Iraq Drawdown on Slow-down?

There's word that the US force structure might change, and perhaps expand, during the Iraq drawdown.

The United States may leave a stronger-than-expected force structure in northern Iraq if the situation requires, even as it reduces troops to targeted levels, a top U.S. general said on Tuesday.

U.S. General David Petraeus, testifying before a Senate panel, confirmed plans to meet President Barack Obama's target of 50,000 U.S. troops by end-August, from about 97,000 today. All U.S. forces will withdraw by the end of 2011.

But he also noted that the situation in Iraq remained fragile, despite declining violence and high turnout in national elections, and said the U.S. military was still tinkering with plans on how best to administer the drawdown.

"There's a possibility we may want to keep an additional brigade headquarters, as an example, but then slim out some of its organic forces and some of the other organic forces elsewhere," Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command, told lawmakers, adding such headquarters are key to facilitating engagement with Iraqis.

By: Brant