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The U.S. Army and its Soldiers Strengthen Iraq
Latest Figures on Iraq Reconstruction Status*

BAGHDAD, Iraq—The U.S. Army released today its latest figures on the relief and reconstruction efforts in Iraq. The nation-building programs are having a real impact on the lives of Iraqis by helping to jumpstart the country in several critical areas including; education, healthcare, security, infrastructure, democracy programs and training.

Education
Nearly 80 percent of schools in Iraq required extensive rehabilitation post-war.  Currently, more than $100 million has been spent to rehabilitate and construct nearly 1,100 schools, providing classrooms for more than 324,000 students.

Healthcare
For a period of 20 years, no new hospitals had been built in Iraq despite the rapidly growing population.  U.S. Army rebuilding efforts have resulted in the construction of 93 primary healthcare centers, 59 of which are open to the public and treat an average of 300 patients per day. By early 2009, a total of 137  primary healthcare centers will serve a population of 5 to 6.5 million Iraqis.

Security
Throughout the Global War on Terrorism, Iraqi police forces have been marginalized and forced to operate in sub-par facilities. To improve conditions for the citizens and those in charge of enforcing the laws, the U.S. Army has completed 361 of 364 police facilities and 155 border forts providing the existing police force with more of the resources necessary to maintain order and peace. Projects also include completion of 96 fire stations and 45 courthouse projects.

Water & Sewer
In 2003, water and wastewater facilities throughout Iraq were in a state of significant disrepair and were not meeting the basic needs for a large segment of the population.  Today, Army projects have added 900,000 cubic meters per day of water treatment capacity. An estimated 4.1 million more Iraqis have access to potable water than did before the start of the reconstruction program.

Electricity
No new power plants had been built since the 1980s and existing power plants were operating at full capacity with little maintenance.  Army projects have added 1,560 megawatts of capacity to existing electrical infrastructure and created a more equitable distribution of power.

Oil
In 2002, production levels were at 2.0 million barrels per day with aging facilities and inoperative wells.  Army projects have ensured the Iraqi oil industry has the capacity to produce 3.0 million barrels per day of oil, natural gas production capacity of 800 million standard cubic feet per day, and liquified petroleum gas (LPG) production of 3,000 metric tons per day to meet domestic need.

Training Iraqis
A strong emphasis is placed on training and education to better prepare the Iraqi people to manage and sustain their infrastructure. The training and development programs will enable the Iraqis to effectively manage, operate, and maintain their essential services facilities, systems, and equipment.
Supporting the participation of Iraqi women and women-owned businesses in Iraq reconstruction has been a major goal of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Gulf Region Division since 2004.  These initiatives have led to the training of more than 6,000 women and the awarding of more than 1,600 contracts to Iraqi women-owned businesses.

All of the training, rebuilding, peacekeeping and civilian security efforts over the past five years in Iraq are now recognized as part of the Army’s “Stability Operations.”  Last month the Army’s new field Operations Manual, FM 3-0 Operations (February 2008), was released putting stability operations on par with the traditional core Army missions: offensive and defense operations. Goal is to equip and empower the Iraqi government and Iraqi Security Forces to be able to govern and protect their people.  In fact, Iraqi Security Forces are now taking the lead in defending various regions of the country.  They are responsible for all provincial security for nine of the eighteen provinces in Iraq. They’re making progress against the enemy and gaining the confidence of the Iraqi people.  The efforts by U.S. and Coalition Forces in rebuilding the country would not be successful without the Iraqi’s continued progress.
 
*Figures provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division (GRD).  Work is funded by the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund, Development Fund for Iraq, Commander’s Emergency Response Program, Economic Support Fund and Iraq Security Forces Fund.