Shorter Deployments to Reduce Stress

[unhappycamper]

Shorter Deployments to Reduce Stress
April 22, 2008
Army News Service|by C. Todd Lopez

WASHINGTON - Soldiers can now look forward to less time away from their families as the Army finalizes plans for shortened deployment lengths in support of the war on terror.

With the decision by President George W. Bush April 12, the Army will return to 12- month deployments after Aug. 1, said Lt. Gen. James D. Thurman, deputy chief of staff of the Army for G-3 (Operations). He said the shortened tour lengths would be good for both Soldiers and the Army.

"It's going to help us begin to restore the balance that we need to do in the Army," he said. "That will help us reduce that stress and strain on our Soldiers and their families. It will also help us by continuing to build that strategic depth back in the Army."

The change refers now only to the active component of the Army, and will help bring the Army back to a "1 to 1" ratio of deployment time to dwell time -- the period of time following a deployment that allows a unit to reset and re-equip. The general said the Army wants to increase dwell time.

"Ideally, we want to push that out to 15 to 18 months," he said. "We want to get to 18 months because that will allow us to start building back to the full-spectrum capability we need -- we are a counter-insurgency based force."


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/army-news/shorter-deployments-to-reduce-stress.html

[w8liftinglady]

1. bookmark this one...even money says they renig on it

[BrklynLib at work]

2. What I heard is that they will take them out of Iraq and send them to Afghanistan, and say it is

a shorter deployment since they are no longer in Iraq.

I would not bet against you on this. Let's see if they even make a token gesture of bringing the troops home sooner.