MichaelMoore.com

Top U.S. General Says Army 'Stretched'

By Nick Wadhams / Associated Press

DIWANIYAH, Iraq - The top U.S. general in Iraq acknowledged Thursday that American forces are "stretched" but said troop withdrawals will be dictated by war strategy and not the strain faced by the soldiers.

Gen. George Casey's remarks contrasted sharply with statements made on Wednesday by U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who disputed findings of an unreleased study conducted for the Pentagon that said the Army is overextended because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. President Bush shrugged off the report Thursday.

"The forces are stretched ... and I don't think there's any question of that," Casey said of U.S. armed forces deployed in large numbers in Afghanistan and Iraq. "But the Army has been for the last several years going through a modernization strategy that will produce more units and more ready units."

Casey spoke after attending a ceremony in which Polish troops transferred leadership of the south-central region of Iraq they control to Iraqi forces, the first such large-scale handover since the Iraq war began in 2003.

The transfer of authority for the Multinational Division-Center South, which includes about 25 percent of the country, was part of a larger U.S.-led coalition strategy to build up the Iraqi army and give it greater control ahead of a future withdrawal.

Casey told reporters he had discussed whether troops were stretched too thin with Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker on Wednesday and that the Army chief of staff believes he can still sustain missions around the world. Casey, too, was adamant that the troops, including more than 130,000 in Iraq, were getting the job done.

"So, yep, folks are stretched here but they certainly accomplish their mission, and the forces that you've seen on the ground are absolutely magnificent," Casey said.

Casey said early recommendations for reductions were based on the overall U.S. strategy of building up the Iraqi army and police, and cuts were always made based on the situation on the ground. He rejected the idea that early plans for troop withdrawals had been made because of strain on the military.

"That's not true, and the recommendation to begin the reduction of forces came from me based on our strategy here in Iraq," Casey said. "I made my decision based on operational reasons and I'll continue to do that. As I've said all along, I will ask for what I need to accomplish this mission."

On Tuesday, The Associated Press reported that an unreleased study conducted for the Pentagon said the Army is being overextended because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and may not be able to retain and recruit enough troops to defeat the insurgency in Iraq.

A day later, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld disputed that, asserting that "the force is not broken."

In Washington on Thursday, Bush also shrugged off the report. He predicted victory in Iraq and said, "Our commanders will have the troops necessary to do that."

The region that was turned over to Iraqi control on Wednesday makes up about 25 percent of the country and has been relatively quiet compared to hotspots of Baghdad in the center, Fallujah and Ramadi to the west and Mosul to the north. Casey and the Polish and Iraqi generals who were there made clear that the Iraqis were not ready to run the area by themselves, but could take the lead.

"Being in the field, our Iraqi partners distinguished themselves with courage and commitment which in many cases inspired even the coalition soldiers, Polish Gen. Piotr Czerwinski, coalition commander for the region, said in a ceremony marking the handover. "You can be proud of your soldiers and officers."