WASHINGTON — The top U.S. commander in Iraq has drawn up plans that could lead to sharp reductions in American forces there as early as September and cut the number of combat brigades by nearly two-thirds by late 2007.
Army Gen. George W. Casey presented his plan to Pentagon leaders and President Bush in confidential briefings during a visit to Washington last week, an administration official said. Other officials emphasized that no final decision had been taken on troop levels, but said that the outline would probably serve as the basis for future planning.
"The recent conversations that have taken place are all designed to formulate our thinking in concert with the new Iraqi government," said a White House official, who requested anonymity because the plan remained classified.
The official added, however, that the administration hoped the plan would become more concrete once discussions on troop levels are held with new Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki. Iraq's national security advisor, Mowaffak Rubaie, has publicly embraced a similar timetable.
Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said Saturday that although Casey had expressed optimism about the formation of the new Iraqi government and the progress made by Iraqi security forces, he had also warned that major hurdles remained, including the remnants of Abu Musab Zarqawi's Al Qaeda-linked terrorist network and the militias that have carried out increasingly violent attacks on rival sects.
Casey's troop reduction plan "is certainly the most optimistic possibility," said one military official who spoke with the general last week. "There are less optimistic briefings as well. This is the 'if everything goes the way we want to' slide."
The plan would allow Casey "to engage with the new Maliki government, so it can go from a notional concept to a practical plan of security implementation over the next two years," the White House official said.
Under the outline, two combat brigades that are scheduled to return from Iraq in September would not be replaced, reducing the number of brigades in the country to 12. By the end of the year, the Pentagon might reduce that by as many as two more brigades, an official said.
There are 126,000 U.S. troops in Iraq; the two brigades that would not be replaced in September -- the 1st Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division and the 3rd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division -- each have about 3,500 soldiers.
