Gates faces Congress eager for Obama war plans

[unhappycamper]

Gates faces Congress eager for Obama war plans
By Anne Flaherty - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jan 27, 2009 5:53:47 EST

WASHINGTON — Congress is eager to hear from Defense Secretary Robert Gates how the Obama administration plans to salvage the war in Afghanistan and hold a relative peace in Iraq — all the while reducing the stress on a force stretched thin by years of combat.

Lawmakers, set to question Gates on Tuesday, also want to hear details on the closing of the Guantanamo Bay prison, with some members of Congress concerned that their state might become the next location to house the nation’s most dangerous terrorist suspects.

“There are a lot of questions as to what victory and the redeployment out of Iraq means,” as well as plans to bolster forces in Afghanistan, said Rep. John McHugh of New York, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee.

President Barack Obama has vowed to shift military resources away from Iraq and move them toward Afghanistan and Pakistan, which he says is the central front in the struggle against terrorism and extremism. In a plan initiated during the Bush administration and endorsed by Obama, the Pentagon is planning to double the 34,000 contingent of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

But expectations in the troubled region may have to be tempered as top military advisers focus on showing even small security gains and development progress quickly.


Rest of article at: http://armytimes.com/news/2009/01/ap_gates_congress_012709/%2e