Petraeus: Expect setbacks in Afghan war

Army Gen. David Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command, told lawmakers on Tuesday that this year will be a difficult one in Afghanistan even as the military sends 30,000 more troops to quell rising violence.

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, the four-star general said he expects to reverse the Taliban's momentum throughout the year but warned the next several months will be marked with "tough fighting but periodic setbacks."

Petraeus said the military has already sent 10,000 reinforcements to Afghanistan as part of the troop escalation announced by President Obama late last year, and is on schedule to have nearly all of the 30,000 additional military personnel deployed by the end of August.

"Touch wood, that's on track," he told the panel.

Petraeus acknowledged he is slightly behind in expediting efforts to grow the Afghan army, adding that thousands more trainers are needed either from the United States or its allies.

In Iraq, Petraeus said he expects to decrease the level of deployed U.S. forces there from about 97,000 troops to 50,000 by August, as planned. He said he might make adjustments to the makeup of that force, however, including adding an additional brigade headquarters unit.

Also Tuesday, Petraeus endorsed changing the 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" law that bars openly gay individuals from serving in the military. The commander's comments, his first public statement on the issue, came as the Defense Department conducts a high-level review on how to best implement a repeal of the law.

"I believe the time has come to consider a change to 'don't ask, don't tell', but I believe it should be done in a thoughtful and deliberative manner" that includes the department's review, Petraeus said.

He added that any change to the law must take into consideration the effects on recruiting, retention, morale and unit cohesion.