United States President George W Bush has conceded that the country is not winning the war in Iraq.
This is the first time President Bush has gone on record saying that US forces were `stressed' in Iraq. In an interview to The Washington Times, he said plans were underway to expand the overall size of the armed forces to meet the challenges of a long-term war against terrorists.
In sharp contrast to his administration's opposition to increasing the force levels, Bush said he was waiting for Defense Secretary Robert M Gates to return from an assessment trip to that country to develop a plan to increase the troop strength of the Army and Marine Corps.
"I need to talk to him when he gets back. I have got more consultations to do with the national security team, which will be consulting with other folks. And I am going to take my time to make sure that the policy, when it comes out, the American people will see that we. Have got a new way forward," he maintained.
The idea to increase the overall troop strength has been rejected by the Bush administration in the last several years; but is something that has been around for quite a while in the Democratic camp. In fact, the top Democrat and the Presidential nominee in 2004 John Kerry had called for an overall troop increase only to be brushed aside by the White House.
Bush linked his decision to the ongoing struggle in the war on terror and extremism and not to the war in Iraq.
"It is an accurate reflection that this ideological war we're in is going to last for a while and that we're going to need a military that's capable of being able to sustain our efforts and to help us achieve peace," he said.
Bush did not agree with the characterisation of his former secretary of state Colin Powell who said that the army was 'broken.'
"I have not heard the word broken," Bush said, "but I have heard the word, stressed. We need to reset our military. There is no question the military has been used a lot. And the fundamental question is will Republicans and Democrats be able to work with the administration to assure our military and the American people that we will position our military so that it is ready and able to stay engaged in a long war?" he said.
A force structure expansion will accelerate the already-rising costs of war. The administration is drafting a supplemental request for more than $100 billion in additional funds for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, on top of the $70 billion already approved for this fiscal year, according to US officials.
More than 2,900 US troops and thousands of Iraqis have been killed since the US-led invasion to overthrow Saddam Hussein in 2003.
