Washington: October 11, 2007 -  A suggestion was raised in a session last week convened by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates for the Joint Chiefs of Staff  and regional war-fighting commanders that Marines could play a prominent new role in Afghanistan rather than in Iraq.

So, the Marine Corps is pressing hard to remove its forces from Iraq and instead send  them to Afghanistan, to take over the leading role in combat there.

Senior Military and Pentagon Officials have also confirmed the demand of the Marine Corps Commandant.

The idea by the Marine Corps Commandant  is  effectively to leave the Iraq war in the hands of the Army while giving the Marines a prominent new role in Afghanistan, under overall NATO Command.

 While still under review, its supporters, including some in the Army, argue that a realignment could allow the Army and Marines each to operate more efficiently in sustaining troop levels for two wars that have put a strain on their forces.

As described by officials who had been briefed on the closed-door discussion, the idea represents the first tangible new thinking to emerge since the White House last month endorsed a plan to begin gradual troop withdrawals from Iraq, but also signals that American forces likely will be in Iraq for years to come.

At the moment, there are no major Marine units among the 26,000 or so American forces in Afghanistan. In Iraq there are about 25,000 marines among the 160,000 American troops there.

It is not clear exactly how many of the marines in Iraq would be moved over. But the plan would require a major reshuffling, and it would make marines the dominant American force in Afghanistan, in a war that has broader public support than the one in Iraq.

This is considered a good move and intelligent planning to enable marines to play their effective roles in Afghanistan. (IR Summary).

Article:

Mr. Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have not spoken publicly about the Marine concept, and aides to both officials said no formal proposal had been presented by the Marines.

But the idea has been the focus of intense discussions between senior Marine Corps officers and other officials within the Defense Department.
It is not clear whether the Army would support the idea.

 But some officials sympathetic to the Army said that such a realignment would help ease some pressure on the Army, by allowing it to shift forces from Afghanistan into Iraq, and by simplifying planning for future troop rotations.

The Marine proposal could also face resistance from the Air Force, whose current role in providing combat aircraft for Afghanistan could be squeezed if the overall mission was handed to the Marines. Unlike the Army, the Marines would bring a significant force of combat aircraft to that conflict.

Whether the Marine proposal takes hold, the most delicate counterterrorism missions in Afghanistan, including the hunt for forces of Al Qaeda and the Taliban, would remain the job of a military task force that draws on Army, Navy and Air Force Special Operations units.
Military officials say the Marine proposal is also an early indication of jockeying among the four armed services for a place in combat missions in years to come.

“At the end of the day, this could be decided by parochialism, and making sure each service does not lose equity, as much as on how best to manage the risk of force levels for Iraq and Afghanistan,” said one Pentagon planner.

Full Story: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/11/washington/11military.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

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