Pentagon raises estimate of troops for Iraq

[Poiuyt]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of U.S. troops needed to carry out President George W. Bush's Iraq security plan could approach 30,000, significantly more than he projected in January, a senior Pentagon official said on Tuesday.

In testimony to the House of Representatives Budget Committee, Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England said U.S. military commanders in Iraq were requesting varying numbers of support troops to augment the additional 21,500 soldiers Bush has ordered into combat.

"At this point, our expectation is the number of ... troops could go above 21,500 by about 4,000, maybe as many as 7,000," England said.

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The estimate of 4,000 to 7,000 new support troops needed for Iraq contrasts with a February 6 forecast by Defense Secretary Robert Gates that as many as 3,000 would be needed.

The higher estimate could raise the projected $5.6 billion price tag of the troop surge by about $1 billion, if about 4,000 support troops are needed, England said.

more -

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070306/pl_nm/iraq_usa_dc_3

[Nickster]

1. Go figure, just like the GAO report said would happen. Watch for the numbers to

rise much higher than this. I believe the GAO report said a minimum of 45,000 total troops would be needed. The Pentagon is only admitting to 30,000 as of this point in time.