Gates Says Pentagon Will Try to Stop Prioritizing Iraq Over Afghanistan

But many defense officials remain unconvinced that the cross-border operations are a wise move. "As the Pentagon is pointing out, you don't have sufficient forces to do everything you'd like, so the question becomes: Is this the best use of our forces, going into Pakistan and trying to rout out Taliban leadership?" says Andrew Krepinevich, president of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, a Washington think tank. "Or would troops be better utilized building up indigenous Afghan security forces? It's a tough call to make," he adds. "Where's the bigger payoff?"