WASHINGTON—U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has decided against a proposal to give U.S. Marines a leading role in Afghanistan as they draw down from Iraq, Marine Corps Commandant James Conway said Wednesday.
"While it doesn't appear that additional Marine units will be needed in Afghanistan in the near future, we will continue to be ready to respond if called to serve," Conway told reporters at the Pentagon.
Conway said he discussed the proposal with Gates last week. Asked if the Marines were now mothballing the idea, Conway replied: "I think what you describe is probably an apt description."
Under the proposal, leaked to The New York Times in October, the Marines would have switched focus to Afghanistan as they withdrew from Iraq's western province of Anbar.
Over the past year, Anbar has gone from one of the most violent to one of the calmest parts of Iraq after local tribes switched sides to fight with U.S. forces against al Qaeda militants.
There are more than 160,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, including some 25,000 Marines, but that number is set to decline in 2008. The United States has about 26,000 troops in Afghanistan, most of them from the U.S. Army.
Conway suggested fighting insurgents in Afghanistan was a better fit for the Marines, as a lighter, more agile force, than a long-term role in Iraq.
"I think if there's a fight going on, then we probably need to be there in large measure," he said.
"The long-term security forces—that's not a Marine function. That's not what U.S. Marines do for the country."
Conway did not say why Gates had rejected the proposal, at least for now.
But Gates has been pressuring NATO allies to contribute more troops and other resources to Afghanistan. He may have felt that a decision to send in the Marines would have relaxed the pressure on those countries.
"The discussion with the secretary was very positive. He understood completely where we were coming from and why—he's heard anecdotal reports that lance corporals are complaining they don't have anybody to shoot," Conway said.
"But that doesn't drive strategic thinking, of course. And I understood and support ... his thoughts on why the timing is not right," he said.
