Washington, D.C.—U.S. Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.), the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, today released the following statement regarding media reports that the Secretary of Defense has approved the deployment of 1,400 additional Marines to Afghanistan:
“I’m pleased that President Obama and Secretary Gates have approved our field commander’s request to deploy additional Marines to Afghanistan. These reinforcements will help sustain the security gains made in the south and blunt any Taliban counter-offensive this spring.
“The House Armed Services Committee remains committed to providing General Petraeus with the time, troops and resources necessary to execute his strategy for achieving victory in Afghanistan.
“We hope that the President and Secretary Gates will respond similarly to any other requests by our commanders for additional forces or capabilities to be deployed to Afghanistan, and that any redeployment will be based upon conditions on the ground rather than arbitrary timelines.”
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