Additional Forces

In response to stepped-up tensions in the Persian Gulf, the Defense Department is dispatching additional surveillance equipment and special forces teams to the region, an Administration source said Tuesday.

In many ways, it was a familiar scene: Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, in Europe, meeting with U.S. allies about the war in Afghanistan. But something was missing. Gates, during a weeklong tour, did not plead with his European counterparts to send more troops. The shift in Gates' approach reflects both the significant growth in U.S. and allied troop levels in the last year as well as the changing strategy of the American-led effort. Rather than twisting arms for more forces, Gates' mission has become more subtle, aimed at fine-tuning the mix of allied troops and emphasizing the need for trainers to upgrade Afghanistan's security forces.

An effective counterinsurgency effort in Afghanistan probably means that more troops will be needed there, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff said today. Adm. Michael G. Mullen said he had not received a formal request from Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top allied commander in Afghanistan, for additional trainers and combat troops But Mullen said that, based on the strategy that McChrystal had outlined, more troops would likely be needed. "He is in a position where he needs to retake the initiative from the insurgents," Mullen told the Senate Armed Services Committee this morning.

The Pentagon on Tuesday announced the latest troop deployment for Afghanistan, a move aimed at ensuring that the bulk of additional forces requested by President Obama will be in place this summer. The Defense Department said 3,100 troops, most from the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division based at Ft. Hood, Texas, would deploy to Afghanistan sometime this summer. With the announcement, the Pentagon has issued deployment orders for about 25,000 of the 30,000 additional troops approved in the fall by the Obama administration.

The Pentagon on Tuesday announced the latest troop deployment for Afghanistan, a move aimed at ensuring that the bulk of additional forces requested by President Obama will be in place this summer. The Defense Department said 3,100 troops, most from the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division based at Ft. Hood, Texas, would deploy to Afghanistan sometime this summer. With the announcement, the Pentagon has issued deployment orders for about 25,000 of the 30,000 additional troops approved in the fall by the Obama administration.

As President Obama measures the potential burden of a new war strategy in Afghanistan, his administration is struggling to come up with even the most dispassionate of predictions: the actual price tag for the anticipated buildup of troops. The calculations so far have produced a sweeping range. The Pentagon publicly estimates it will cost $500,000 a year for every additional service member sent to the war zone. Obama's budget experts size it up at twice that much. In coming up with such numbers, the White House and the military have different priorities as well as different methods.

In many ways, it was a familiar scene: Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, in Europe, meeting with U.S. allies about the war in Afghanistan. But something was missing. Gates, during a weeklong tour, did not plead with his European counterparts to send more troops. The shift in Gates' approach reflects both the significant growth in U.S. and allied troop levels in the last year as well as the changing strategy of the American-led effort. Rather than twisting arms for more forces, Gates' mission has become more subtle, aimed at fine-tuning the mix of allied troops and emphasizing the need for trainers to upgrade Afghanistan's security forces.

A top commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan said Friday that he needed thousands of additional troops to combat violence along the border with Pakistan, a requirement that appears to be at odds with recommendations from Army Gen. David H. Petraeus on future troop levels in Iraq. Because of strains on the military, plans to boost the number of troops in Afghanistan depend on reducing the force in Iraq. Petraeus' plan, which President Bush is expected to approve Tuesday in an appearance at the National Defense University, would slow the reduction of combat troops in Iraq, freeing up only one full Army combat brigade for redeployment to Afghanistan.

President Obama has ordered the deployment of 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, officials said today, yet the president also will announce tonight that the U.S. will begin withdrawing forces from the country in July 2011. The reinforcements will be sent to Afghanistan by the summer, senior administration officials said today -- with 30,000 new troops boosting an existing U.S. deployment of 68,000 troops in the country. The president will announce his decision in a nationally televised speech at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

The Pentagon quietly shifted combat troops and warships to the Middle East after the top American commander in the region warned that he needed additional forces to deal with Iran and other potential threats, U.S. officials said. Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, who heads U.S. Central Command, won White House approval for the deployments late last year after talks with the government in Baghdad broke down over keeping U.S. troops in Iraq, but the extent of the Pentagon moves is only now becoming clear.

President Obama has ordered the deployment of 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, officials said today, yet the president also will announce tonight that the U.S. will begin withdrawing forces from the country in July 2011. The reinforcements will be sent to Afghanistan by the summer, senior administration officials said today -- with 30,000 new troops boosting an existing U.S. deployment of 68,000 troops in the country. The president will announce his decision in a nationally televised speech at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

As President Obama measures the potential burden of a new war strategy in Afghanistan, his administration is struggling to come up with even the most dispassionate of predictions: the actual price tag for the anticipated buildup of troops. The calculations so far have produced a sweeping range. The Pentagon publicly estimates it will cost $500,000 a year for every additional service member sent to the war zone. Obama's budget experts size it up at twice that much. In coming up with such numbers, the White House and the military have different priorities as well as different methods.

An effective counterinsurgency effort in Afghanistan probably means that more troops will be needed there, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff said today. Adm. Michael G. Mullen said he had not received a formal request from Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top allied commander in Afghanistan, for additional trainers and combat troops But Mullen said that, based on the strategy that McChrystal had outlined, more troops would likely be needed. "He is in a position where he needs to retake the initiative from the insurgents," Mullen told the Senate Armed Services Committee this morning.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is preparing to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, including counter-explosives units to help fight the growing threat of roadside bombs in the war zone. Defense officials Friday would not say how many troops might be sent in the deployment, which would be separate from any formal request from commanders for new forces. Such a request is expected in coming weeks. Gates plans to send additional route-clearance and ordnance-disposal teams, units that specialize in finding and defusing roadside bombs, known as improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.

A top commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan said Friday that he needed thousands of additional troops to combat violence along the border with Pakistan, a requirement that appears to be at odds with recommendations from Army Gen. David H. Petraeus on future troop levels in Iraq. Because of strains on the military, plans to boost the number of troops in Afghanistan depend on reducing the force in Iraq. Petraeus' plan, which President Bush is expected to approve Tuesday in an appearance at the National Defense University, would slow the reduction of combat troops in Iraq, freeing up only one full Army combat brigade for redeployment to Afghanistan.

President Bush asked Congress on Saturday for $3.2 billion to pay for 8,200 more U.S. troops for Afghanistan and Iraq on top of the 21,500-troop buildup he announced in January. Bush wants Congress to fund 3,500 additional U.S. troops to expand training of local police and army units in Afghanistan. The money also would pay for the estimated 3,500 U.S. troops already in the region that he has said would be staying longer to counter an anticipated Taliban offensive this spring.

President Bush asked Congress on Saturday for $3.2 billion to pay for 8,200 more U.S. troops for Afghanistan and Iraq on top of the 21,500-troop buildup he announced in January. Bush wants Congress to fund 3,500 additional U.S. troops to expand training of local police and army units in Afghanistan. The money also would pay for the estimated 3,500 U.S. troops already in the region that he has said would be staying longer to counter an anticipated Taliban offensive this spring.

After one of the bloodiest weeks in this country's recent history, the military deployed up to 850 more combat troops Wednesday to violence-scarred Zulu townships of Natal province to enforce a state of emergency, which has so far failed to curb bitter factional fighting. The reinforcements, drawn from infantry and light artillery reserve units in Natal, bring the total force here to about 2,000 troops.

After one of the bloodiest weeks in this country's recent history, the military deployed up to 850 more combat troops Wednesday to violence-scarred Zulu townships of Natal province to enforce a state of emergency, which has so far failed to curb bitter factional fighting. The reinforcements, drawn from infantry and light artillery reserve units in Natal, bring the total force here to about 2,000 troops.

The United States announced Tuesday that it was sending two battalions of Patriot missile systems to the Middle East on a day when Iraq again detained a U.N. nuclear inspection team in an action condemned by the Security Council. Iraq capitulated late Tuesday to U.N. demands that it provide unrestricted helicopter flights for the inspectors. But the Iraqis' decision to interfere with the 44-member U.N. team in Baghdad angered members of the Security Council.