"The number of attacks on the American and allied forces is at the highest level since the insurgency began despite the increase of America combat operations and the introduction of some 40 new Iraq security forces and battalions"
About this Quote
The subtext is aimed at an audience primed for PowerPoint optimism. "40 new Iraq security forces and battalions" reads like the kind of benchmark briefers love, and Skelton deliberately treats it as insufficient. He’s suggesting that the U.S. is counting inputs while the insurgency counts outcomes. The mention of "American and allied forces" broadens the political stakes: this isn’t just U.S. pain, it’s coalition credibility bleeding in public.
Context matters: Skelton, a senior defense voice in Congress during the Iraq War years, is speaking from the oversight position that lives between classified briefings and public trust. The intent isn’t merely to criticize; it’s to force a reckoning with the gap between promised stabilization and measurable violence. In one long sentence, he turns operational intensity into a question: if more troops, more raids, and more local units correlate with more attacks, what exactly are we winning?
Quote Details
| Topic | War |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Skelton, Ike. (2026, January 16). The number of attacks on the American and allied forces is at the highest level since the insurgency began despite the increase of America combat operations and the introduction of some 40 new Iraq security forces and battalions. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-number-of-attacks-on-the-american-and-allied-96283/
Chicago Style
Skelton, Ike. "The number of attacks on the American and allied forces is at the highest level since the insurgency began despite the increase of America combat operations and the introduction of some 40 new Iraq security forces and battalions." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-number-of-attacks-on-the-american-and-allied-96283/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The number of attacks on the American and allied forces is at the highest level since the insurgency began despite the increase of America combat operations and the introduction of some 40 new Iraq security forces and battalions." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-number-of-attacks-on-the-american-and-allied-96283/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
