Their biggest headache was insufficient troops on the ground despite the increase ordered by President Bush, the former official said. “We don’t have the numbers for the counter-insurgency job even with the surge. The word ‘surge’ is a misnomer. Strategically, tactically, it’s not a surge,” an American officer said.

According to the US military’s revised counter-insurgency field manual, FM 3-24, written by Gen Petraeus, the optimum “troop-to-task” ratio for Baghdad requires 120,000 US and allied troops in the city alone. Current totals, even including often unreliable Iraqi units, fall short and the deficit is even greater in conflict areas outside Baghdad.

“Additional troops are essential if we are to win,” said Lt-Col John Nagel, co-author of the manual, in an address at the US Naval Institute in San Diego last month. One soldier for every 50 civilians in the most intense conflict areas was key to successful counter-insurgency work.Compounding the manpower problems is an apparently insurmountable shortage of civilian volunteers from the Pentagon, state department and treasury. They are needed to staff the additional provincial reconstruction teams and other aid projects promised by Mr Bush. ~The Guardian