The U.S. military faces a shortage of elite forces needed to play a leading role in the war against terrorism, the USA Today newspaper reported on Monday.

Reasons for the shortage include intense training and retention, the report said.

The shortfall of Army special operations staff, Navy Seals and Air Force combat controllers persists as the Pentagon seeks to expand the forces by 15 percent over the next four years to bolster the anti-terrorism campaign, the report said.

The Navy has 2,352 Seals but is authorized for 2,684, the Naval Special Warfare Command was quoted as saying. Another unit of special warfare combatants of the Navy, which is authorized to have 653 people, has 563 people.

The report said the Air Force had filled 504 of 616 jobs for combat controllers who direct airstrikes, rescues of wounded troops behind enemy lines, and make specialized weather forecasts tailored for combat missions.

The Army has acknowledged a shortage of special operations troops but would not give a precise number, according to the report.

The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, reported in 2005 that the Army had filled only 2,922 of 3,934 posts for sergeants in four special forces categories: intelligence, communications, engineering and medical.

The U.S. Special Operations Command says it has about 17,000 troops.

Source: Xinhua