NEWS RELEASES from the United States Department of Defense

No. 1309-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec 20, 2005 Media Contact: (703)697-5131
Public/Industry(703)428-0711

Operation Enduring Freedom Rotation Adjustment Announced
            The Department of Defense announced today an adjustment to the
deployment of the 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain Division toAfghanistan.  The
entire brigade will not deploy as previously announced in December 2004;
instead one battalion-sized task force consisting of an infantry battalion and
attached fire-support, communications and logistics elements will deploy to
assist transition of the coalition operations to the NATO International
Security Assistance Force in southern Afghanistan in mid 2006.  The
non-deploying elements of the brigade will remain prepared to deploy within 15
days.



            There are nearly 19,000 U.S. troops leading counter-terrorism
operations in Afghanistan.  The decision announced today will bring U.S. force
levels in Afghanistan to approximately 16,500.



            This adjustment to forces deploying to Afghanistan primarily
reflects the growing presence of NATO forces in Afghanistan.   Even with this
force adjustment, the United States will remain the largest troop and
financial contributor to the overall security mission in Afghanistan.



            The US will continue to perform counter-terrorism operations and
high-quality training and development of the Afghan security forces to ensure
a stable and secure Afghanistan.  A significant part of the U.S. effort in
Afghanistan is training and equipping the Afghan National Army and Afghan
National Police.



            The Afghan National Army is now nearly 27,000 strong and is well
respected by both the Afghan people and the Coalition troops operating with
them.  Additionally, nearly 55,000 Afghan police have been trained and are on
the job.



            US troop numbers have fluctuated in response to conditions and
requirements since OEF began.   Any U.S. force adjustments are based on
conditions that build on the successes to date, including the success of
Afghan elections, the changing nature of the threat, and the growth in
capabilities of the Afghan National Security Forces.  Commanders will continue
to assess the situation on the ground for future force-level adjustments.



            For information on the unit announced today, please contact U.S.
Central Command public affairs at (813) 827-6390.