Bush gets Pentagon's view on Iraq troop cuts

By Andrew Gray

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top U.S. defence 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.

Defence 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.