The Marine Corps is pressing to remove its forces from Iraq and to send Marines instead to Afghanistan to take over the leading role in combat there, according to senior military and Pentagon officials.
The idea by the Marine Corps commandant would effectively leave the Iraq war to the Army while giving the Marines a prominent new role in Afghanistan, under overall NATO command.
The suggestion was raised in a session last week convened by Defense Secretary Robert Gates for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and regional war-fighting commanders. While still under review, its supporters, including some in the Army, argue that a realignment could allow the Army and Marines each to operate more efficiently in sustaining troop levels for two wars that have put a strain on their forces.
As described by officials who have been briefed on the closed-door discussion, the idea represents the first tangible new thinking to emerge since the White House in September endorsed a plan to begin gradual troop withdrawals from Iraq but also signaled that U.S. forces may be in Iraq for years to come.
At the moment, there are no major Marine units among the 26,000 or so U.S. forces in Afghanistan. In Iraq there are about 25,000 Marines among the 160,000 U.S. troops there.
It is not clear exactly how many of the Marines in Iraq would be moved over.
But some officials said that such a realignment would help ease some pressure on the Army, by allowing it to shift forces from Afghanistan into Iraq, and by simplifying planning for future troop rotations.