If there were heavy forces, such as the 4th Infantry Division, on the ground in the north and advancing south towards Tikrit and Baghdad, Iraqi resistance would be divided, enabling allied units moving up from the south to do so more quickly.

ECONOMIST: The coming war

Thirty Stryker MEVs have recently been fielded to the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division in preparation for their upcoming deployment to Iraq, and the Army also funded the acquisition of another 306 Stryker MEVs in the 2008 supplemental budget bill.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Collateral damage, DoD budget style

The 5th Corps' combat strength was estimated at 30, 000 troops when the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq began March 20, but it is unknown what toll heavy airstrikes and desertions have taken on its three infantry divisions and one mechanized infantry division, U.S. military sources told CNN.

CNN: Coalition makes key advances in northern Iraq