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Panetta: Admin deciding on post-2014 troop levels
ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT OVER THE PACIFIC — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Monday the Obama administration is nearing a decision in the next few weeks on how many U.S. troops would remain in Afghanistan — and for what purposes — after the U.S.-led combat mission ends in 2014.
Panetta told reporters aboard his plane en route from Hawaii to Australia that Gen. John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, has developed several options on a post-2014 presence.
Panetta also was asked about his future at the Pentagon. While he declined to reveal his plans, he suggested he still had work to do on the job he took in July 2011.
“It’s no secret that at some point I’d like to get back to California,” he said. Panetta is from Monterey, Calif.
He added that there are a number of important defense issues awaiting resolution, including a budget impasse and the future of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan — suggesting that he would not leave immediately.
“Right now, my goal is to basically meet my responsibilities with regard to dealing with those issues,” Panetta said.
Pressed to say whether he would rule out staying for all four years of a second Obama term, he replied, “Who the hell knows?”
Panetta said the Pentagon is reviewing those options with the White House. He would not reveal what troop levels are being considered, but it is believed that at least several thousand could be needed for several years beyond 2014.
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