The Pentagon announced Friday that 57,000 U.S. troops, including five combat brigades, have been ordered to deploy to Iraq early next year in a move that will maintain current force levels there. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld signed the deployment orders for about 20,000 soldiers from active-duty Army brigades. Another 10,000 reserves and 27,000 active-duty troops are scheduled to go to Iraq in smaller units. The deployments, which will serve as replacements for troops leaving Iraq, will largely maintain the current force level of 141,000. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the deployments reflect a continuing commitment to maintaining security in Iraq. In a statement, the Pentagon said the “U.S. force rotations will be tailored based upon changes in the security situation. Iraqi security forces continue to develop capability and assume responsibility for security in Iraq.”
