	Overview

Securing foreign contributions to the military effort in Iraq, and the follow-on stabilization and reconstruction effort, has been a major priority for U.S. policymakers since before the launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003. International participation has been sought to support the initial major combat operations, the follow-on stabilization operations, the training and equipping of Iraqi security forces, and the provision of financial support to reconstruction efforts. The outcome of the U.S.-Iraqi negotiations is likely to shape the size, structure, and focus of the U.S. military presence in Iraq. The report will be updated as events warrant. Financial Contributions2

In October 2003, the World Bank and United Nations Development Group (UNDG), in conjunction with the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), estimated that the potential cost of Iraqi reconstruction needs would amount to $55 billion over a four year period from 2003 through 2007. According to the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq, $1.766 billion of the pledged assistance has been channeled to the World Bank Iraq Trust Fund and UNDG Iraq Trust Fund. Multi-National Force Contributions

Four countries participated directly and openly in the major combat phase of operations in Iraq: the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland. Currently, the largest non-U.S. troop contributors to MNF-I are the United Kingdom, Georgia, Australia, South Korea, and Poland. All of these countries' major deployments are currently in some state of flux:
The United Kingdom, under the leadership of new Prime Minister [author name scrubbed] since June 2007, is in the process of drawing down from a force of about 5,500 last summer, to 2,500 by spring 2008. Number of Coalition Troops on the Ground

Public discussions about the extent of the coalition force presence in Iraq have been marked by some confusion. Countries may deploy troops to Iraq to one of several different organizations: the Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNF-I); the NATO Training Mission-Iraq (NTM-I); or the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). Training Contributions

Since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, coalition forces in Iraq have made contributions to efforts to train and equip Iraqi security forces. Other Training Contributions

Other countries including Germany, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Jordan (see below) have committed funding, personnel, and facilities for the training of Iraqi security forces on a bilateral or multilateral basis.
U.S. policymakers have made securing and maintaining foreign contributions to the stabilization and reconstruction of Iraq a major priority since the preparation period for the launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003. This report highlights and discusses important changes in financial and personnel contributions from foreign governments to Iraq since 2003.
To date, foreign donors have pledged an estimated $16.4 billion in grants and loans for Iraq reconstruction, with most major pledges originating at a major donors' conference in Madrid, Spain, in October 2003. However, only a small part of the pledges have been committed or disbursed to the World Bank and United Nations Development Group Trust Funds for Iraq. The largest non-U.S. pledges of grants have come from Japan, the European Commission, the United Kingdom, Canada, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, Japan, and Saudi Arabia have pledged the most loans and export credits.
Currently, 33 countries including the United States have some level of troops on the ground in Iraq or supporting Iraq operations from nearby locations. Those forces are working under the rubric of one of several organizations—the Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNF-I), the NATO Training Mission-Iraq (NTM-I); or the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). Currently, the largest troop contributors, in addition to the United States, are the United Kingdom, Georgia, Australia, South Korea, and Poland. Some of these key contributors have announced their intention to reduce or withdraw their forces from Iraq during 2008. The total number of non-U.S. coalition troop contributions has declined since the early stabilization efforts, as other countries have withdrawn their contingents or substantially reduced their size.
Since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in April 2003, a number of coalition, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and other countries have contributed personnel, equipment, and/or facilities to the training of Iraqi security forces. Supporting the establishment of effective Iraqi security forces is a core element of the Administration's current strategy for Iraq, "the New Way Forward," and several of the congressionally mandated benchmarks for Iraq refer to these efforts. Planned U.S.-Iraqi negotiation aimed at achieving a "strategic framework agreement" to replace the current United Nations mandate for U.S. military operations in Iraq may have implications for the future participation of coalition members in stabilization and training efforts.
This report will be updated to reflect important developments. For a broader review of foreign support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, see CRS Report RL31339, Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security, by [author name scrubbed], and CRS Report RL31833, Iraq: Reconstruction Assistance, by [author name scrubbed].