Improved security in Iraq will give the U.S. military flexibility to do more in Afghanistan in coming months, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday. But even as Gates hinted at possible further troop cuts in Iraq, he said a go-slow approach is justified by several circumstances, including slow progress on the political front. "Our military commanders do not yet believe our gains are necessarily enduring," he said. Gates said sectarian tensions have the potential to undo recent security progress.