The head of U.S. Central Command Gen. James Mattis said Tuesday he recommended close to 20,000 troops be left in Afghanistan post-2014.
"That recommendation is for 13,600 U.S. forces" with an additional NATO force of "around 50 percent" of the U.S. total, Mattis said Tuesday while responding to Sen. John McCain's (R., Ariz.) questions during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
Mattis' recommendation exceeds the 8,000 to 12,000 troops that the Obama administration and NATO are considering.
The service chiefs were reportedly unaware of the president's plan to withdraw 34,000 troops from Afghanistan until the day of the State of the Union when it was announced.
The Obama administration reportedly hastened Mattis' exit due to his "too hawkish" views, Thomas E. Ricks reported earlier this year. Mattis plans to retire this spring.
