Top Commanders: Iraq hurt ability to fight elsewhere

Gen. Peter Schoomaker

WASHINGTON, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The United States' ability to take on a new fight has been hurt by its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the top military officials for the U.S. Army and Marine Corps told Congress on Tuesday.

"I cannot say that I'm comfortable," Gen. James Conway, commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, told a congressional panel.

"I will talk somewhat around it because we're in open session but suffice it to say we have examined other war plans and our capability to respond to those plans and we see that we are lacking in some areas in our ability to do so," he said.

The Army's chief of staff, Gen. Peter Schoomaker, also said he had "continued concerns about the strategic depth" of the Army. He said he was particularly concerned about the ability of soldiers not deployed in Iraq to respond to a new conflict.

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