With Monday's government order to dispatch the main contingent of ground troops to Iraq, the Self-Defense Forces is ready for full deployment in the conflict-torn country. The troops will be sent in stages, starting with a group of engineers, to Samawah in southern Iraq. With air and navy units also participating in the mission, all three services of the SDF have now joined in an unprecedented overseas mission.
The dispatch order opens new possibilities for Japan's developing security policy. The SDF, created 50 years ago for exclusively defensive purposes, has never before been deployed in a country where fighting continues. In this sense, the Iraq mission is different from the U.N.-sponsored peacekeeping operations that the SDF has participated in several times.
Naturally, security is the biggest concern. It is feared that ground troops might find themselves in harm's way. Such a possibility cannot be ruled out given the volatile situation in Iraq, however, the hope is that all soldiers will return home safely without causing any "collateral damage."