Turmoil over the Iraq war has increased inside the Pentagon despite the decline of violence and casualties in Iraq, the Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday.

Members of the US military applaud President George W. Bush at the Pentagon, March 19, 2008. [Agencies]

The turmoil was characterized by the division among top levels of the military leadership over war strategy and the pace of troop cuts, according to the paper.

Citing rising tension along with concern over the strain of unending cycles of deployments, the report said ground commanders want to keep a large troop presence but the Joint Chiefs worry about the strain of long tours of duty.

"The differences carry broad implications for the US role in Iraq," the paper noted.

In one camp, some ground commanders, including Gen. David H. Petraeus, who have pushed to keep a large troop presence in Iraq, are worried that withdrawing too quickly will allow violence to flare. In the other, some military service chiefs fear that long tours and high troop levels will drive away mid-level service members, leaving the Army and Marine Corps hollowed out and weakened, according to the paper.

Indeed, top leaders at the Pentagon emphasize that any withdrawals must not jeopardize security gains already made in Iraq and few are pushing for a complete pullout, said the paper.

Referring to sharp differences that carry broad implications for the US involvement in Iraq, the paper said that in the short run, supporters of Petraeus would like to see about 140,000 troops, including 15 combat brigades, remain in Iraq through the end of the Bush administration.

Members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and their advisors favor a faster drawdown. Some are pushing for a reduction to 12 brigades or fewer by January 2009, which would amount to approximately 120, 000 troops, depending on the configuration of forces, said the paper.

The discord deepened with last week's announcement that Adm. William J. Fallon, who served as the top US commander in the Middle East, would retire. Fallon was seen as a key ally of the Joint Chiefs and at odds with Bush because of his support for a speedier drawdown in Iraq.

Military officers note that the Joint Chiefs do not advocate pulling all troops out of Iraq. The Joint Chiefs agree with Petraeus on the importance of maintaining security gains, but they maintain that the threat of violence in Baghdad must be weighed against the risk of damaging the Army through repeat deployments that lead mid-level personnel to quit, according to the paper.

(Xinhua News Agency March 21, 2008)