BAGHDAD — “Getting the next part right” in Iraq is critical to America, and future steps must capitalize on opportunities created by the troop surge, this will project U.S. might and show long-term commitment, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today.

During a briefing at the Pentagon with Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gates told reporters that he has worked closely with top military and National Security Council officials to define the United States’ upcoming moves in Iraq.

“It has been my view over the last several months that the next steps in Iraq had to address multiple objectives,” he said. “They would need to maximize the opportunity created by the surge to achieve our long-term goals of an Iraq able to sustain, govern and defend itself, and be an ally in the war on terror.”

Gates voiced confidence in the recommendations Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, outlined earlier this week during congressional hearings on the troop surge and U.S. operations in Iraq. He added that he supports President Bush’s decision to consider bringing home an Army combat brigade by Christmas.

“With General Petraeus’ recommendations and the president’s decisions, we are where I have hoped since January we would be in the fall,” he said. Gates added that all of the president’s top military commanders and advisors agree with the recommendations that Petraeus proposed and Bush approved.

In the near-term, the United States should take measures to ensure it’s perceived as winning the war on terror, the secretary said. “(Those steps have) to avoid even the appearance of American failure or defeat in Iraq,” he said.

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