An Early Look into Potential Changes Under President-Elect Obama

The Washington Post has some quick thumbnail analysis of potential defense changes under the new administration:

Obama's promise to get U.S. troops out of Iraq in the first 16 months of his presidency helped launch his candidacy. He says he will shift forces and resources to Afghanistan.
But, overall, the Pentagon under Obama may not look much different than it does today. When and how he extricates troops from Iraq may depend on the security pact that U.S. officials negotiate with Iraqi lawmakers.
Obama has called for a responsible and phased withdrawal to bring the bulk of the troops out by mid-2010. The proposed security pact being pressed by Iraqis would have all U.S. forces out of the cities by next summer, and out of the country by the end of 2011.
For Afghanistan, Obama has said he would add about 7,000 troops to the U.S. force of 31,000. Pentagon officials are poised to more than double that increase _ saying they need 15,000 to 20,000 more troops in Afghanistan.
Obama wants to increase the size of the Army, Marine Corps and special operations forces, efforts already under way. He has called for greater emphasis on counterinsurgency missions _ a move the military recognized as critical in the early years of the Iraq war, and began to implement.

By: Brant