As violence continues to decline in Iraq, regional elections are set for January and disparate political and ethnic forces move closer to political reconciliation, the unfinished Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between Iraq and the United States looms increasingly large.

Remarks by Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon R. England, at the Herzliya Conference, Herzliya, Israel, 21 Jan 2007. Secretary England, then Navy Secretary, was honored with JINSA's Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson Distinguished Service Award in 2001.

From a Chinese sub slipping within five miles of a U.S. aircraft carrier to the pride of the Israeli fleet being struck by an Iranian anti-ship missile launched by Hezbollah, events in 2006 may compel needed attention to fleet protection, especially as advanced non-nuclear submarines begin to enter Middle East and Asian fleets.