3,000 Marines headed to Afghanistan?

AP:

The Pentagon is preparing to send at least 3,000 Marines to Afghanistan in April to bolster efforts to hold off another expected Taliban offensive in the spring, military officials said Wednesday.

The move represents a shift in Pentagon thinking that has been slowly developing after months of repeated insistence that the U.S. was not inclined to fill the need for as many as 7,500 more troops that commanders have asked for there. Instead, Defense Secretary Robert Gates pressed NATO allies to contribute the extra forces.

Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said Wednesday that a proposal will go before Gates on Friday that would send a ground and air Marine contingent as well as a Marine battalion - together totaling more than 3,000 forces - to southern Afghanistan for a "one-time, seven-month deployment."

Gates, he said, will want to review the request, and is not likely to make a final decision on Friday.

...

It looks like Gates is going to have to look at alternatives to NATO forces in Afghanistan. It appears that not too much can be expected beyond the current commitments of the NATO allies and there is a need for additional forces in order to control the real estate and protect the people. The Marines have spent time in Afghanistan before and have in fact urged the Pentagon to let them supply all of the force for the Afghan mission. With the description of the force as an air ground team, they may be getting a trial run. It will also be a good test for the Osprey, the tilt rotor craft that has recently been introduced in Iraq.