Detainee Medical Operations During Operation Iraqi Freedom

<p>The United States Armed Forces in Iraq currently provides healthcare for thousands of detainees in U.S. custody. Required healthcare in accordance with Department of Defense Directive and U.S. Army regulation for detainees surpasses current deployable U.S. Army medical capabilities. Planning for the Iraqi government to take over essential services must include the provision for detainee healthcare. Nearly eight years prior to the initiation of Operation Iraqi Freedom a decay of the Iraqi healthcare system began. Toward the end of the Saddam Hussein regime money was shifted away from the healthcare system to bolster the military capability. Currently a lack of security has effected reconstruction projects and resulted in hundreds of doctors and nurses to flee the country for personal safety as they are routinely kidnapped and killed by insurgent forces. This study answers the question: In light of international guidelines Iraqi capabilities and U.S. obligations can a transition plan be developed to allow the Iraqi government to assume the medical operations for detention operations? The study leads to the conclusion that U.S. Army regulations and doctrine does not fully support the Department of Defense Detainee Operations Policy. Additionally new classifications of detained persons by U.S. Government have added confusion as to the treatment required and placed restraints for disposition of detainees on U.S. Army units conducting detention operations. Finally the lack of security has dramatically slowed reconstruction projects including hospitals and clinics; along with the inability of the Iraqi Government to maintain proper checks and balances among ministries has permitted a continual decline of the medical capabilities throughout the country.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p><br>