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Stardate
20030604.2351 (Captain's log): I remember seeing a web site somewhere that tried to keep track of the current location of all major US military units, but I can't remember where it was. I wish I knew, because I've lost track of an entire mechanized infantry division.
1st MEF and 3rd Infantry carried the bulk of the fighting which was in the spotlight, though elements of the 82nd and 101st and the 173 Brigade also were heavily involved elsewhere in Iraq. 4th Infantry showed up just as the fighting was officially declared to be over, and 1st Armored has also deployed into Iraq. The bulk of the Marines are now out, which is reasonable. The Marines are intended to be shock troops; occupation isn't their gig.
Actually, occupation isn't 1st Armored's gig, either, but at least they don't have a big naval tail sitting out at sea whereever they deploy. In order to get the 1st MEF into Iraq, something over half of the "Gator Navy" had to deploy to the Gulf. But they're out, now, and the bulk of the Marines are either already home or heading that way rapidly. They've done their duty and they're entitled to relief.
So is the 3rd Division, but they're not getting it. Even with the 4th and 1st Armored in place, the powers-that-be have decided they still need the 3rd in place, and it's rumored that they may not come home until August. That's too long.
They'll do their duty if they're ordered to, of course, but morale is already suffering. It's not just that they saw the Marines get relieved; it's also that having risked their lives in combat, they want to see their loved ones again and vice versa. And they're entitled.
So where is the 1st Infantry Division? 1st Armored and 1st Infantry were both pulled out of Germany and ordered to the Middle East. It was originally thought that 1st Armored and 1st Infantry would join 4th Infantry in Turkey, but when that became politically impossible I don't recall seeing any orders for them to leave again. And in any case, they're not going back to Germany; neither division will return there.
For that matter, I'm also not just sure what became of 1st Cav, which was also ordered to the region. I think that they actually came home again.
But the real point is 1st Infantry; why can't they be moved to Iraq to relieve the 3rd? I haven't heard any mention of them for weeks.
You don't suppose they're doing something surreptitious? (Yeesh!)
Update 20030605: Many people responded to this, and they have my thanks. A lot of people pointed out this page at Global Security which lists the current forces in Iraq. Marcelo also sent this more general link: "Orders of Battle". And John sent this link, which is very nice.
David sent the following comprehensive report:
1st Cavalry Division never left the states, apart from one unit in its aviation brigade which took part in the fighting. Essentially it is being held as a contingency force should things go tits up in Korea. As for 1st Infantry Division, that has peacekeeping commitments which mean that large parts of it are undeployable at the moment. I should point out that parts of it did take part in the fighting. Parts of the third brigade of the division reinforced the 173rd airborne brigade in the north of Iraq. Finally, the entire 101st air assault division was deployed for the war. They were the other major component of V corps, along with 3rd infantry division. One brigade of the 82nd airborne was deployed, with a second in Afghanistan. 2nd and 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiments are also in Iraq at the moment.
With those commitments in mind, I'll go through the regular army formations and whether they are available for use in Iraq.
1st armored, 3rd infantry, 4th infantry, and 101st air assault divisions are all deployed in Iraq essentially completely. That takes care of four out of the 10 full active army divisions. 1st infantry has peacekeeping commitments, and also has elements deployed in the region. 2nd infantry can't be deployed to the region because it is needed in Korea. The same is true of the 1st cavalry division, and the 25th infantry division. That deals with another four of the divisions of the army. The only two remaining are the 82nd airborne and 10th mountain divisions. The 82nd had two brigades occupied during the war, as mentioned above. The 10th infantry division had one battalion in the war, but was otherwise uncommitted. However, one of its brigades will be replacing the brigade of the 82nd that is now in Afghanistan.
The remaining large elements of the regular army are the armored cavalry regiments, and a couple of independent brigades. Out of the three ACRs, two are deployed in Iraq already, and the remaining formation has a vital training role as the OPFOR at a large training establishment. There are two independent brigades in the US order of battle. One of those, the 173rd is already in Iraq. The other, the 172nd is in Alaska, and might be needed for Korean contingencies.
Therefore, aside from one brigade of the 82nd airborne, and two brigades of the 10th mountain, the regular army's manpower is essentially ALL either in use in Iraq, in use in Afghanistan, in use for peacekeeping, or needed for Korea contingencies.
After that, there are two divisions which have regular army HQs, but have manoeuvre componenets from the National Guard and Army Reserve. Th
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