Order Code RS22449
Updated November 30, 2007
U.S. Forces in Iraq
JoAnne O’Bryant and Michael Waterhouse
Information Research Specialists
Knowledge Services Group
Summary
Varying media estimates of military forces in Iraq have raised concerns about the
actual number of troops deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). As interest in troop
level deployments continues, President Bush announced “a new strategy for Iraq” on
January 10, 2007, including a planned gradual increase of more than 20,000 U.S. troops
on the ground in Baghdad and Anbar province over several months. To accomplish this
increase in part, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced on April 11, 2007, that
all active-duty Army personnel in the U.S. Central Command area would now serve 15-
month tours in the region, up from the previous 12-month rotations. This report
provides solely Department of Defense (DOD) statistical information on U.S. forces
serving in Iraq. It also provides brief official information on the military units scheduled
for the next rotation of duty into Iraq. As of November 1, 2007, according to DOD, the
United States had 164,424 troops stationed in Iraq — 144,745 active component and
19,679 National Guard or Reserves. For security reasons, DOD does not routinely
report the composition, size, or specific destination of military forces deployed to the
Persian Gulf. This report will be updated upon receipt of new DOD data. For additional
information on U.S. forces, see CRS Report RL31701, Iraq: U.S. Military Operations,
by Steve Bowman.
Force Levels
As of November 1, 2007, according to Department of Defense (DOD), the United
States had 164,424 military personnel deployed in Iraq. Of these, 144,745 were active
component personnel and 19,679 were National Guard and Reserves. Figures 1 and 2
provide the distribution by armed service of active component personnel. These totals do
not include 12,000 military support personnel in Kuwait, or naval personnel aboard ships
patrolling through the Persian Gulf.1
Amid concerns about U.S. troop levels, in a January 10, 2007 address to the nation,
President Bush announced an increase of more than 20,000 U.S. troops to be deployed to
1 DOD Fact Sheet, Global Commitments, January 9, 2007.

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Iraq during the next several months as part of a new initiative in ongoing efforts to
stabilize the security situation. As announced, these forces were to be primarily deployed
to Baghdad and Anbar province, the major current areas of unrest and conflict in Iraq.
These additional force levels were originally to be accomplished primarily by a stepped-
up pace of military unit rotations into Iraq and a delay for some personnel departures from
that country.
However, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced on April 11, 2007, that all
active-duty Army personnel in the U.S. Central Command area would serve 15-month
tours in the region effective immediately, up from the previous 12-month tour rotations.2
These forces were to be gradually added to the personnel stationed in Iraq, as reported
by DOD on January 1, 2007. Additional deployment information is available from
D O D ’ s D i r e c t o r a t e f o r I n f o r m a t i o n O p e r a t i o n s ( D I O R ) a t
[http://siadapp.dior.whs.mil/personnel/MILITARY/Miltop.htm], which posts quarterly
reports on casualties and worldwide active-duty military personnel deployments by region
and country.
Figure 1. Active Component Personnel in Iraq
(as of November 1, 2007)
120,000
104,833
100,000
80,000
60,000
24,241
40,000
11,355
4,316
20,000
0
Army
Air Force
Navy
Marine
Corps
Source: Department of Defense, Office of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, “Boots on Ground” data.
2 American Forces Press Service, Gates Extends Army Tours in Iraq to 15 Months, April 11,
2007.

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Figure 2. Reserve Component Personnel in Iraq
(as of November 1, 2007)
Army NG
10,876
1,424
Air NG
5,077
Army Rv
662
Air Rv
651
Navy Rv
989
Marines Rv
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
Source: Department of Defense, Office of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, “Boots on Ground” data.
Comparative Operation Iraqi Freedom U.S. Force Levels. Overall U.S.
force levels in Iraq declined from November 2005 to February 2007, particularly the
Reserve Component. After a slight increase in March 2007, the surge built up troop levels
through September 2007. Based on DOD statistics, Figures 3 through 7 provide
comparative data on both active and reserve component force levels, including month-to-
month and year-to-year comparisons of U.S. troops in Iraq. DOD officials have declined
to project the timing or size of future force reductions, stating these will depend upon the
security situation within Iraq.
Source: Department of Defense, Office of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, “Boots on Ground” data.
Figure 3. OIF Active Component Force Levels (Feb 2006/Nov 2007)
104,833
120,000
Feb-06
Nov-07
100,000
75,472
80,000
60,000
40,000
23,514
24,241
20,000
2,858
8,906 11,355
4,316
0
Army
Navy
AF
MC

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Figure 4. OIF Reserve Component Force Levels (Feb 2006/Nov 2007)
16,898
18,000
Feb-06
Nov-07
16,000
14,000
10,876
12,000
10,000
8,000
5,981 5,077
6,000
4,000
1,424
1,608
1,212
2,000
261 662
655 651
989
0
Army NG
Air NG
Army Rv
Air Rv
Navy Rv
Marines
Rv
Source: Department of Defense, Office of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, “Boots on Ground” data.
Figure 5. Comparative U.S. Force Levels in Iraq
(Nov 2005-Dec 2006)
Source: Department of Defense, Office of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, “Boots on Ground” data, November
1, 2005, through January 1, 2007.

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Figure 6. Comparative U.S. Force Levels in Iraq (Jan 2007-Nov 2007)
180,000
167,353
157,674
160,000
150,336
144,486
140,000
164,424
134,754
156,247
165,607
120,000
144,202
137,976
100,000
128,569
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
Jan-07 Feb-07 Mar-07 Apr-07 May-07 Jun-07 Jul-07
Aug-07 Sep-07 Oct-07 Nov-07
Source: Department of Defense, Office of the Joints Chief of Staff, “Boots on Ground” data, January 1,
2007, through November 1, 2007.
Figure 7. Comparative U.S. Force Levels in Iraq
(Years 2005, 2006, and 2007)
170,000
164,424
157,982
160,000
147,796
150,000
140,000
130,000
Nov 2005
Nov 2006
Nov 2007
Source: Department of Defense, Office of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, “Boots on Ground” data.
Operation Iraqi Freedom Troop Rotations. On October 19, 2007, DOD
announced its latest scheduled troop deployments for unit rotations to Iraq in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). These 2008 Army National Guard unit scheduled
deployments to Iraq supplement the earlier 2007 announcements involving three Army
brigades or Marine Corps regimental combat teams and one Marine expeditionary force
headquarters unit. These rotations are not directly tied to the surge in Iraq and are
summarized in Table 1 below.

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Table 1. Operation Iraqi Freedom Late 2007 and 2008
Rotational Units
Military Unit
Home Military Base
Rotation to Iraq
Army
3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division
Fort Carson, CO
Late 2007 or Early 2008
Marine Corps
1 Marine Expeditionary Force
Camp Pendleton, CA
Late 2007 or Early 2008
Headquarters
Regimental Combat Team 1
Camp Pendleton, CA
Late 2007 or Early 2008
Regimental Combat Team 5
Camp Pendleton, CA
Late 2007 or Early 2008
Army National Guard
4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division
Fort Hood, TX
Summer 2008
30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team,
Clinton, NC
Summer 2008
North Carolina National Guard
56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team,
Philadelphia, PA
Summer 2008
28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania
National Guard
56th Brigade Combat Team, 36th
Fort Worth, TX
Summer 2008
Infantry Division, Texas National
Guard
29th Brigade Combat Team, Hawaii
Kalaeloa, HI
Summer 2008
National Guard
81st Brigade Combat Team,
Seattle, WA
Summer 2008
Washington National Guard
45th Fires Brigade, Oklahoma
Enid, OK
Summer 2008
National Guard
50th Brigade Combat Team, New
Lawrenceville, NJ
Summer 2008
Jersey National Guard
Source: DOD News Releases July and October 2007.
These rotations and extensions of active duty Army tours to 15 months will maintain
U.S. military capacity at 20 brigade or regimental combat teams on the ground in Iraq.

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