Post-drawdown troop levels will still be high

[unhappycamper]

Post-drawdown troop levels will still be high
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Feb 25, 2008 21:52:23 EST

When the current drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq is complete in July, about 140,000 should remain, a senior U.S. military official said Monday — 8,000 more than were present at the January 2007 start of the administration’s “surge” of five brigade combat teams aimed at helping stabilize Iraq.

Those 8,000 troops represent a sort of safety margin for U.S. ground commanders as they assess the U.S. ability to handle security demands across Iraq, such as backing up U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Teams and Iraqi forces, with five fewer combat units on hand, said Lt. Gen. Carter Ham, the Joint Staff’s director for operations.

“You want to make sure that you can reinforce those very, very quickly,” Ham told reporters at the Pentagon. So even while the U.S. draws down ground troop levels, for instance, commanders will continue to require more aviation assets, he said.

Trying to determine the proper mix of forces is one of the reasons why Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander on the ground in Iraq, has asked for a period of assessment after the current drawdown is finished before recommending additional troop cuts, Ham said.

U.S. officials also project that about 32,000 U.S. troops will be stationed in Afghanistan “by late summer,” Ham said. That would be the highest level ever — an increase of about 4,000 troops over the current level. Most of these will come from the 3,200 additional Marines being deployed there this spring, he said.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/military_troopsurge_022508w/