US looks at speeding up Iraq troop increase-Gates
Source: Reuters
WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. military is examining whether it can speed up the deployment of extra troops to Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday. "We are going to see if the timetable for the dispatch of the brigades can be accelerated," Gates said at his first Pentagon news conference since taking office last month. "There are simply some logistical constraints that make it difficult to do a lot but I've asked people to look at it and see to what extent they could be -- or some portion of it could be -- accelerated," he said. Gates also said any resolution passed by the U.S. Congress which expressed opposition to President George W. Bush's decision to send more than 21,000 extra troops to Iraq would embolden enemies of the United States. "It's pretty clear that a resolution that in effect says that the general going out to take command of the arena shouldn't have the resources he thinks he needs to be successful certainly emboldens the enemy," Gates said.
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