Bill Roggio has a column up at his blog The Fourth Rail which compares visits with Iraqi Army and police units in November 2005 and November 2006. It should be noted that Roggio is one of the very few Westerners actually out in the boondocks, and about the only one reporting on the military edge of Mr Maliki’s government. For this one reason his work is a must-read. His reports are a vital viewport into the arm of that government that must one day bear the brunt of efforts to minimize and or disburse the sectarian violence currently tearing Iraq apart.

Mr Roggio discusses perceived strengths and weakness of the army and serves up a wish list of heavy weapons and equipment they lack. FWIW, I have serious doubts whether the Bu$h malAdministration has any plans to provide artillery, armor, helicopters, and the like to the Iraqi army. It seems that what they want, at best, is a convenient supply of riflemen for national security, and that group should be seriously out-gunned by any American forces. Since Bu$hCo and CENTCOM have never discussed any plans for these augmentations, it’s a safe bet.