WASHINGTON, Sept 27: A secret Pentagon war game conducted this week with an eye on possible military operations against Iraq revealed worrisome shortages in some US military equipment, The New York Times reported on Friday.

The report, which cited unnamed Defence Department officials, said the shortages involved surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, refuelling tankers and transport planes.

But the computer-simulated exercise also found that the US military had corrected other shortcomings since similar war games in March, The Times said.

Moreover, it concluded that the armed forces could still win a war in Iraq while maintaining other global commitments, including the worldwide hunt for member of the al-Qaeda extremist network, according to the daily.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff, who met US President George W. Bush at the White House on Thursday to discuss Iraq, are to be briefed on the results of the war games, which are classified, The Times reported.

A similar briefing is scheduled for Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Saturday.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Richard Myers assured Congress last week the military could work around shortages in some areas to handle several missions at the same time.—AFP