U.S. plans to shift some forces from Iraq to Kuwait

WASHINGTON - While all but a small number of U.S. troops will be out of Iraq by the end of the year, they won't all be home for the holidays as President Obama promised last month.

The Pentagon is poised to move at least 4,000 soldiers from Iraq to Kuwait at the end of the year, pending a final decision expected soon by Pentagon and Kuwaiti leaders, U.S. officials said Wednesday.

The move is part of a still-developing Pentagon strategy that ends the Iraq war but positions a strong U.S. force just across the border in Kuwait and across the region to reinforce the United States' commitment to the Middle East and prevent a power vacuum when the U.S. forces who have served in Iraq are gone.

According to officials, the First Brigade, First Cavalry Division, which is currently in Iraq, will be shifted to Kuwait, where troops will be close enough to serve as a quick reaction force if needed in Iraq or any of the nearby countries. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been made final by Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta.

The plan to beef up the U.S. presence in Kuwait also must be approved by Kuwaiti leaders, although most officials do not believe that will be a problem. The United States has had a substantial presence in Kuwait for years.

Other plans still under discussion would affect several Army National Guard units that are scheduled to go to Iraq in the coming weeks. It is not yet clear whether they will be told to go to Iraq and return home in two months or if they will simply stay home or be deployed elsewhere - such as in Kuwait, other nations in the region, or even other posts in the United States.

Pentagon officials have been clear all along that they expect to expand U.S. military relations with countries in the Middle East, particularly as a hedge against Iran. And Panetta has said that he expects that about 40,000 U.S. troops to be stationed across the Middle East after troops are pulled out of Iraq.

Over the next two months, the United States will methodically withdraw the remaining 34,000 American forces from Iraq as Obama pledged. The final exit date was sealed after months of talks failed to reach agreement on conditions for leaving behind several thousand U.S. troops as a training force.