VOA标准英语2008年-Pentagon: Strain on US Forces is Key Issue in R

By Al Pessin
Washington
11 January 2008

The top U.S. military officer says he would like to be able to send 3,000 Marines to Afghanistan, as regional commanders have requested. But he says senior leaders are concerned about the impact the deployment¹ would have on already-strained U.S. ground forces. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.

Admiral Mike Mullen says Defense² Secretary Robert Gates hosted a meeting of top commanders Friday morning to discuss their request, but he says no decision was made. The admiral indicated the request might have already been granted except for concern about the stress the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have put on U.S. forces at their current deployment level.

"The strain on the force is something that's front and center in my mind all the time, and all the leadership. If we had these forces readily available, I think we would have decided³ earlier. That is a really tough situation. And at the same time, we believe that additional forces in Afghanistan can have a big impact. It's the mission versus⁴ the strain, very specifically," he said.

Admiral Mullen says the American general who commands NATO forces in Afghanistan, General Dan McNeil, attended the Pentagon meeting. U.S. officials have pressed NATO allies to come up with the extra forces needed in Afghanistan, but Secretary Gates indicated last month that he has come to believe they just might not be able to. Secretary Gates has said he will decide soon on whether to send the 3,000 Marines to Afghanistan, adding to the 27,000 U.S. troops already there.

Admiral Mullen also told a news conference Friday he is very concerned about al-Qaida's continuing presence in Pakistan, just across the border from Afghanistan. He says the safe haven⁵ in Pakistan's tribal⁶ areas has "a significant impact" on the situation in Afghanistan. But the admiral says it is up to the Pakistani government and military to address the problem. He says U.S. commanders are working with the new chief of Pakistan's army, General Ashfaq Kiani, to find ways to address the problem.

"We're looking for additional ways, or different ways, to address this. That's not going to happen overnight. And he's a brand new chief and he just took over. But I know his concern is [the same] as ours," he said.

Admiral Mullen says the urgency has increased as al-Qaida has turned its attention to fomenting⁷ violence inside Pakistan as well. He says the United States is ready to help Pakistan fight al-Qaida, but he says any direct U.S. military action inside Pakistan would be determined⁸ by the Pakistani government.

1 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

5 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

6 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

7 fomenting   

v.激起，煽动（麻烦等）( foment的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They accused him of fomenting political unrest. 他们指控他煽动政治动乱。
• Three sailors were fomenting a mutiny on the ship. 三个水手正在船上煽动叛变。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。