U.S. Army Chief Expects Overall Rise in Deployed Troops

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1-15-2009

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The U.S. Army, already strained by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, will likely deploy more soldiers in the next 18 months, the service's top general said on Wednesday.

U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey said the United States would likely send more troops to Afghanistan before it had pulled an equivalent number out of Iraq, resulting in the overall increase.

"What I see is our committed strength going up slightly and staying up," until about the middle of 2010, Casey said at a breakfast organized by the Association of the United States Army, which represents current and former soldiers.

"That's going to put continued stress on the force so we're not out of the woods yet."

"We're probably not going to get everything out of Iraq on the timelines we need ... to have it in Afghanistan," he said after the breakfast.

The 3rd Brigade of the Army's 10th Mountain Division has begun deploying to Afghanistan -- the first of some 20,000 to 30,000 U.S. troops expected there in the next 12 to 18 months.

read more: http://www.aina.org/news/2009011511269.htm

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1. as long as the army has another war in the making they are happy

get. out. of. agfhanistan. NOW.

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4. both the Pentagon and their opponents

. . . alike

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2. Most American people think

our troops should come home???? This talk reminds me of a well worked shell game-U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey said the United States would likely send more troops to Afghanistan before it had pulled an equivalent number out of Iraq, resulting in the overall increase.

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3. It's likely to be met with a great deal of indifference

There's an assumption that Obama will immediately reverse course and begin decreasing deployments. Developments aren't favoring that presumption.