Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, told the Senate armed services committee that despite a doubling of troop numbers in Afghanistan more may need to be deployed.
'A properly resourced counter-insurgency probably means more forces. And, without question, more time and more commitment to the protection of the Afghan people and to the development of good governance,' he said.
'I have a sense of urgency about this. I worry a great deal that the clock is moving very rapidly.'
He admitted, however, he did not know how many more troops may be needed. The US currently has 62,000 troops in Afghanistan, with further deployments expected to bring the number to 68,000 by the end of the year.
The Obama administration has doubled troop numbers in Afghanistan since the beginning of the year, but some officials have now called for the latest deployment to be completed before contemplating sending more.
During the Senate session though Republican senator John McCain declared continuing to commit too few forces to Afghanistan could potentially undermine the progress made thus far.
Public opinion polls indicate support of the campaign in Afghanistan is being to drop sharply, with a recent CNN poll showing 58 per cent are now opposed to the war.
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