Special Defense Department Briefing On Iraq Reconstruction

Special Defense Department Briefing On Iraq Reconstruction

To view slides during the briefing: http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jan2005/d20050119slide1.pdf

(Note: Mr. Hess, Mr. Milligan, and Mr. Taylor appear via teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq. Mr. Bryan Whitman is moderating the press conference in the Pentagon.)

MR. WHITMAN: Ladies and gentlemen, good morning here in Washington, D.C., and good afternoon in Baghdad, and welcome today.

We have a number of individuals that will be joining us. This is a -- kind of our continuing series to provide you with information on reconstruction efforts. Some of the individuals you know and have come to you not only from this briefing room but via the modern technology of satellites. And you'll note that Charles Hess, who's the director of Iraqi projects and the contracting office, known as the PCO, is there; along with Ambassador Bill Taylor, who's the director of the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office. And we also have Chris Milligan, who's the deputy mission director of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Each one of them is going to talk to you briefly about a few things that are on their mind, and then we'll open it up here for questions. I'll just remind you once again that while we can see them, they can't see you. So if you'd just go ahead and identify yourself, that would be helpful.

MR. HESS: Good morning. Good morning, Washington. This is Charlie Hess.

Last time I was in the Pentagon, on, I think, around the 15th of December, I spoke with you on what we've done basically for several months now, in terms of giving you a continuous update with respect to progress in terms of the Project and Contracting Office programs. And I'm very pleased tonight to have with me Ambassador Taylor and Chris Milligan to give you sort of a -- so we can give you a full, comprehensive picture on that, where the program is and how it's moving forward.

As you know, the center of gravity here and the focus certainly of attention around the world is on elections, and there's certainly a lot of anticipation leading up to that event here next week. And multinational forces are committed to assisting the Iraqi security forces in securing a safe environment for them to happen for the first time in four decades and all of our reconstruction efforts, so that they can continue as planned, certainly improving Iraq's infrastructure and the quality of life for its people.

General Casey, the MNFI commanding general, recently said this is a counterinsurgency campaign, and all of elements of national power must work synergistically to defeat the insurgency. Getting to elections and making sure construction projects proceed is critically important to helping meet the expectations of the Iraqi people -- to give people work, so they have a job, rather than a reason to join the insurgency. And the military element of power will do their part of this.

But if this is going to won, then it has to be won on the political and economic side. And that's the reason we're here tonight, to talk a little bit about that.

(more)

http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2005/tr20050119-2002.html