The US military still controls seven bases in Iraq, six of which are scheduled to transition to the Iraqi government, while the remaining one will shift to US State Department oversight, Army Brig. Gen. Bradley Becker, deputy commanding general for support at the US Division-Center in Baghdad, told reporters Tuesday. The consulate in Basra is the site that will come under State Department control by year’s end, he said. “We do have soldiers there now” to help the transition, said Becker. “Once we transition the base and the Department of State is running the base, then our soldiers will leave.” Camp Victory in Baghdad will be the largest of the six bases to revert to the Iraqis, he said. Earlier this month, the Iraqis regained control of Joint Base Balad. Becker said there are less than 20,000 US military personnel still in the country. (See also Leaving Iraq and Mission Nearly Complete in Iraq from the Daily Report archives.)
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III conducted virtual talks on April 16 with his Chinese counterpart, Adm. Dong Jun, Beijing's Minister of Defense, marking the first direct talk between defense chiefs of the two nations in close to two years.