Defense department not sure about troop levels in the future

Paul Wolfowitz, deputy secretary of defense, testified to the Senate yesterday about the situation in Iraq. He said that it is possible we will need more troops in Iraq in the future, and that he is not sure how long the current force of 135,000 will have to stay.

Here's an excerpt from the story:

"Many authorities on the Middle East and the military warned before the war that Saddam's supporters would melt away before an invasion and return to fight a guerrilla war. Those experts, who included retired Marine general Anthony Zinni, former commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, said hundreds of thousands of troops would be needed to stabilize the country.

Asked by Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold, a Democrat, whether there would still be 135,000 U.S. troops in Iraq at the end of 2005, Wolfowitz said he did not know. "Our current level is higher than we planned," he said. "It could be more, it could be less."