WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- The measured approach by U.S. President Barack Obama on troop deployment has surprised some Pentagon officials, who said they expected a decision sooner.
U.S. Defense Department officials during recent weeks had said Obama would decide within days on additional forces in Afghanistan, only to learn later that the White House was taking more time, Politico reported Monday.
Rather than agree quickly on all or part of a Pentagon request for three U.S. Army combat brigades and U.S. Marine units, Obama and his aides have questioned the timetable, the mission and the composition of the new forces, officials familiar with the situation told the Washington publication. The delay reflects Obama's decision not to be rushed into a troop commitment until he fully understands its implications, several officials said.
The request for more forces from U.S. Army Gen. David McKiernan, senior commander in Afghanistan, came before the administration has completed a review of Afghanistan strategy.
"I'm personally hopeful that President Obama will do something that President (George W.) Bush didn't do particularly well," John Nagl, president of the Center for a New American Security and a retired Army officer, told Politico. "I think he's thinking through the implications of committing troops, not just the first order but the second and third order effects."
