11 October 2007
A new war plan has been proposed by the U S Marine Corps. They want to leave Iraq and take a leading roll in Afghanistan. Supporters say that such a change would allow the Army and Marines to operate more efficiently to sustain troop levels and reduce the strain on the forces. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is playing down the suggestion.
Of the more than 160,000 US troops in Iraq only about 25,000 are Marines. There are about 26,000 US forces in Afghanistan with only a small percent of them Marines. The realignment plan would allow the Army to shift forces from Afghanistan into Iraq, and simplify planning for future troop rotations. The Marines would bring a significant force of combat aircraft to to the Afghan conflict. The Marines could handle the Afghan mission in a way the Army cannot. They would deploy as an integrated Marine Corps task force which would include combat aircraft as well as infantry and armored vehicles. Sounds like a good plan to me.
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