Andrew Tilghman

The U.S. is willing to send more troops to Iraq — but do the Iraqis really want them?

The Pentagon plans to sharply increase spending on the fight against the Islamic State group and potentially put more American troops on the ground in Iraq and Syria later this year, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday.

The Pentagon plans to send several thousand additional troops to Europe next year to boost the region’s defense against Russia, a new recognition that the former Cold War foe is once again a major global rival, defense officials said.

The top U.S. general in Iraq said the American-led military training mission there is now focused primarily on conventional warfare tactics and more U.S. “boots on the ground” might be needed to defeat the Islamic State group.

The annual budget request the Pentagon sends to Congress next week will include a 1.6 percent pay raise for troops in 2017, a historically small bump aimed at reducing military personnel costs, according to defense officials.

The defense secretary faces no easy options in his review of Gen. David Petraeus

The U.S. European Command issued an “updated theater strategy” document Tuesday, pointing to Russian aggression as a top concern.

The American-backed Iraqi military is facing “intermittent fighting” in Ramadi but is in control of some significant territory once controlled by the Islamic State group.

U.S. special operations troops have reportedly taken over an airfield in northeastern Syria, potentially clearing the way to flow more American military support to friendly militias fighting the Islamic State group.

U.S. military officials are in high-level talks with the Iraqis about potentially sending hundreds of additional troops to Iraq for training and supporting the upcoming invasion of the Islamic State group’s stronghold in Mosul.