Washington: The Pentagon is considering a number of proposals from US commanders in Iraq to increase the overall goal for the total number of Iraqi security forces – a tacit recognition that more Iraqi forces will be needed before significant reductions can be made in US troop levels.
According to a Pentagon official, the proposal calls for a "modest increase" in the goal of 325,000 trained and equipped Iraqi army and police forces. Such a change could require additional US military trainers.
But the official said the increase in US trainers would not affect overall troop levels in Iraq, which vary between 140,000 and 150,000 troops depending on routine force rotations.
Pentagon and military officials said a number reported by CBS News on Monday of "up to 100,000" additional Iraqi forces is far too high.
One official suggested a 10 per cent increase might be in the works, something on the order of 30,000 additional Iraqi forces.
According to the Pentagon, there are roughly 310,000 trained and equipped Iraq troops, about 15,000 short of the current goal.
USNS Adviser Stephen Hadley met Monday with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to discuss accelerating the training of Iraqi security forces and the transfer of security responsibilities to the Iraqi government, US and Iraqi officials said.
Last week, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he had requested a review of force levels about three months ago in both Iraq and Afghanistan, because he was dissatisfied with the pace of their training.
Rumsfeld said "new proposals" for both countries have been offered by military commanders and are under review in Washington.
But without putting a number on the increase, Rumsfeld said the US intends to increase the budget for training and equipping Iraqi security forces, as well as moving up the timeline for them to be ready to fight.
According to Rumsfeld, the plan has a number of goals.
"One is to increase the budgets, their budgets – they have to increase their budgets as well in our effort; and second, to increase the levels of their capabilities with some adjustments in the mix; and third, to move the date at which it would be accomplished to the left and try to achieve some of it still sooner, at a higher level than had been previously been estimated," he said at a Pentagon briefing on Thursday.
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