The Pentagon’s top military officer says he expects to be able to recommend further troop reductions in Iraq this fall.

Admiral Mike Mullen says that on his recent trip to Iraq, he found conditions had improved more than he expected.

The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff says he’s not ready to say that the improvement is irreversible, though.

But he does say that if the trend toward improvement continues, he expects to be able to recommend to President Bush and Defense Secretary Robert Gates that there can be a further drawdown in American forces.