Bush gets Pentagon's view on Iraq troop cuts

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top U.S. defense officials gave President George W. Bush their views this week on the pace and size of future U.S. troop cuts in Iraq after a substantial drop in violence there, officials said on Thursday.

Officials declined to detail the recommendations, which come after a 45-day assessment conducted by U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander of U.S. forces in Iraq.

"The president is now considering his options, and I would expect that as he works through that, as soon as he's finished with it, we'll be able to provide you more information," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, briefed Bush on the recommendations in a videoconference on Wednesday afternoon, according to Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell.

"Secretary Gates and Chairman Mullen presented President Bush with their recommendations on how many additional forces could be safely taken out and how soon," Morrell said.

He said Gates, Mullen, Petraeus and Army Lt. Gen Martin Dempsey, the acting head of the U.S. military headquarters for operations in the Middle East, were all "fundamentally in agreement" on how to proceed in Iraq.

There are some 146,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and Petraeus is widely expected to sanction some withdrawals before the end of this year as violence in Iraq has declined substantially.

Petraeus asked for a freeze in troop cuts this summer to take stock after the withdrawal of five extra combat brigades deployed in 2007 to quell rampant sectarian violence.

U.S. officials are also keen to reduce troop numbers in Iraq so they can provide more forces for Afghanistan, where insurgent violence is on the rise. The United States has some 33,000 troops in Afghanistan.

But decisions on any large-scale withdrawal from Iraq will likely fall to Bush's successor, either Republican John McCain or Democrat Barack Obama. Obama has promised to withdraw combat troops within 16 months if he wins the November election, while McCain opposes any set timeline.

The next president takes office in January.

Perino suggested news on future troop levels could come when Gates and Mullen testify on before Congress next week.

"I would expect that they would talk about troop levels in Iraq there," she told reporters.

Gates and Mullen are due to appear before the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee next Wednesday to discuss security and stability in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

(Additional reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky; Editing by Kristin Roberts and David Wiessler)