Army Moves to Reduce Strain on Troops

In this Nov. 19, 2003, file photo, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill. Schoomker warned Thursday that his force "will break" without thousands more active duty troops and greater use of the reserves. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook) (Dennis Cook - AP)

Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Schoomaker acknowledged that Gen. George Casey, the top commander in Iraq, is looking at several military options, including shifting many troops from combat missions to training Iraqi units.

The Army in recent days has been looking at how many additional troops could be sent to Iraq if the president decides a surge in forces would be helpful. But, Army officials say, only about 10,000 to 15,000 troops could be sent and an end to the war would have to be in sight because it would drain the pool of available soldiers for combat.

"We would not surge without a purpose," Schoomaker told reporters. "And that purpose should be measurable."

A number of administration officials have suggested privately that _ while Bush has considered the possibility of a short-term troop increase _ there is no consensus from the military on the wisdom of injecting a large number of additional troops.

Another option under discussion is increasing the number of U.S. troops who are placed inside Iraqi army and police units as advisers, boosting the training of the Iraqi forces so they can more quickly take control of their own security.

Military leaders also want adjustments in troop levels to be accompanied by political and economic improvements that could reconcile rival sectarian factions and put young people to work.

Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, meanwhile, urged the Bush administration to set a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. At a news conference in Washington, al-Hashemi, a Sunni leader who met with Bush this week, said the timetable should be "flexible" and depend on development of a capable Iraqi security force.

"You've done your job," he said at the United States Institute of Peace, a U.S.-financed think tank. Currently, however, he said, "there is across-the-board chaos in my country," with roaming bands of murderers.

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Associated Press writers Pauline Jelinek, Robert Burns, Anne Gearan and Anne Plummer Flaherty contributed to this report.