FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Defense Secretary Robert Gates plans to move three more combat brigades–thousands of additional soldiers– to Afghanistan by next summer.
Gates is in Kandahar, Afghanistan today meeting with military leaders there.
The U.S. currently has about 31,000 troops in Afghanistan, about one-quarter of the troop level in Iraq. But violence has skyrocketed in Afghanistan over the past two years. This year has been the deadliest year for U.S. troops there since the war began in 2001.
Gates told reporters the ideal size of U.S. military presence in Iraq is still being debated even though a status of forces agreement has been reached with the Iraqi government calling for U.S. troops to be in Iraq through the end of 2011.
Gates is going through a awkward transition right now. Last week, President-elect Obama announced he would keep Gates on as the Secretary of Defense. But for the next six weeks, Gates is answering to the Bush administration.
In a sign he is looking forward, Gates told reporters building up the Afghan army and improving cooperation with Kabul on security operations is key for the Obama administration…an administration he'll officially be part of come January 20.
Here’s my question to you: Should the U.S. send additional troops to Afghanistan?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 4pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
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