"The time is right for Marines to leave Iraq," the top Marine officer said, reflecting on the improved security situation there.

As part of the drawdown in Iraq, Conway said he expected "20,000 or less" Marines to be deployed to Afghanistan, although he cautioned against sending too many troops from the corps to Afghanistan.

That deployment would help fulfill the up to 30,000 troops military planners have proposed to inject in Afghanistan within the next 18 months to bolster the approximately 33,000 US troops already there, including 2,200 Marines. Another 142,000 US troops are in Iraq.

Marines "have been steadily removing equipment from theater in Iraq," he said. "The timeline we think today is down to six to eight months to get the rest of our equipment out of Iraq."

There are currently more than 20,000 Marines deployed in Iraq.