
civilian infrastructure. However, we recognize that the Iraqi
population is vulnerable to humanitarian crises as a result of
this conflict. Meeting the immediate humanitarian needs of the
Iraqi people, particularly those displaced as a consequence of
war, is a critical first step in assisting Iraq to build itself
into a viable and prosperous democracy.
Recent Developments. The United States Government is
committed fully to providing humanitarian assistance to the
people of Iraq--to save lives, alleviate suffering, and
mitigate the impact of emergency situations. For the last
several months, various United States Government agencies and
departments have been planning for a possible humanitarian
emergency by:
Assembling and training the largest-ever
U.S. humanitarian rapid response team;
Pre-positioning stockpiles of emergency
supplies and commodities;
Communicating and coordinating with U.S. and
international humanitarian organizations; and
Funding international organizations and NGO
preparatory efforts.
The U.S. response will rely heavily on international and
non-government relief professionals to deliver assistance.
For instance, the largest Disaster Assistance Response Team
(DART) in U.S. history--outside of an Urban Search and Rescue
response--has been recruited. It is headquartered in Kuwait
City and will have three mobile field offices. The DART will
conduct assessments, direct assistance towards vulnerable
populations, and provide funding to the 10 and NGO providers.
The DART is comprised of more than 60 humanitarian response
experts from various agencies and departments, including USAID;
the State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees, and
Migration (PRM); and the Department of Health and Human
Services' Public Health Service.
In addition to technical experts in areas such as health,
food, water, and shelter, the DART has grant-making authority
and includes administrative officers covering logistics,
transportation, and procurement, enabling the team to function
as a turnkey response mechanism for assessment and funding in
the field.
In addition, USAID has funded a significant contingency
coordination effort for many NGOs preparing to assist in Iraq
called the Joint NGO Emergency Preparedness Initiative,
offering support for the latter's assessment, logistics,
stockpiling, and staffing needs. PRM funding has been provided
to support the contingency preparations and early response
requirements of international humanitarian organizations.
USAID is pre-positioning emergency supplies for the Iraqi
people, including material in warehouses throughout the region.
In addition to pre-positioned and in-transit food, these
supplies include wool blankets; rolls of plastic sheeting for
emergency shelter; personal hygiene kits; World Health
Organization Emergency Health Kits; and water jugs, bladders,
containers, and treatment units.
DART areas of expertise include:
Health and medicines;
Water and sanitation;
Food and nutrition;
Shelter and supplies;
Internally displaced persons;
Humanitarian assistance infrastructure; and
Refugees and asylum seekers.
USAID has allocated $154 million for Iraq humanitarian
relief, food distribution, reconstruction, and transition
initiatives. Of that, approximately $35 million has been spent
to date, with $17.3 million having been spent on pre-
positioning relief supplies.
PRM has spent an additional $36.63 million for
prepositioning and early response requirements by international
organizations, including $21 million to the U.N. High
Commissioner for Refugees, $10 million to the International
Committee of the Red Cross, $3 million to the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and $2.63
million to the International Organization for Migration.
Additional funds are in the pipeline. USAID has also provided
contributions to U.N. agencies, including $2 million to UNICEF
for emergency health kits, and nutrition and water/sanitation
activities; $5 million to the World Food Program for food and
logistics measures; and $1.2 million to the U.N.'s Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for NGO and donor
coordination. Support to NGOs has been provided to establish a
consortium to conduct chemical/biological/radiological/nuclear
training.
On March 28, 2003, the United Nations Security Council
unanimously passed UNSCR 1472. This resolution authorizes the
Secretary-General to take certain steps regarding the Oil-for-
Food program to make it possible for shipments of food and
other humanitarian goods to the Iraqi people to resume. The
Secretary-General may spend Iraqi funds in the U.N. escrow
account to pay: milling and delivery expenses for food that
were formerly borne by the Iraqi regime; purchase food locally;
reprioritize existing contracts; and place new orders for
medicines with approval of a U.N. committee.
C. RECONSTRUCTION PLANNING AND IRAQI DEBT
Background. The President recognizes that after the
humanitarian situation in post-war Iraq is stabilized, the task
of helping Iraqis transform their regime into a viable
representative government will begin in earnest. This
transformation is critical to ensuring that the threat posed by
an aggressive authoritarian Iraq wielding weapons of mass
destruction is not resurrected in a different guise. The
President has included funds for Iraq's reconstruction in his
supplemental budget request to Congress. These funds will
provide a critical component in restoring Iraq's civilian
infrastructure and improving the lives of the Iraqi people.
Recent Developments. As part of our planning for a post-
conflict Iraq, the United States Government is prepared to
mobilize significant development resources and technical
assistance in four key areas:
1. Restoring Economically Critical Infrastructure.
Reconstruction efforts will rehabilitate critical
infrastructure to help maintain stability, ensure the delivery
of essential services, and facilitate economic recovery. Iraq's
airports, roads, and ports will be rehabilitated to meet the
needs of its citizens and facilitate transportation of
humanitarian assistance, as well as commercial imports and
exports. Potable water and sanitation services will be
reestablished to prevent disease. These efforts also will
restore the power supply to health and educational facilities,
water supply facilities, and infrastructure that contribute to
the local economy and employment generation.
2. Supporting Essential Health and Education Services. We
will help restore basic healthcare services to vulnerable
populations and focus on strengthening the national education
system. Programming will include the delivery of essential
drugs, equipment, and supplies to health facilities, and will
assist in health and disease assessment. Health programs also
will supply health information and education to the public,
build the management capacity of Iraqi counterparts, and
promote fair and open access to health services. Education
programs will increase access to primary and secondary public
education for Iraqi children, promote retention of students in
the classroom, strengthen school administration, and develop
re-entry programs for out-of-school youth.
3. Expanding Economic Opportunity. Reconstruction efforts
will seek to encourage the development of a competitive private
sector, generate employment opportunities, and improve
agricultural productivity. Activities will include: extending
credit to small and micro-enterprise businesses; developing
local, regional, and international business networks; and
providing workforce development and training. Agricultural
assistance will supply agricultural inputs for the spring and
winter planting season and address livestock and poultry
diseases. Additionally, farmers will be trained to use modern
agricultural technologies to enhance yield, profitability, and
competitiveness.
4. Improving Efficiency and Accountability of Government.
Reconstruction programs will foster social and political
stability by helping meet citizens' basic needs within their
communities. Programming will provide Iraqis with the
opportunity to participate in public decision-making. Technical
assistance will strengthen the capacities of local
administrations to manage and deliver services such as potable
water, education, and healthcare. Programming will be
structured to support the development of local and national
NGOs and civil society organizations.
Since January 31, USAID has undertaken eight contracting
activities. One contract, which is for personnel support, was
awarded to the International Resources Group, Ltd., on February
21, and seven additional contracts are pending. Four requests
for proposals (RFPs), dealing with seaport administration,
airport administration, capital construction, and theater
logistical support, were issued on February 12. In addition, a
public health RFP was issued on March 3, and primary and
secondary education and local governance RFPs were issued on
March 4. This is only a partial list of the reconstruction
projects envisioned for Iraq, and does not include other
projects which may be undertaken by other U.S. agencies and
departments, under the auspices of ORHA, or by other
governments.
These are contingency contracts that will only be
implemented in the event that the work indicated is required.
The urgent need for these contracts has prompted the United
States Government to follow specific guidelines that permit the
agency to utilize an expedited procurement process. Only those
companies that meet specific criteria are invited to apply.
These criteria include: demonstrated technical capabilities;
proven accounting mechanisms; ability to field a qualified
technical team on short notice; and where applicable, clearance
to handle classified information.
In addition, the United States Government will continue to
work through partnerships with NGOs, international relief
agencies, and U.S. universities. USAID values the hands-on
approach of these organizations' community development programs
and expects to see a substantial NGO and international relief
agency role in Iraq. Reconstruction efforts will also include
contacts and partnerships between Iraqi and U.S. educational
institutions.
The Treasury Department will be active in assisting in the
formulation and execution of Iraqi economic policies. Using its
technical assistance advisors, Treasury will focus on restoring
essential operations of the Finance Ministry, the Central Bank,
the commercial banks, and the stock market. A crucial near-term
challenge will be paying civil servants, teachers, and
pensioners in a fair, orderly, and prompt manner.
The Administration is also investigating options for
helping a post-conflict Iraqi Government deal with its
financial vulnerability, including Iraq's very large national
debt. We will work with the international community (including
international financial institutions and Iraq's creditors), to
understand Iraq's overall financial situation, to recognize
legitimate claims on Iraq, and to find ways to assist with
Iraq's pressing need for the resources necessary to
rehabilitate itself.
IV. Military Operations
Current coalition military operations to disarm Iraq
commenced on March 19, 2003. The Coalition consists of 49
countries that have publicly aligned themselves with our goal
of disarming Saddam Hussein. The deployment of U.S. Armed
Forces to Iraq continues as necessary to support the conduct of
ongoing military operations. As the President has indicated
previously, it is not possible to know at this time either the
duration of active military operations or the scope or duration
of the deployment of U.S. Armed Forces necessary to accomplish
our goals fully. Officials from the Defense Department are
providing Congress with daily updates on the status of military
operations in closed briefings. The State Department and the
Central Intelligence Agency are also providing daily updates to
Congress on the status of their activities that relate to
Operation Iraqi Freedom.
V. Free Iraqi Forces
Background. Consistent with the authority of the Iraq
Liberation Act of 1998, the United States Government conducted
a training program to prepare Iraqi exiles from around the
world to participate in military operations inside Iraq. Free
Iraqi Forces (FIF) volunteers received four weeks of training
at a military base in Taszar, Hungary. Under the instruction of
a U.S. Army Training Task Force, they were taught basic
battlefield self-protection techniques, and prepared to serve
alongside U.S. forces in combat support roles as translators,
guides, and experts in civil affairs. FIF volunteers from North
America and Europe have completed the training and deployed to
the Persian Gulf, where they are integrated fully with U.S.
forces under General Tommy Franks, Commander, U.S. Central
Command.
Recent Developments. Since the war began, FIF participants
have provided critical assistance to U.S. forces. They have
given tactical commanders extensive briefings on conditions in
various parts of Southern Iraq, and have already served as
effective liaisons with local populations in areas under U.S.
military control. One FIF member serving with the 402nd Civil
Affairs Battalion team in Nasiryah managed to uncover and
translate the records of the local Ba'ath Party, providing an
important intelligence coup. Another volunteer, while assisting
the 354th Civil Affairs Brigade provide humanitarian relief in
Umm Qasr, persuaded two Iraqi soldiers intermingled with the
civilian population to surrender. The men had been trained in
Baghdad to serve as suicide bombers targeting American or
British soldiers. But upon hearing Coalition objectives
explained to them in Arabic, by a fellow Iraqi, they abandoned
their mission and gave themselves up to U.S. forces.
The FIF program is showing the world that Iraqis everywhere
are united against Saddam Hussein's tyranny and willing to make
great sacrifices to help liberate their country. FIF members
have played an important role in the war thus far, and they
will continue to help in the effort to build a free and
democratic Iraq.