Army aims for combat tour cuts in July

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Army aims for combat tour cuts in July
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, February 27, 2008

WASHINGTON — Army officials are aiming for a return to 12-month combat tours in July, provided extra troops aren’t needed in Iraq or Afghanistan in the near future.

Army Chief of Staff George Casey Jr. told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that officials have begun discussing a return to the yearlong deployments in lieu of the current 15-month tours if troops levels in Iraq are brought down to early 2007 levels.

About 30,000 troops deployed to Iraq last year as part of the “surge” are scheduled to return home by this summer. If they aren’t replaced, the moves would leave 13 Army brigades in Iraq and two more in Afghanistan. There are also two Marine brigade equivalents in Iraq.

“As long as we get to 15 brigades deployed (in Iraq and Afghanistan) by July, our goal would be to get deployments down to 12 months,” Casey said. “Even if the brigade level stays there and isn’t decreased, it will still be possible to get down to 12 months.”

Earlier this month, Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen told Congress he believes the 15-month tours, in place since April 2007, put too much strain on soldiers and their families.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52850