Military leaders in Iraq ask for troops

WASHINGTON — Top U.S. military commanders in Iraq have decided to recommend a "surge" of fresh combat forces, eliminating one of the last remaining hurdles to proposals being considered by President Bush for a troop increase, a defense official familiar with the plan said Friday.

The approval of a troop-increase plan by top Iraq commanders, including Gen. George Casey and Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, comes days before Bush unveils a new course for the troubled U.S. involvement in Iraq. Bush still must address concerns among some Pentagon officials and overcome opposition from Congress, where many Democrats favor a commission's recommendation for a gradual withdrawal of combat troops.

Commanders have been skeptical of the value of increasing troops, and the decision represents a reversal for Casey, the highest-ranking officer in Iraq. Casey and Gen. John Abizaid, the top commander in the Middle East who will step down in March, long have resisted adding more troops in Iraq, arguing it could delay development of Iraqi security forces and increase Arab anger at the United States.

The recommendation by the commanders in Iraq is significant because Bush has placed prime importance on their advice. The U.S. command in Iraq decided to recommend an increase of troops several days ago, before meetings in Baghdad this week with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the Defense official said.

Gates, who returned to Washington on Friday, will join Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and national-security adviser Stephen Hadley in meetings with Bush today at Camp David. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Bush was not expected to make a final decision on the administration's new policy.

The defense official said commanders have not determined the number of extra troops they will request. Military officers have debated an increase of about 20,000, or about five combat brigades. While some officers think five extra brigades would be difficult to muster, others believe more troops will be required.

"People are warming to the realization that some sort of surge is necessary," another military official said. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because Bush has not announced a final decision on his Iraq policy.

Bush recently called for an increase in the overall size of the Army and Marine Corps. But he stressed he has not made a decision on whether to send more troops to Iraq and wants to speak further with Gates.

Some members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff remain skeptical of a surge, unconvinced that it will yield more positive results than other recent military operations to secure Baghdad or Iraq. But other military officers have said a buildup in troops is America's last chance to roll back the sectarian violence, neutralize the insurgency and strengthen the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Many military officers maintain the United States must either increase the force, gambling that the military can impose a measure of security on Iraq, or else begin to withdraw its forces.

Those skeptical about the efficacy of an increase argue that any new troops must be given clear instructions. However, defense officials say the U.S. commanders in Iraq have not settled on what that mission should be, although they are expected to decide before calling up new units.

Gates may have been alluding to that Friday when he said he has asked Casey to make specific recommendations on how to improve security in Iraq and to work with Iraqi military leaders to "put flesh on those bones" of a new security plan.

Iraqi politics will be a key factor. Diplomats are trying to engineer an ouster of the political faction of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr from the government and are trying to help set up a moderate coalition of Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites that is more willing to confront al-Sadr's militias. The U.S. military now considers forces loyal to al-Sadr to be the top threat to Iraq's security.

A troop buildup has sparse political support, but is backed by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination. Key Democratic legislators and some Pentagon officials, however, remain skeptical.

Several members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which retain an important advisory role, also have expressed reservations.

Gen. James Conway, the new commandant of the Marine Corps and a member of the Joint Chiefs, emphasized the drawbacks of a surge in public comments last week.

"We would fully support, I think, as the Joint Chiefs, the idea of putting more troops into Iraq if there is a solid military reason for doing that, if there is something to be gained," he said. "We do not believe that just adding numbers for the sake of adding numbers — just thickening the mix — is necessarily the way to go."

Gen. Peter Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff, also has said extra troops must be given a clearly defined mission. "We would not surge without a purpose," he said recently. "And that purpose should be measurable."

Conway suggested that adding more troops now would mean the military would be less ready to deploy in the future. "You better make sure your timing is right," he said. "Because if you commit the reserve for something other than a decisive win or to stave off defeat, then you have essentially shot your bolt."

Los Angeles Times reporters Peter Spiegel and James Gerstenzang contributed to this report.