Below is an excerpt from a press briefing from the Pentagon; Brigadier General Robert Brown is participating via teleconference from Iraq:

MODERATOR:  Good morning, all.  We’re privileged to have with us today Brigadier General Robert Brown.  General Brown is the deputy commanding general (Support) for Multinational Division-North.   

General Brown assumed his current duties in Iraq in November 2008.  This is his first brief to us in this format.  He joins us today from Mosul in Iraq.  General Brown has a few comments and then he’ll take your questions. General, thanks again for joining us.  Over to you, sir.   

GEN. BROWN:  Thanks, Dave.   

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.  Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today.  It’s a pleasure to be here with you.  I’m Brigadier General Bob Brown, the deputy commanding general for Multinational Division-North and the 25th Infantry Division here in Iraq.  And I’m speaking to you today from Forward Operating Base Marez in Mosul.   

MND-North is comprised of approximately 23,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.  And for those of you who are not familiar with MND-North’s area of responsibility, it’s comprised of the seven northernmost provinces of Iraq.  And that includes the Kurdish region, all the provinces north of Baghdad.   

The area itself is an extremely diverse region, both in geographic makeup and the population who inhabit it.  There are Kurds and Arabs, both Sunni and Shi’a, as well as ethnic minorities such as Christians, Yazidis among others.  And all of them have played a part in our mission here, over the last 12 months.   

This is actually my second time in Mosul.  I was here before in 2004-2005 as the Stryker Brigade commander with the 25th Infantry Division.  And I can tell you that MND-North has completely changed. Totally different than it was four years ago, and it’s a change for the better.   

Changes are visible in the government and the partnerships that are at work.  They’re visible in the Iraqi security forces, both with the officers in charge and the soldiers they lead.  And that in turn has led to an overall increase in security.   

Now, as we come to another — end of another year-long deployment in northern Iraq, I look back at some of the major accomplishments made during this rotation and the incredible momentum that was gained.  And it’s still in motion. 

Momentum in northern Iraq has been key to our success.  And as long as it’s maintained, the northern provinces have a very bright future ahead of them.  Now, one of the greatest things I witnessed this time — again, a complete turnaround from 2005 — is the professionalism and dedication of the Iraqi security forces.  When I was here before, it was difficult to get the ISF leaders to take charge.  But now they are clearly in the lead, and we are here to support them. 

A few months ago, spectacular attacks in Mosul were occurring with VBIEDs and SVBIEDs and thousands-of-pounds explosives being the norm.  Now, because of the relentless pursuit of terrorist organizations such as al Qaeda, these large-scale, spectacular attacks are rare, and we are actually witnessing not just a decrease in the size of each attack but a decrease in attacks overall, with small arms fire, small IEDs or pipe bombs being utilized as al Qaeda attempts to maintain any sort of relevancy.  In fact, attacks are at their lowest level since 2003.  That being said, al Qaeda remains a dangerous enemy.  But they’re also a desperate enemy, one that knows they cannot win. 

Since June 30th of this year, we’ve also transitioned into another phase of our mission, one that finds our soldiers out of the spotlight.  But they are adaptive and resilient, and it is a true testament to their professionalism the way they continue to serve with our Iraqi partners.  Something I don’t feel has been highlighted enough since June 30th is just how busy our soldiers really are, working every single day to coach, teach and mentor our Iraqi partners, a mission which is often more complex than when we were in the lead.  While we are in the cities as an advisory and assistance role, we’re also actively engaged in counterinsurgency and border interdiction operations outside the cities.   

One thing that hasn’t changed:  When we arrived in northern Iraq last year, one of our main goals was a desire to improve Kurd-Arab relations throughout the region, the northern area.  And we have worked diligently to accomplish this.  And one way of doing this has been to bring all parties together, get them talking, opening up lines of communication and dialogue and bridging the gap between them.  And  by doing so we’ve been able to get them to see beyond their differences and show them that by working together they’ll all be able to accomplish more:  that there is, in fact, strength through diversity. 

As I mentioned earlier, we’ve come to the end of our time in Iraq.  But I’d just like to remind everyone that as — we, the United States military, are fully committed to our mission here in Iraq and our resolve to ensure that the future of Iraq is one of safety, security and, of course, prosperity.  And our resolve is stronger than ever.   

We’ve accomplished so much during our time here, but I believe one of the most important things we’ve done is to forge a great partnership with the Iraqi security forces, the Iraqi army, the Iraqi police, and assist them as they protect the citizens of Iraq. 

So thank you for allowing me a few opening comments.  And I’m sure you’ve got some great questions, and I’m ready to take your questions now.

To view the rest of the press briefing in its entirety, please click here.