U.S. Chief of Staff General George Casey avoided directly discussing the debate in the White House and within the military itself over troop levels in Afghanistan. But he spoke of the mission in that country, saying that the U.S. goal is to succeed in defeating Taliban and Al Qaeda, and that more troops are needed. He also called for patience and perseverance.
GENERAL CASEY: "This is a long-term proposition, and we need to understand that, as a country. And believe me; sending our men and women into harm's way is not an easy decision for anyone, at any level. But the stakes of not doing that are so high for this country that we have to be in this until we succeed."
The General said so-called "Smart munitions", are not as successful against the Taliban as is having forces on the ground.
Casey also said with two wars on the military is stretched thin, and must find a way to grow.
CASEY: "We're out of balance. We are so weighed down by our current commitments, that we can't do the things we know we need to do, to sustain the all-volunteer force, and to prepare ourselves to do other things, other than the counterinsurgency missions that we're executing in Iraq and Afghanistan."
With time between deployments already too short, Casey said, the stress is growing exponentially on both soldiers - and their families. But he stopped short of calling for a draft.
