Defense Secretary Robert Gates has discussed with President Barack Obama plans to send more troops to Afghanistan, the Pentagon said Tuesday, as the administration moved towards a formal decision on deploying extra forces.
Although Gates had yet to make an official recommendation on troop levels, he and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff had spoken to the president about the move, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said at a news conference.
"When it comes to large numbers of additional troops, the secretary thinks it's the responsible thing to do to have the blessing of the commander-in-chief," he said.
Morrell also said on Tuesday a decision whether to send more US troops to Afghanistan could not wait for the outcome of a strategy review of the war effort being carried out by the White House.
The time required to organize the deployment of three additional combat brigades, or about 10-12,000 combat troops, meant that a decision would have to come before the strategy review was finished, he said.
Asked why additional troops might be deployed before a final strategy is ready, Morrell said that improving security was a vital first step to any new approach in Afghanistan.
"But no matter what your overall strategy may be, we need to reverse the trend that we are seeing in some parts of the country, in terms of a deteriorating security situation.
"That is accepted as the foundation on whatever we — whatever the president decides to develop in terms of a further strategy."
He also echoed recent remarks by Gates that US policy goals in Afghanistan needed to be "realistic" in such a troubled, impoverished country.
The United States would aim its efforts at countering the terrorist threat posed by Al-Qaeda in the region, Morrell said.
"I think the White House has talked about the need to embrace more realistic goals for what can be achieved in Afghanistan in the coming three to five years."
He said "the number-one focus of that goal is ensuring that Afghanistan … does not once again become a safe haven for terrorists, a place from which they can plot and launch attacks against us or our allies.
"So additional forces are needed to ensure that it does not revert to that status."
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