Another 3,000 on top of 30,000 surge?

By Steve Hynd

Let the incremetal escalation continue!

Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he asked the president for flexibility on the number in case military commanders in the field request additional medics or troops trained to detect improvised explosive devices.

Gates told a Senate committee Thursday that he got approval for the 30,000 troop deployment to be expanded by as much as 3,000 if necessary.

We've seen this already from the Obama administration and the Pentagon. Obama's last escalation - touted publicly as 21,000 troops - didn't include 13,000 support troops.

But we're probably at the very limit of escalation now. The cupboard is bare of other units to send and even sending this many new troops is causing the Pentagon and White House to break long-standing promises to veterans on "dwell time". Veterans rights group VoteVets worry that's only the first broken promise on the way to a broken army. To be followed by "stop-loss", extra tours and maybe even veterans benefits as the occupation's costs drain the treasury?