WASHINGTON, 12 November 2006 — The Pentagon is conducting a major review of the military’s Iraq strategy to determine “what’s going wrong and should be changed” to attain US objectives in the war-torn country, the nation’s top general has revealed.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Peter Pace, initiated the review six weeks ago after starkly deteriorating security in Baghdad led commanders there to rule out any significant cut in the level of US troops in Iraq.

As America’s top military leader, Gen. Pace is working with Gen. George Casey, the top US commander in Iraq, and Gen. John Abizaid, who oversees the US military in the Middle East, on recommendations for how to improve Iraq strategy.

The military’s growing view is that Iraq is at a crossroads, spurred largely by intensified sectarian fighting and mounting US casualties. The length and ferocity of the insurgency has surprised the Pentagon. Two years after “major combat operations” were declared over by Bush, there are still 138,000 US troops in Iraq, costing the treasury $5 billion a month. Yet under US military doctrine, it is not even defined as a war.

The war in Iraq is certainly forcing top administration and Pentagon planners to rethink several key assumptions about the use of military power and has called into question the vision set out nearly four years ago that the armed forces can win wars and keep the peace with small numbers of fast-moving, lightly armed troops.

A four-year review of US military power is not due until early next year, but it is already clear that the strategy is under great strain from the Iraq war. Gen. Pace’s review coincides with political pressure in Washington to find alternative Iraq policies. Pentagon officials stress the review will extend well beyond Iraq, and that some unorthodox ideas on how to fight terrorism are being weighed.

Following a crushing defeat for Bush’s Republicans in Tuesday’s midterm elections, the president has also signaled openness to a broad shift in his Iraq policy.

On Monday he will meet with the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan commission led by Bush family friend and former Secretary of State James Baker and former Congressman Lee Hamilton, which is looking at alternative approaches on Iraq.

The White House has said little about what the focus of the meeting would be but has made clear the panel will not be presenting its final recommendations. Gen. Pace is also scheduled to meet early next week with members of the group.

Vote Doesn’t Signal US Weakness

After arguing during the campaign that Democrats would undermine national security, President Bush changed course yesterday and said America’s enemies should not read this week’s ground-shaking election results as a sign of US weakness.

Bush used his weekly radio address to issue a call for unity. “The message of this week’s elections is clear: The American people want their leaders in Washington to set aside partisan differences, conduct ourselves in an ethical manner and work together to address the challenges facing our nation,” the president said.

“But one thing has not changed: America faces brutal enemies who have attacked us before and want to attack us again.

“I have a message for these enemies: Do not confuse the workings of American democracy with a lack of American will,” the president said. “Our nation is committed to bringing you to justice, and we will prevail.”