U.S. Army Mulls Shorter Iraq, Afghan Combat Duty
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The U.S. Army is considering  shortening yearlong combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan amid  concerns the long and perilous duty is making it hard to  attract new soldiers and keep current ones, officials said on  Monday.
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The commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, said on Monday that America was meeting its military objectives in Iraq and troop levels could be reduced by next summer.
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The top U.S. commander in the Gulf  region sees the role of U.S. troops in Iraq possibly shifting  as early as next year to focus less on combat and more on  training Iraqi security forces, The Washington Post reported on  Tuesday.
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The number of U.S. troops in Iraq could fall to about 130,000 by next summer, the total before this year's build-up, but it is too early to say when it may go lower, the top U.S. general in Iraq said on Monday.
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BAGHDAD -- U.S. military officials here are increasingly envisioning a "post-occupation" troop presence in Iraq that neither maintains current levels nor leads to a complete pullout, but aims for a smaller, longer-term force that would remain in the country for years.
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WASHINGTON -- The United States may be able to reduce its combat forces in Iraq by next spring if Iraq's own security forces continue to grow and improve, a senior American commander said yesterday.
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Holding troops in place for 120 days is another indication of the strains the drawn-out wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have put on the Army.
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President Bush and his top aides have signaled in recent days that they are beginning to look more closely at a "post-surge" strategy that would involve a smaller U.S. troop presence in Iraq and a mission focused on fighting al-Qaeda and training the Iraqi army.
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The U.S. Army is considering slashing  the length of combat tours for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan  because it fears declines in recruiting and troop retention,  The New York Times reported Monday.
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The Pentagon does not plan to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan beyond the additional Marines promised this week despite a lingering shortfall in trainers for the Afghan forces, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told National Public Radio in an interview aired on Thursday.
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The Pentagon plans to extend its buildup of combat troops in Afghanistan, initially announced as lasting until late spring, well into next year, a senior U.S. military official said Friday. The move comes as U.S. and allied commanders anticipate a renewed offensive this spring by the Taliban.
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The Pentagon is considering delaying  the departure of some troops in Iraq and speeding the arrival  of others already due to deploy to boost force levels for the  January elections, U.S. officials said on Tuesday.
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In a new sign of mounting strain from the war in Iraq, the Army has extended the combat tours of about 4,000 soldiers who would otherwise be returning home, defense officials said Monday.
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Army Gen. John P. Abizaid raised the possibility that forces in Iraq could start to be reshaped as early as next year to reduce the number of combat troops and concentrate on the development of Iraqi security forces.
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The top U.S. commander in Iraq on Monday said the number of U.S. troops in Iraq could be cut by next summer to roughly 130,000, its level before this year's "surge" of 30,000 forces, without jeopardizing security improvements.
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Training time will be halved for troops bound for Afghanistan next year to address a shortfall, according to an early edition of The Times's Thursday newspaper.
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The Army, strained by unrelenting violence in Iraq and operations in Afghanistan and elsewhere, is considering ways it can speed up the creation of two combat brigades while shifting personnel and equipment from other military units.