Overshadowed by 0bama “normalizing” relations with Cuba. Vietnam started with sending in advisers, that weren’t in “direct Combat“.
Hundreds of American troops are now in Iraq’s volatile Anbar Province helping the Iraqi military take on the Islamic State, according to the Joint Staff.
Currently, about 350 U.S. troops are stationed at Al Asad Air Base in Anbar. The force is comprised of advisers and support personnel who are assisting the Iraqi army, as well as security people tasked with providing force protection.
The troops that are on the ground are helping the 7th Iraqi Division with developing security strategies, mission planning, information sharing, and coordinating close air support operations.
Servicemembers currently in Anbar are not fighting alongside Iraqi forces or standing near the front lines calling in airstrikes, according to officials.[…]
We are still in the process of flowing in additional troops in the overall effort to Build Partner Capacity, which will enable Iraqi forces by providing training and expertise in military capabilities such as mission command, intelligence, maneuver, and sustainment and medical support,” Joint Staff spokeswoman Army Capt. Catalina Rosales said in an email to Stars and Stripes.
There are currently about 1,700 American troops in Iraq. That number is expected to increase to around 3,000 in the coming months.