Press release: “It is too early to discern trends out of the U.S. troop “surge” as part of the Baghdad security plan, defense officials said here today. Speaking on background, the officials discussed the quarterly report to Congress, titled “Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq.” The report was released yesterday, but the cut-off for data in the report was May 14. “It is too early to assess the impact of the new way forward,” a senior defense official said.” The final U.S. brigade combat team does not become operational until this week, the official said. The State Department has set up the enhanced provincial reconstruction teams, and the Iraqi government itself is gaining more confidence as it moves forward. All these are indicators, but need time to mature, the official said. The official said there was some progress from February to May. There has been a change in the character of attacks, and there has been some economic progress. “But at the same time, I think it is important to recognize that oil production — the principle economic driver in Iraq — remained at the same levels as in 2006, as did electrical generation,” the official said. On the political front, few legislative initiatives have been completed in the reporting period, but some work has been done to move initiatives forward, the official said. Overall, both positive and negative indicators are in the report, the official said.”