The US and Afstan--and the Brits (Update: And the Paks)

US thinking very hard:

The Bush administration is considering changing its war strategy in Afghanistan in light of rising levels of violence and an increasingly complex insurgent threat, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.

"You have an overall approach, an overall strategy, but you adjust it continually based on the circumstances that you find," Gates said in an interview with a group of reporters at a London hotel. "We did that in Iraq. We made a change in strategy in Iraq and we are going to continue to look at the situation in Afghanistan."

Pressed for more details about the review of Afghan strategy, Gates would say only, "We're looking at it."

Gates visited Afghanistan on Wednesday and flew to London for NATO consultations.

He did not reveal whether the White House has launched a formal review of its war strategy. But his remarks indicated that the administration sees a need to make some adjustments as progress there remains slow.

The Joint Chiefs chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, told a House committee last week that he had commissioned a study of Afghan strategy to incorporate the complexities presented by rising unrest and insurgent activity in Pakistan. Mullen also publicly questioned whether the United States is winning in Afghanistan.

Gen. David McKiernan, the senior U.S. general in Afghanistan, told reporters on Tuesday at his Kabul headquarters that he believed the current strategy was adequate but that he needed more U.S. troops and other resources to properly execute it. He said he needs more than 10,000 extra American ground troops in 2009, in addition to the reinforcements already announced by the Pentagon...

Gates also said that at a NATO meeting here Thursday and Friday he would raise the issue of how to share the cost of a planned doubling in the size of the Afghan national army [emphasis added]. He said building up the capacity and effectiveness of Afghanistan's own security forces is "ultimately the exit strategy for all of us."

The United States has about 33,000 troops in Afghanistan, and President Bush has ordered an Army brigade of about 3,700 soldiers that had been preparing to deploy to Iraq to instead go to Afghanistan in January [not the whole story - MC].

Bush also announced last April at a NATO summit meeting in Bucharest, Romania, that the United States would send even more troops to Afghanistan later in 2009, beyond his term in office, when ends in January.

Gates mentioned that Bush pledge on Thursday and said, "I expect his successor will meet that commitment [emphasis added]."..

Gates also told reporters that he believes Britain intends to add more troops in Afghanistan, but he offered no numbers and said he was not sure the government here had made a final decision.

But this will never fly with most NATO members including, I think, Canada (if the story is accurate; quite a bit of stuff in the "quality" UK press is not to be relied on):

US seeking sole command of Nato's war against the Taliban
Western allies risk public backlash if Washington commands troops

Update: Brit response to Mr Gates (via Norman's Spectator):

'No plans' to boost Afghan troops

Defence Secretary Des Browne has said he has "no plans" to announce more British troops for Afghanistan, after reports they could be increased...

Pity. But the British Army is about as stretched as ours.

Upperdate: Meanwhile, across the border:

U.S. military advisors may soon head to Pakistan

The U.S. and Pakistan have cleared remaining obstacles, so the long-delayed team may arrive within weeks, Joint Chiefs Chairman Michael Mullen says...

Certainly has been "long-delayed"--from January, 2008:

U.S. to Step Up Training of Pakistanis

Given Pakistani political sensitivities I wouldn't be too sure about that "within weeks".