Mullen says more forces needed for Afghan war

By ANNE GEARAN, AP National Security Writer

WASHINGTON – The top U.S. military officer says that winning in Afghanistan will probably mean sending more troops.

Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says he does not know how many more troops the commanding general will request. Mullen also told Congress Tuesday that a debate over the right mix of forces and other resources will be held in the coming weeks.

But Mullen says that if the general, Stanley McChrystal, is going to do his job of countering the Taliban insurgency correctly, more forces are probably required. Mullen has been sounding increasingly glum about the prospects for the war, which will enter its ninth year this fall and on Tuesday he asked the Senate Armed Services Committee for time and patience to turn the war around.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee says the United States shouldn't add more forces to the Afghanistan war for now.

Sen. Carl Levin used a nomination hearing for the nation's top military officer to repeat his call for a focus on the training of Afghan forces. The Michigan Democrat said Tuesday that his approach is a better policy than building up a U.S. force that outnumbers the Afghans in important parts of the country. Levin's Republican counterpart, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, disagreed with him. McCain said that capping U.S. forces in Afghanistan runs the risk of repeating early mistakes in Iraq.

Adm. Mike Mullen is expected to win easy reconfirmation ass the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.