(drops extraneous word in 2nd paragraph)

By Andrew Gray

WASHINGTON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Tuesday Iraq was expected to build up its security force beyond the goal of 325,000, as high levels of violence persist in the country.

With training of Iraqi security forces crucial to U.S. hopes of reducing its own troops in Iraq, Rumsfeld said he had received recommendations to boost the size and speed up training of the forces from Iraq's government and Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in the country.

"I'm very comfortable with the increases they've proposed and the accelerations in achievement of some of their targets that they've proposed... and I understand that the Iraqi government is," Rumsfeld told reporters at the Pentagon.

"Now it's simply a matter of our pressing forward and getting our portion of the funding from the Congress and working to see that it's executed."

Rumsfeld declined to specify the size of the increase. A CBS television report on Monday said Casey had recommended an increase of up to 100,000 members of the security forces.

U.S. forces aim to train and equip 325,000 Iraqi soldiers and police officers by around the end of the year. So far they have processed more than 312,000 -- around 181,000 police and 132,000 soldiers, according to the U.S. military.

Analysts, however, have questioned whether the new Iraqi forces are sufficiently trained and disciplined to be effective. They have expressed particular concern about infiltration of the police by Shi'ite militia members.

U.S. commanders in Iraq have said violence in recent weeks, blamed mainly on insurgents, Islamist militants and sectarian militias, is as high as at any time since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 toppled Saddam Hussein.

October has been the deadliest month for U.S. forces in Iraq for nearly two years, with 103 deaths. More than 2,800 U.S. troops and at least tens of thousands of Iraqis have died since the invasion. U.S. forces in Iraq stand at around 150,000, the highest level this year

Rumsfeld declined to say if the move to increase the Iraqi forces was a reaction to a more challenging security environment. He said he expected the Iraqi government to announce the changes.

He also said he doubted more U.S. military trainers would need to go to Iraq to train the additional forces.

"These people are pushing people through pretty fast," he said.

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