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Top Marine suggests Marines be the prime force in Afghanistan
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/10/11/iraq.main/index.html
Plan would put Marines' focus on Afghanistan, not Iraq
Army would be the lead force in Iraq under such a plan
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The Marine Corps would like to reduce its forces in Iraq and move them to Afghanistan, a senior U.S. military official said.
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway, speaking in July, reportedly hasn't put forth a formal plan.
Gen. James Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps, has proposed that the Marines become the prime U.S. combat force in Afghanistan while the Army takes the lead in Iraq, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Troops from each service would remain in each country, the official said.
The development was first reported in Thursday's New York Times.
If implemented, the plan would bring a dramatic change to U.S. troop alignments.
As of Thursday, about 26,000 Marines are among the 160,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. About 400 Marines are among the 25,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, according to U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the two countries.
Two senior Marine officers who spoke to CNN said the nature of the war in Afghanistan -- spread out with small-unit fighting -- makes it more the type of conflict in which the Marines typically engage.
Citing recent security improvements in Iraq's Anbar province, the Marines maybe able to drawdown there, the officers said, making it more feasible for them to deploy to Afghanistan.
"Iraq has become a prolonged ground conflict that is more an Army mission," one of the officers said.
Conway made the suggestion last week at a meeting of senior combat commanders and the heads of the military services, but the Marine commandant has not put forth a formal proposal, the official said.
Such a shift in policy would require approval of Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Asked about the report Thursday, Gates called it "extremely preliminary thinking on the part of perhaps some staff people in the Marine Corps."
If the idea gained approval, it could simplify troop rotations and deployments.
Marines generally serve seven months on the ground, while Army troops are on a 15-month rotation.
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/10/11/iraq.main/index.html
Plan would put Marines' focus on Afghanistan, not Iraq
Army would be the lead force in Iraq under such a plan
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The Marine Corps would like to reduce its forces in Iraq and move them to Afghanistan, a senior U.S. military official said.
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway, speaking in July, reportedly hasn't put forth a formal plan.
Gen. James Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps, has proposed that the Marines become the prime U.S. combat force in Afghanistan while the Army takes the lead in Iraq, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Troops from each service would remain in each country, the official said.
The development was first reported in Thursday's New York Times.
If implemented, the plan would bring a dramatic change to U.S. troop alignments.
As of Thursday, about 26,000 Marines are among the 160,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. About 400 Marines are among the 25,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, according to U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the two countries.
Two senior Marine officers who spoke to CNN said the nature of the war in Afghanistan -- spread out with small-unit fighting -- makes it more the type of conflict in which the Marines typically engage.
Citing recent security improvements in Iraq's Anbar province, the Marines maybe able to drawdown there, the officers said, making it more feasible for them to deploy to Afghanistan.
"Iraq has become a prolonged ground conflict that is more an Army mission," one of the officers said.
Conway made the suggestion last week at a meeting of senior combat commanders and the heads of the military services, but the Marine commandant has not put forth a formal proposal, the official said.
Such a shift in policy would require approval of Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Asked about the report Thursday, Gates called it "extremely preliminary thinking on the part of perhaps some staff people in the Marine Corps."
If the idea gained approval, it could simplify troop rotations and deployments.
Marines generally serve seven months on the ground, while Army troops are on a 15-month rotation.