Military Briefs Bush On Troops' Welfare

President Bush went to the Pentagon yesterday to hear firsthand the views of top military advisers concerned about the impact of extensive Iraq deployments on the overall health of the U.S. armed forces.

Administration officials declined to offer details of Bush's private meeting with Vice President Cheney, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Bush did not appear publicly after the meeting but issued a written statement indicating that the discussions included plans to expand the size of the military and improve coordination between military and civilian officials in places such as Iraq.

Bush once again urged lawmakers to withhold judgment on what to do in Iraq until after they hear from Army Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, who are scheduled to testify before Congress on the progress of the U.S. strategy in Iraq.

"It is my hope that we can put partisanship and politics behind us and commit to a common vision that will provide our troops what they need to succeed and secure our vital national interests in Iraq," the president said.

Yesterday's meeting was the latest in a series of consultations for Bush as he considers how long to keep in place the extra 30,000 troops he sent to Iraq this year, after his announcement of a new war strategy in January. Bush has given strong indications that he would like to keep the troop increase in place for some time, repeatedly saying that security has improved, but his aides note that he has made no final decision. Most officials say he will have to begin drawing down troops by April, as the 15-month deployments of brigades begin to run out.

One major element of the internal debate is whether the military can handle the continuing strain of the current deployment of 160,000 troops in Iraq. The Joint Chiefs of Staff generally have been more skeptical of the troop increase than Petraeus and other commanders now in Iraq. The chiefs' mandate is to consider the long-term condition of U.S. forces and the nation's global military posture. Petraeus's predecessor in Iraq, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., is now chief of the Army. Casey was known to be an advocate of drawing down troops, and he opposed the new strategy, according to military insiders.

In anticipation of yesterday's meeting, which lasted about an hour and a half, Pentagon officials stressed that the chiefs would give their unvarnished opinions on such matters. Later, a senior Pentagon official said Bush "wanted to check on how the all-volunteer force is holding up under the strain of multiple, lengthy deployments."

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that though Gates and Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the Joint Chiefs chairman, see the president at least once a week, Gates "wants to provide ample opportunity for senior military leaders to share with the president the current military situation and the way forward. This was part of that." Petraeus did not take part in this session.

Interest in the views of the Joint Chiefs has increased in recent weeks because of news reports that they want a faster drawdown of forces in Iraq than Petraeus does. Last week, for instance, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) asked the Senate Armed Services Committee to call Pace to testify about his views. Senate and House committees are scheduled to hear from Petraeus and Crocker during the week of Sept. 10.

Staff writers Thomas E. Ricks and Ann Scott Tyson contributed to this report.