WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- President Obama will meet with top congressional leaders from both parties Tuesday to discuss a war in Afghanistan that now appears to be at a potential tipping point . The meeting on the war comes as the Obama administration conducts a review of its Afghan strategy . Obama will be joined by , among others , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , House Minority Leader John Boehner , Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and the heads of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees in the House and Senate , two Democratic officials said . The meeting comes amid the Obama administration 's comprehensive review of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan . Several top military leaders and opposition Republicans are pressing Obama to act quickly to increase the present 68,000-troop level by as many as 40,000 . `` There 's no doubt that , particularly on funding , it 's not going to happen until Congress signs off , '' White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday . `` They 're an important part of this , and the president wants to hear from them . '' In March , Obama announced a plan to send more than 20,000 additional troops to the country to provide security for a national election . That move followed what Obama and others called years of inadequate resources in Afghanistan because of the Bush administration 's focus on Iraq . The Obama strategy was based on a counterinsurgency mission intended to defeat terrorists based in Afghanistan while winning local support and helping with development . Gen. Stanley McChrystal , who took over four months ago as the top U.S. commander in the country , has submitted an assessment in which , sources have told CNN , he says he needs additional forces to carry out the counterinsurgency strategy successfully . Otherwise , McChrystal reportedly warns , the mission could fail , bringing a return of power to the Taliban . `` We need to reverse the current trends , and time does matter , '' McChrystal said last week in a speech in London , England . `` Waiting does not prolong a favorable outcome . This effort will not remain winnable indefinitely . '' U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates , however , appeared to push back Monday against those who are loudly urging a rapid troop increase . It 's `` important that we get it right , '' he told a U.S. Army audience . Gates said that it 's also `` important that all of us ... provide the best advice to the president candidly but privately . '' Gen. George Casey , chief of staff of the Army , echoed Gates ' view , telling reporters that he would be sharing his views `` in private '' and that they 'd be `` the second to know . '' Obama has yet to respond to McChrystal 's report , prompting opponents to accuse him of indecisiveness and playing politics that puts U.S. soldiers on the ground at risk . Watch more on the debate over the best way forward » . National Security Adviser James Jones Jr. on Sunday cited three developments since March that have led the White House to reconsider its overall Afghanistan strategy : . • Questions about the legitimacy of Afghan President Hamid Karzai 's election victory . • McChrystal 's conclusion that the Taliban is stronger than previously thought . • Neighboring Pakistan 's improved efforts to change the overall dynamic of the border region . `` The key in Afghanistan is to have a triad of things happen simultaneously , '' Jones said on CNN 's `` State of the Union , '' listing improved security , economic development and `` good governance and the rule of law . '' Jones said Karzai 's government `` is going to have to pitch in and do much better '' than it has to improve the governance situation after the elections , widely considered as tainted by vote fraud in some areas . Some in Obama 's inner circle , including Vice President Joe Biden , are advocating a counterterrorism approach that focuses on combating al Qaeda through the use of unmanned drones and special forces without involving additional troops . Others , especially McChrystal , are strongly advocating the broader counterinsurgency approach , which requires a much larger U.S. military footprint in the country . See who has Obama 's ear on Afghanistan » . Sen. John McCain of Arizona and other Senate Republicans -- as well as other advocates of an increase in troop levels -- are pushing for McChrystal to testify before Congress about his assessment . Senate Armed Service Committee Chairman Carl Levin , D-Michigan , rejected their request nearly two weeks ago , calling it `` premature . '' Eight American troops and two Afghan security force members were killed Saturday when militants opened fire on an outpost with rockets , mortars and heavy-caliber machine guns , according to an initial U.S. military report on the battle . The bodies of four of those U.S. soldiers -- Army Sgt . Joshua Kirk , of South Portland , Maine ; Specialists Michael Scusa of Villas , New Jersey , and Christopher Griffin , of Kincheloe , Michigan ; and Pfc . Kevin Thomson , of Reno , Nevada -- are scheduled to be brought back to the United States on Tuesday , the Pentagon said . It was the largest number of Americans killed by hostile action in a single day in Afghanistan since July 2008 , according to CNN records . CNN 's Ed Henry and Laurie Ure contributed to this report .
Heads of Armed Services and Foreign Relations panels in Washington will attend . Meeting comes amid comprehensive review of American policy in Afghanistan . The Pentagon reportedly has warned the mission could fail without more troops . Some advisers suggest counterterrorism approach without adding troops .