In 2010, Iraq's top military officer, Lt. Gen. Babaker Zebari, stated, "If I were asked about the withdrawal, I would say to politicians: The U.S. Army must stay until the Iraq Army is fully ready in 2020." In 2011, the New York Times reported, "American military officials had said they wanted a 'residual' force of as many as tens of thousands of American troops to remain in Iraq past 2011 as an insurance policy against any violence."