MEETING AT SEA - U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, left front, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander, Multinational Force Iraq, observe flight operations from the flagbridge during a visit to USS Abraham Lincoln, in the North Arabian Sea, Aug. 27, 2008. The USS Lincoln is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom as well as Maritime Security Operations. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class James R. Evans
Chairman Discusses Iraq, Afghanistan, Georgia -- U.S. Department Of Defense
WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2008 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff addressed the security situation in Iraq, the need for more U.S. troops in Afghanistan and the Georgia challenge during a Pentagon news conference today.
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen – fresh from a mid-ocean meeting aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln with the Pakistani army’s chief of staff and key U.S. military leaders – told reporters he expects to deliver his assessment on the situation in Iraq to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and President Bush soon.
The situation in Iraq has been complicated by the loss of 2,000 Georgian troops who were called home, and changes in the “Sons of Iraq” citizen security program, the chairman said, adding that he, acting U.S Central Command chief Army Lt. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey and Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, Multinational Force Iraq commander, are continually assessing the situation in Iraq with an eye to what follows.
The last of the U.S. surge brigades left Iraq in July, and American military leaders are examining the trends in the nation with an eye toward further troop reductions. Mullen said there is no specific date for any announcement.
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My Comment: The region is entirely interwoven. What happens in Iraq will affect Afghanistan, and vice versa.