Pentagon Asks McChrystal to Delay Troop Request
David Sessions
Washington Reporter
Posted:
09/22/09
Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, has completed a classified report that requests significant increases of American troops in the country, including some options that would put the U.S. presence at over 100,000 troops for the first time. But as support for the war flags in Congress and among the public, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has instructed McChrystal to delay submitting the request until the administration can complete a sweeping strategy review.
In an assessment of the war submitted to the Pentagon last month and made public Monday, McChrystal warned that if the Taliban insurgency is not supressed in the next 12 months, victory may never be possible. His urgency seems increasingly at odds with the administration, as President Obama has repeatedly expressed hesitance about increasing troop levels, and White House aides continue to say there is no need for an immediate decision.
Pentagon Delays Troop Call [Wall Street Journal]
In an assessment of the war submitted to the Pentagon last month and made public Monday, McChrystal warned that if the Taliban insurgency is not supressed in the next 12 months, victory may never be possible. His urgency seems increasingly at odds with the administration, as President Obama has repeatedly expressed hesitance about increasing troop levels, and White House aides continue to say there is no need for an immediate decision.
Pentagon Delays Troop Call [Wall Street Journal]