WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- The next head of the House Armed Services Committee says U.S. forces are over-extended in Iraq.
Their equipment is worn out and time is not on America's side in the escalating conflict, Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., the incoming chairman of the Armed Service Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, said Wednesday according to a report in the Army Times.
"Right now, our troops are over-deployed and much of our equipment is worn out," Skelton said. "Solutions to these problems are urgently needed."
Skelton is scheduled to take over the important committee on Jan. 4 when the Democrats assume control of both houses of Congress following their victories in the Nov. 7 congressional elections.
"The stakes in Iraq are great, not only for the security of the Iraqi people but for our long-term interests in the region and for the future readiness of America's military forces," Skelton said in a statement.
"The complex patterns of violence in Iraq will not be solved without an Iraqi-led political solution," Skelton said. "Any plan that proposes an increase in deployed American forces must address the question of what the Iraqis will do to put political solutions in place and to take over greater security responsibilities."
The Army Times noted that President George W. Bush and his national security team have been preparing U.S. public opinion for what has been described as a "surge" of 20,000 to 35,000 in U.S. troops to combat the increasing violence in Iraq, especially in the capital Baghdad.
Skelton said in his statement he was going to hold hearings on Iraqi policy and he wanted newly appointed Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs chairman Marine Gen. Peter Pace to testify at them.
