WASHINGTON, Oct.

By Thom Shanker U.S. Army leaders are expressing increased alarm about the mental health of soldiers who would be sent back to the front again and again under plans that call for troop numbers to be sustained at high levels in Iraq for this year and beyond.

The United States Senate has confirmed Gen. George Casey to be the next U.S. Army chief of staff by an 83-14 vote. Casey, who led the multinational forces in Iraq since 2004, succeeds retiring Gen. Peter Schoomaker in the Army's top uniformed position. He hands over his Iraq duties to Gen.

By DAVID ESPO, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON The outgoing top U.S. general in Iraq diplomatically aired his differences with the commander in chief on Thursday, telling lawmakers that President Bush has ordered thousands more troops into Iraq than needed to tamp down violence in Baghdad. Gen.

The top U.S. commander in Iraq told a Senate panel Thursday that improving security in Baghdad would take fewer than half as many extra troops as President Bush has chosen to commit.