2006年VOA标准英语-US Proposing Increase in Target Number of Iraqi

By Al Pessin
Pentagon
31 October 2006

U.S. Defense¹ Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says senior American generals in Iraq and the Iraqi government are proposing an increase in the target number for Iraqi security forces, but he would not say how much the increase will be until a final decision is made.

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Secretary Rumsfeld says he has the recommendation on his desk and hoped to make a decision on whether to approve the plan sometime Tuesday.  He said any announcement would come from the Iraqi government.

 
Donald H. Rumsfeld
  
"I think it's correct to say that the Iraqi government and [the top U.S. commander in Iraq] General Casey have made their recommendations, and [the commander of the training effort, Lieutenant] General Dempsey, and that I'm very comfortable with the increases they've proposed and the accelerations² in achievement of some of their targets that they've proposed," he said.

U.S. officials say Iraq now has nearly 310,000 security forces trained and equipped, including the army, the national and local police forces, and units to patrol the roads and borders.  The current goal is to recruit and train 325,000.  But as the effort neared its goal, Secretary Rumsfeld asked for a review of the plan to determine whether more forces might be needed.

Violence has escalated³ in Iraq in recent months, and the Iraqi security forces have received mixed reviews for their performance.  One problem is absenteeism, which led the top U.S. general in Iraq to suggest that some units might need to be expanded so they can perform their missions even when many troops are not available.

Iraqi army soldiers hold national flags during security handover ceremony in Karbala  
  
Secretary Rumsfeld says the review and expected increase in the target figure are part of the effort to make Iraq self-sufficient.

"The goal is to have the Iraqis have a number of security forces that are sufficiently⁴ capable and equipped and trained and effective that they can provide for the security in that country and support the government," he added.

Secretary Rumsfeld says once the plan to increase the size of the Iraqi security forces is finalized⁵, he will ask the U.S. Congress to provide funding to help pay for the increase. 

The secretary says there is no plan to increase U.S. forces in Iraq, and that raising the number of Iraqi forces might not even require more U.S. trainers.  But he noted⁶ that once U.S. combat forces begin to withdraw from Iraq, trainers and support units might have to stay longer to work with Iraq's combat troops and to help them develop the full range of supply and logistics capabilities⁷ they will need to sustain themselves.

1 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。

2 accelerations   

n.加速( acceleration的名词复数 )；加速度；（车辆）加速能力；（优秀学生的）跳级

参考例句：

• The two particles will undergo accelerations as a result of their interaction. 这两个粒子由于相互作用将获得加速度。 来自辞典例句
• Since the cord connecting the two blocks is inextensible, the accelerations are the same. 由于连接两物块的绳子无伸缩性，因此它们的加速度相同。 来自辞典例句

3 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

4 sufficiently   

adv.足够地，充分地

参考例句：

• It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
• The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。

5 finalized   

vt.完成（finalize的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The draft of this article has been finalized [done]. 这篇文章已经定稿。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The draft was revised several times before it was finalized. 稿子几经删改才定下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓