Tuesday
Mar162010
Petraeus Open To Ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 4:28PM
By Chingyu Wang
Talk Radio News Service
U.S. Gen. David Petraeus, Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), said on Tuesday that he is open to a review of the military's controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
“I believe the time has come to consider a change to DADT,” he said.
Regarding Iran, he said CENTCOM is networking with other countries that are concerned about Iran’s nuclear project and who hope to prevent it from growing.
“The Iranian regime continues its nuclear program. Indeed, Iran is assessed by many analysts to be engaged in pursuing nuclear weapon capability,” said Petraeus. “[Iran] is likely to spur a regional arms race.”
To prevent a nuclear war, Petraeus said CENTCOM has been working on building regional security architecture in that region to establish “security relationships and partnerships" between nations that share concern over Iran.
On Afghanistan, Petraeus said that in roughly 18 months from now, the total number of American troops in Afghanistan will top 139,000.
Meanwhile, American forces in Iraq are expected to be reduced from 97,000 to 50,000 by the end of August 2010, he said.
Talk Radio News Service
U.S. Gen. David Petraeus, Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), said on Tuesday that he is open to a review of the military's controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
“I believe the time has come to consider a change to DADT,” he said.
Regarding Iran, he said CENTCOM is networking with other countries that are concerned about Iran’s nuclear project and who hope to prevent it from growing.
“The Iranian regime continues its nuclear program. Indeed, Iran is assessed by many analysts to be engaged in pursuing nuclear weapon capability,” said Petraeus. “[Iran] is likely to spur a regional arms race.”
To prevent a nuclear war, Petraeus said CENTCOM has been working on building regional security architecture in that region to establish “security relationships and partnerships" between nations that share concern over Iran.
On Afghanistan, Petraeus said that in roughly 18 months from now, the total number of American troops in Afghanistan will top 139,000.
Meanwhile, American forces in Iraq are expected to be reduced from 97,000 to 50,000 by the end of August 2010, he said.
Administration Officials Urge Senate To Ratify START
By Kyle LaFleur - Talk Radio News Service
White House officials are urging a key Senate panel to quickly ratify the New START Treaty. The treaty, which U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dimitry Medvedev signed back in April, aims to reduce the number of nuclear weapons possessed by the two nations.
“Between us, the United States and Russia comprise about 90% of the worlds nuclear weapons so these reductions also support our goals of nonproliferation and will do so without jeopardizing the nuclear triad,” said DOD official James Miller during a conference call with reporters on Tuesday.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will debate and likely vote on the treaty tomorrow. With Democrats controlling the majority of seats on the panel, passage is expected. However, Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) has said he doesn’t expect the treaty to reach the floor until after the midterm elections in early November.
According to the White House, the treaty will limit the amount of nuclear warheads both nations can have, but would not restrict the U.S.’s ability to deploy missile defenses in the event of an attack or severe threat. Miller said the treaty would allow for more frequent inspections of Russian nuclear facilities.