VOA常速英语2008年-Pentagon Says Plans to Withdraw Troops to Pre-S

By Cindy Saine
Washington
02 April 2008

The top U.S. military commander says the Pentagon will continue to withdraw five combat brigades from Iraq through July as planned, despite recent violence in Baghdad and Basra. But on Capitol Hill, three retired¹ army generals told a Senate hearing the United States must begin a major troop withdrawal² from Iraq when the next president takes office next year. VOA Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington.

The Chairman of the Joint³ Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, told reporters Wednesday the recent violence in Basra and Baghdad has not changed U.S. plans on troop levels in Iraq.

"Right now we're still on track for the fifth brigade to come out, the last of the surge brigades to come out, by the end of July and then the period of consolidation⁴ and evaluation⁵ will take place," he said.

The planned withdrawals⁶ will bring the number of U.S. troops in Iraq back down to the level before a surge of U.S. forces last year of about 140,000 troops. The surge was intended to stabilize⁷ the security situation and give the Iraqi government the chance to achieve political reconciliation⁸.

Admiral Mullen praised Iraq's government for going after militiamen in Basra, though he said it will take a while to figure out who won and who lost in last week's fighting.

Asked if the high force levels in Iraq are having an impact on other U.S. national security goals, Mullen said Afghanistan immediately comes to mind. "So having forces in Iraq don't -- at the level they are at -- don't allow us to fill the need that we have in Afghanistan," he said.

But retired Army Major General Robert Scales told the Senate Foreign Relations committee a major withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq is inevitable⁹, because the U.S. cannot sustain troop levels there and has run out of options. "For the first time since the Civil War, the number of ground soldiers available is determining American policy rather than policy determining how many soldiers we need. It is strategy turned on its head," he said.

Scales said setting a window of withdrawal would boost morale¹⁰ for service members and their families, who feel like they are stuck on a perpetual rollercoaster of deployments.

Retired Lieutenant¹¹ General William Odom also said that withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq is the only thing that could break the current paralysis¹² of U.S. strategy in the Middle East. "The surge is prolonging instablility, not creating the conditions for unity¹³ as the president claims," he said.

The retired generals agreed that a major withdrawal of combat forces from Iraq is likely to happen early in the next U.S. president's administration. They say the U.S. Army is overextended and the American people no longer support the war.

1 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

2 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 consolidation   

n.合并,巩固

参考例句：

• The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• The state ensures the consolidation and growth of the state economy. 国家保障国营经济的巩固和发展。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法

5 evaluation   

n.估价，评价；赋值

参考例句：

• I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
• The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。

6 withdrawals   

n.收回，取回，撤回( withdrawal的名词复数 )；撤退，撤走；收回[取回，撤回，撤退，撤走]的实例；推出（组织），提走（存款），戒除毒瘾，对说过的话收回，孤僻

参考例句：

• He has made several withdrawals from his bank account. 他从银行账户上提了几次款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It is not the bank's policy to deduct interest on withdrawals. 提款需扣除利息这并非是本银行的政策。 来自辞典例句

7 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

8 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

9 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

10 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

11 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

12 paralysis   

n.麻痹(症)；瘫痪(症)

参考例句：

• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。
• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。

13 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。