CAMP PENDLETON -- Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz told Iraq-bound Marines on Tuesday that the capture of Saddam Hussein may make it more likely that Iraqis will cooperate with U.S. forces in rebuilding the war-torn nation.

In a short visit to gauge the Marines' readiness before they deploy to Iraq in the spring, Wolfowitz observed training, consulted with commanders and had lunch with troops at Camp Pendleton on Tuesday.

The visit came just days after U.S. Army troops captured the former Iraqi leader outside his hometown of Tikrit in Iraq.

Wolfowitz said that, with Saddam gone, Iraqis may make it easier for the Marines to help them build civil and economic institutions when they return there in the spring.

A force of about 25,000 Marines, mostly from Camp Pendleton, will begin a massive deployment to Iraq over the next few months to replace the task force led by the Army's 82nd Airborne Division in western Iraq.

"I think the biggest challenge remains that there is this hard-core group of people who, for 35 years, have abused and tortured the people of Iraq, and they don't want to see those times change," Wolfowitz said to reporters after eating a spaghetti lunch with a handful of Marines at the Del Mar Area 21 mess hall just after noon Tuesday.

"Obviously, the capture of Saddam Hussein is a big blow to those people," he said. "And it should also remove some of the blanket of fear that I think discourages many Iraqis that believe in a free Iraq and who want to see a different country but are fearful of cooperating with us."

Accompanied by 1st Marine Expeditionary Force commander Lt. Gen. James Conway, Wolfowitz congratulated the Marines for helping to stabilize and rebuild parts of southern Iraq after their combat mission ended last spring.

He cautioned that they faced greater challenges in their new destination: the Al Anbar province west of Baghdad, which is a hub of the anti-American insurgency. He called the region "one of the most difficult" in Iraq.

After visiting a training range and dining with about a dozen Marines at the mess hall in the Del Mar area of the base just north of Oceanside, Wolfowitz said the Marines seemed ready and upbeat.

"The Marines don't seem to need a lot of encouragement," he said.

He said he wanted to find ways to supply them resources to help with small-scale development projects, help them learn and understand Iraqi culture, and possibly provide "Iraqi-Americans who are eager to assist the Marines or maybe even deploy with the Marines."

Part of the visit, he said, was to "find out what kind of things we can do in Washington that would help them with their mission."

Marines said they welcomed the chance to talk to a key advisor to President George Bush.

"I think he just really wants to know what's going on here," said Sgt. Jimmy Hardin, 25, of Anthony, Texas, after lunch with the secretary. "He's just makin' sure we're good to go."

Other troops said it was good to have the show of support from a top Pentagon official just before they head into a region of Iraq where American soldiers are attacked by roadside bombs, snipers and suicide bombers almost daily.

"He basically agreed with us that the terrorist attacks would probably go up after they got Saddam," said Sgt. Andrew Bullan, 25, of Brown County, Ill.

Bullan, who served with the 3rd Amphibious Tractor Battalion transporting infantry into battle during the invasion last spring, said he believed the Marines' mission would be more dangerous and difficult the next time around.

Before leaving the troops for a ground-breaking ceremony at a new base housing project, Wolfowitz echoed President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who have said that U.S. forces will stay in Iraq as long as it takes.

"As of July 1st, if things continue on the schedule we're on, we will no longer be an occupying force," Wolfowitz said. "We'll be there supporting the new Iraqi government. It's going to be a very important change for that reason. It's important to be absolutely clear that we plan to stay in Iraq as long as that new Iraqi government wants us there to help."

Contact staff writer Darrin Mortenson at (760) 740-5442 or dmortenson@nctimes.com.