McChrystal Troop Request by End of Week

U.S. Commander in Afghanistan to Request More Troops

According to the assessment, "this increase partially reflects previously validated, yet un-sourced, requirements. This also stems from the new mix of capabilities essential to execute the new strategy."

The assessment says troops alone will not be enough to achieve success in Afghanistan, "but will enable implementation of the new strategy. Conversely, inadequate resources will likely result in failure. "

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Mainly, the assessment details the need for additional troops is to gain the initiative and "reverse insurgent momentum in the near term."

The assessment, which looked at the security situation in Afghanistan, made the case that the way to turn around the Taliban's momentum is to pursue a classic counterinsurgency campaign that protects civilian populations.

Pursuing such strategy would require more troops than the 68,000 that are currently scheduled to be in Afghanistan by the end of the year. That number will already be double the number of troops in Afghanistan last year and was made possible by Obama's decision in February to deploy 21,000 additional troops to help stabilize the security situation.

McChrystal's 60-day assessment concluded that the security situation in Afghanistan has continued to deteriorate, despite the presence of the additional troops already ordered by Obama.

The assessment said more troops will be needed in order to pursue a successful counterinsurgency strategy and that a failure to reverse "insurgent momentum" in the short term risks the possibility that "defeating the insurgency is no longer possible."

"Resources will not win this war, but under-resourcing could lose it," McChrystal's assessment said.