LUIS MARTINEZ
ABC News
WASHINGTON, Jan. 1, 2010
The first of January will bring in more than a new year for U.S. troops serving in Iraq; it will also bring them a new name, as the moniker Multi-National Forces-Iraq (MNF-I) is replaced by the new term, U.S. Forces-Iraq.
[efoods]The dropping of the name “multi-national” removes one of the last reminders to the “coalition of the willing” that the Bush administration used to describe the 2003 allied invasion of Iraq and the subsequent effort to stabilize the country.
The long-awaited name change reflects the reality that, since July, only U.S. troops have continued to serve in Iraq.
The move also consolidates U.S. forces into a new command structure ahead of the planned troop reductions scheduled for 2010. By the end of August 2010, the current force levels of 110,000 U.S. troops will be reduced to 50,000 troops who will be serve in a new training mission.
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