Pentagon is split on Iraq withdrawals
The Joint Chiefs chairman says the U.S. has not decided whether to stop reducing troop levels in July.
WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday that no decision had been made to stop the withdrawal of troops in Iraq this summer, a subtle rebuke of the top U.S. commander there, who suggested that reductions would pause after the current round of cuts was completed in July.
The comments underscore the divergent views among top Defense Department officials over the long-term troop commitment to Iraq. Differences have become increasingly apparent ahead of new recommendations to the White House and Congress planned as early as next month.
Many military leaders in Washington, including members of the Joint Chiefs, are eager to continue withdrawals to ease strains caused by repeated deployments. Many commanders in Iraq are concerned that troop cuts could jeopardize recent security gains.
In a televised interview this week, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said that after extra troops sent last year return home in July, he would need "some time to let things settle down a bit" before deciding on further reductions.
However, Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen, the Joint Chiefs chairman, emphasized Friday that Petraeus had made no formal recommendation to halt the withdrawal.
Mullen also said other military commanders, including the Joint Chiefs themselves, would have a direct say in the decision.
"We aren't working in opposition to each other; in fact, there's quite a bit of collaboration going on," Mullen said at a Pentagon news conference. "But we are working with and from different perspectives, and that's how it should be."
Senior Bush administration officials privately acknowledge tension between the Joint Chiefs and generals in Iraq, particularly between Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. and officers such as Petraeus and Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the day-to-day operational commander.
"You've got two very different casts of characters," said one senior administration official involved in Iraq policy, discussing tensions only on condition of anonymity. "Petraeus and Odierno are going to represent what they need on the ground to perform their mission. Then you have guys like Gen. Casey, [who is] saying, 'OK, I've got stresses on the force.' "
Senior Defense officials said Casey and Gen. James T. Conway, the commandant of the Marine Corps, expressed renewed concerns over the stress on their forces caused by repeated deployments during a high-level meeting of four-star commanders in the Pentagon this week.
