Maj. Alan Miller

The 2011 troop pullout dictated by a U.S.-Iraqi agreement signed last week seems feasible, according to local Marines who just returned from a seven-month tour in Iraq’s Anbar province.

“As long as everything stays on track, I think 2011 is realistic,” said Maj. Alan Miller, commander of the Chattanooga-based “Mike Battery” Marine Corps Reserve unit. “The Marine Corps was providing a lot of support with the new government and infrastructure, but now we’ve started to push those responsibilities on local government.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker signed the status of forces pact on Nov. 17. The measure now awaits approval from Iraq’s parliament.

The agreement is possible because of continued progress in recent months, according to Maj. Miller, who during his tour assisted in handing control of the city of Rutbah back to the Iraqis.

Mike Battery has witnessed the improvements from its first tour in Fallujah in 2003 to its most recent tour in Rutbah, which began in April and ended two weeks ago.

Violence has decreased dramatically and has been replaced by genuine rebuilding efforts, said Gunnery Sgt. Anthony Wimberly, who said he noticed native Iraqis increasingly taking ownership of the changes.

“I was helping to train the Iraqi police, and they wanted to do everything for themselves,” he said.

This is proof that the stabilization reached in some of the country’s bigger cities, including Fallujah and Ramadi, has trickled down to smaller cities such as Rutbah, according to Maj. Miller. The next step will be complete stabilization in those midsized cities so that progress can be made in more rural areas, he said.

Such progress falls in line with another stipulation of the status of forces agreement: that the U.S. be out of Iraqi cities and towns by the end of 2009.

That’s already occurred in most cities, according to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, who indicated at a recent Pentagon news conference that the transfer has progressed enough to allow for as quick of a withdrawal as would be mandated by President-elect Barack Obama.

The president-elect has said he is in favor of a 16-month pullout strategy.

“It’s doable,” Navy Adm. Mullen said of the expedited plan. “It’s a very significant footprint and a very sizable force, but we’ve been moving in and out of this theater for a long period of time, and we have the capacity and the capability to do it.”

He added that the decision to pull out should be “conditions-based,” however.

Mike Battery 1st Sgt. James Tucker agrees. As of now, conditions dictate additional help with everything from playgrounds for children to more security training for provincial police forces, he said.

“There are vast improvements still needed,” 1st Sgt. Tucker said. “They understand what processes they need to go through, but it’s a matter of helping them do it.”