Future Iraq army to be limited in size; Former soldiers to receive monthly stipends

The chief U.S. administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, announced June 25 that the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) would begin to pay interim monthly stipends to former Iraqi soldiers and their families by mid-July.

Bremer, speaking at a Baghdad press conference, said the payments were part of an effort to make life easier for former soldiers during the transition of Iraq's armed forces.

The ambassador said many former officers and soldiers "worked hard, to earn salaries to care for their families. These men should not be punished for the cruelty of senior Ba'ath and military officials."

However, he added that former officers in the top four ranks of the Ba'ath party, Special Republican Guard members or former mukhabarat (secret police) would not be paid, as well as "anyone linked with terrorist organizations or with responsibility for war crimes."

The new army, he said would be "suited to a democratic nation," said Bremer. Service will be voluntary and advancement "will be based on merit and not on loyalty to any party."

The initial 12,000 person army will increase to 40,000 within two years. "It will be Iraqi because it will be made up of Iraqi soldiers and commanded by Iraqi officers," said Bremer.

However, he acknowledged that the new army would be "considerably smaller" than the Iraqi military was under Saddam Hussein, and he said the CPA understands that "it will take time for former soldiers to transfer their leadership skills into the civil economy."

To address the needs of former soldiers, Bremer said there will be many jobs opening up for them in the fields of civilian security and law enforcement, construction and engineering, and community and national rehabilitation projects.

"There will also be career counseling and retraining programs that cater specifically to helping former soldiers find work in the new economy," said Bremer.