Troop request to come soon

Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters on Wednesday that the top general in Afghanistan will submit a troop request to Defense Secretary Robert Gates by the end of the week.

"I want to make it perfectly clear that, once he has it, he intends to hold onto it until such time as the president and his national security team are ready to consider it," Morrell said during a Pentagon briefing.

Morrell pointed out that the request for new troops from Gen. Stanley McChrystal may have to be revised as the Obama administration determines whether to escalate the American commitment in Afghanistan. He said the number of troops that McChrystal included in his request could change if President Barack Obama decides to change the mission in Afghanistan.

"It is far more important that we make sure the strategy we are pursuing is the correct one and the president and his team are comfortable with it," he said.