Report signals US troop hike in Afghanistan

In a brief statement about his internal report, released by the command in Afghanistan, General Stanley A. McChrystal acknowledged that turning the war around would be difficult.

“The situation in Afghanistan is serious, but success is achievable and demands a revised implementation strategy, commitment and resolve, and increased unity of effort,’’ McChrystal said.

In his report, which was prepared for military leaders, McChrystal did not specifically recommend a troop increase, instead spelling out plans to intensify development of Afghan security forces, improve the country’s government, and refocus economic development initiatives, according to a description by NATO officials.

But McChrystal is expected among military officials to seek unspecified numbers of extra troops, and specialists said yesterday that his assessment almost certainly would lead to such a request.

“It is hard to imagine he is not going to ask for more troops,’’ retired Major General William Nash said.

The assessment reflects McChrystal’s belief that the US and NATO need to adopt a counter-insurgency warfare strategy that focuses on making Afghan citizens feel safer, military officials said.

Such a strategy would rely more heavily on the presence of troops, probably requiring greater numbers than the combined US and NATO force, which has increased past the 100,000 mark this year. McChrystal commands the combined force.

“It cannot be done without more troops. And General McChrystal will ask for them,’’ said a former senior Defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity, because of the sensitivity of the issue.

The report was issued to NATO and to General David H. Petraeus, head of US Central Command, which controls forces in the Mideast. The US military, which considers the report a confidential internal document, does not plan to release it to the public, a Defense official said.

McChrystal’s assessment came amid a series of challenges, including two consecutive months of record US military deaths in Afghanistan.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who originally requested the assessment, said yesterday that he had not yet seen it but acknowledged “a tough fight’’ ahead. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs declined to say whether the Obama administration would approve more troops.

Estimates of troop needs vary, ranging from a few thousand to more than 20,000. President Obama has ordered 21,000 additional troops to bring the US force to 68,000, but some White House officials have expressed concern about sending more.

“The administration doesn’t want to be receiving more of those requests, so McChrystal must feel pressure to avoid asking for too many more troops,’’ said Mark Moyar, a counter-insurgency specialist at the Marine Corps University.

Although most contents of yesterday’s assessment were not released, military officials involved in its preparation said McChrystal planned to call for an intensified effort to train more Afghan security forces, pump up intelligence collection efforts, and improve how that information is used and shared.

They said the general also would discuss plans to develop a cadre of enlisted specialists committed to the war and to improve coordination between civilian and military efforts, particularly on development projects.

McChrystal outlined some of the basics of the strategy last week in a seven-page counter-insurgency guidance document.

“We will not win simply by killing insurgents,’’ he wrote in the guidance document. “We will help the Afghan people win by securing them, by protecting them from intimidation, violence and abuse.’’

Moyar cautioned that pushing to expand the forces too quickly could produce inexperienced officers and poorly led troops.

“We need to be very cautious on how we expand the Afghan security forces,’’ Moyar said.