KNOWING HE IS SOMEONE who has embedded previously in Iraq, I found Michael Fumento's understanding of the embed process somewhat lacking and simplistic. ( "Why I'm Not Embedded In Iraq," 3/2/2007) Of all people, he should sympathize with the importance of being realistic and flexible in his expectations and in his requests.

Surprisingly, it seems that Fumento does not fully understand or is willing to comprehend the embed process in Iraq, the fluidity of coverage and the constant areas of opportunity that exist here.

There are many assumptions within his pabulum on the embed process that are at a minimum ill-informed and at a maximum just plain wrong.

Fumento's claim that most reporters in Iraq are reporting from the confines of the "Green Zone" or their hotels is not correct. Reporters do not and have not lived in the "Green Zone" since the Iraqi elections of January 2005 en masse. Currently, only two news agencies maintain permanent residence in the "Green Zone." All other news agencies live out in the Red Zone.

The related claim that reporters are not out in the field reporting is again, not correct. During the time frame that Fumento requested to embed in only a "combat" unit, there were 56 of his colleagues already embedded across Iraq, a majority of those in units that are part of Operation "Fardh Al-Qanoon," which is the next phase of the Baghdad Security plan.

Fumento selectively leaves out the fact that every attempt was made to meet his request and place him with the unit he specified. Only after he determined that the unit in question was not engaged in enough action did Fumento actively push to change his original request.

There are three main components to a journalist embedding in Iraq-- where the journalist wants to go, when the journalist wants to go, and what unit the journalist wants to see. The more specific the journalist gets in each component, generally the harder it becomes for the military system to accommodate the journalist. A reporter wanting to visit any unit of the 82nd Airborne Division who is flexible on when and where he or she goes has much greater success in gaining approval than the reporter who asks for A Company, 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division when they are operating in Sad'r City and only between the 8th and 12th of March, for example.

Most reporters that have been to Iraq at least once fully comprehend that battlefield conditions continually change and they must be ready for those changes. Combat and operations are not something that run on a precise schedule like a commuter train.

For those who have not had an opportunity to embed in Iraq, there may be a lack of understanding that for each reporter that is in a vehicle, that is one less Soldier, Sailor, Airmen, or Marine that is on a mission. If we accommodated every reporter's request to embed or visit only units that they wanted (only those in what they call combat operations), there would be more reporters than troops.

The embed process is fluid as reporters stay longer, leave earlier, or at times do not show up for various reasons. So, one of its needs is for reporters to be flexible and to work with the units realizing that, while we attempt to find spots for all requests, there is the possibility that their requests will not be met.

Many have the misperception that the Combined Press Information Center (CPIC) is the approval authority for the embeds. That is false. The CPIC is a coordination center, acting as the intermediary between the reporters and the commanders of units to facilitate the requests as well as a host of other duties and missions. The CPIC neither grants approval nor does the staff decline embeds. They send approvals and declinations on the instructions from the commanders in the field.

Fumento missed an opportunity in Iraq. Instead of availing himself of the embed opportunities that were presented, he chose to stay at home. If he had continued onto Iraq, he could have been a positive force reporting on the work our troops serving in Iraq and conducting the wide variety of operations they are doing there. Each is a story that should be told, needs to be told, and must be told to the families and friends of the troops--and to the American public.

I wish Fumento well and hope that he--and any other reporter who wants to experience first-hand the struggle to bring freedom from terror to the Iraqi people--avails themselves of embed opportunities in the future while keeping his expectations realistic and flexible and his reporting accurate, in context with the correct characterization.

For those desiring more information, please look at our web site at www.mnf-iraq.com and click on the link for "For the Media."

-Col. Steven A. Boylan
U.S. Army, Public Affairs Officer to the Commanding General, Multi-National Force--Iraq
Baghdad, Iraq

-Lt. Col. Christopher C. Garver
U.S. Army, Director, Combined Press Information Center, Multi-National Force--Iraq
Baghdad, Iraq

Michael Fumento responds: Most of these claims are already covered in my article and refutation would merely be redundant. However, there are some obfuscations in this letter, such as the assertion that most reporters operate out of the red zone. Which is true, except that they operate out of hotels in the red zone. That's why we get all those stringer-reported stories on destroyed mosques that weren't, people burned alive who weren't, and devastating civilian-killing air strikes that never occurred. That's how we got Time's influential cover story on the Haditha killings, which was conducted entirely by phone calls and emails. Readers should also know that Col. Boylan reports directly to Gen. David Petraeus who said of my first Ramadi article in THE WEEKLY STANDARD ( "The New Band of Brothers"), "Great stuff with a great unit in a very tough neighborhood!" Obviously Col. Boylan and Lt. Col. Garvin think we need that type of reporter twiddling his thumbs in a pacified area of Iraq, leaving us dependent on the mainstream media to provide war news collected by email. But I'd venture to guess most readers interested in what we're doing to win this war would disagree.