U.S. Withdrawal Came at Exactly the Right Time

The U.S. withdrawal from Iraq at the end of 2011 came at exactly the right time. It will have benefits for us and for the Iraqis.

The U.S. benefits fall into four areas.

First, by ending its military mission in Iraq, the U.S. will be able to reduce total defense spending, which in real terms is higher than at any time since World War II. Ending the war in Iraq will save close to $100 billion a year. This will be an important step in dealing with our massive fiscal debt, which Admiral Mike Mullen, the recently departed chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, argued is the greatest threat to our national security.

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This article was originally published in U.S. News and World Report.