Blackout of War-Zone Troop Figures Questioned

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill want to know why the Pentagon no longer makes public the number of troops stationed in war zones. The Center for New American Security, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, said in an article on its web site that Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., specifically posed the question to Army Lt. Gen. Scott Miller. The exchange took place during Miller’s confirmation hearing to become the next commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan. Miller assured Reed that he would be “transparent” with the information. The Pentagon had published the figure on the Defense Manpower Data Center web site, www.dmdc.mil, until late last year.