US troop numbers in Iraq, Syria could surge under new accounting rules
The Pentagon wants to stop undercounting temporarily deployed fighters and allow for the deployment of more support personnel needed in the war against the Islamic State.
The Pentagon announced Wednesday that it would start taking into account temporarily deployed military units when reporting troop numbers in Afghanistan, with updated numbers for Iraq and Syria to follow.
With the change, the US military now acknowledges it has 11,000 troops in Afghanistan, up from a previously reported 8,400. Until now it had only shared force management levels, which account for troops and units meant to complete a mission but do not count the hundreds of personnel temporarily deployed into the fight.
Military officials indicated a change was needed to prepare units deployed to the battlefield to fight. The old accounting rules put limits on the number of troops that could remain in the battlefield for long periods, forcing commanders to chose between combat troops and support personnel.
“Those forces that are temporarily deployed, those will now be reported,” Lt. Gen. Frank McKenzie told reporters. “We all recognize that whole units are more ready. That’s why we’re going to have a little bit of flexibility.”
