zimv20
Jul 21, 2004, 05:17 PM
link (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-guard21jul21,1,3332329.story?coll=la-home-world)
Troops Could Stay Beyond Limit
Pentagon is considering extending the tours of National Guard troops in Iraq who are nearing the 24-month active-duty maximum.
By Mark Mazzetti
Times Staff Writer
July 21, 2004
WASHINGTON — In yet another sign of the strains on the U.S. military in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks and the Iraq war, the Pentagon for the first time is considering extending the mobilization of National Guard soldiers who will soon hit the federal limit of 24 months of active service, defense officials said Tuesday.
Initially, the decision would affect about 450 soldiers of the Arkansas National Guard who are in Iraq with the 39th Brigade Combat Team. The soldiers, mobilized after Sept. 11 and first sent to the Sinai Peninsula on a peacekeeping rotation, are the first group of National Guard troops to approach the 24-month limit that the Pentagon established days after the terrorist attacks in the United States.
Ultimately, however, waiving the limit in this case might lead to extended deployments for thousands of other reservists and National Guard members in Iraq and Afghanistan, and provide ammunition to critics in Congress who are pushing the Bush administration to increase the size of the military.
In the corridors of the Pentagon, a major concern is that the tempo of deployments since the Sept. 11 attacks will ultimately take its toll on retention and recruitment both in the active service and the reserves. Thus far, the Army has been able to meet recruiting goals for the active force, but is falling short of its 2004 target numbers for the National Guard.
There are now more than 131,000 Army National Guard troops and reservists on active duty, in most cases for 15- to 18-month stints.
Troops Could Stay Beyond Limit
Pentagon is considering extending the tours of National Guard troops in Iraq who are nearing the 24-month active-duty maximum.
By Mark Mazzetti
Times Staff Writer
July 21, 2004
WASHINGTON — In yet another sign of the strains on the U.S. military in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks and the Iraq war, the Pentagon for the first time is considering extending the mobilization of National Guard soldiers who will soon hit the federal limit of 24 months of active service, defense officials said Tuesday.
Initially, the decision would affect about 450 soldiers of the Arkansas National Guard who are in Iraq with the 39th Brigade Combat Team. The soldiers, mobilized after Sept. 11 and first sent to the Sinai Peninsula on a peacekeeping rotation, are the first group of National Guard troops to approach the 24-month limit that the Pentagon established days after the terrorist attacks in the United States.
Ultimately, however, waiving the limit in this case might lead to extended deployments for thousands of other reservists and National Guard members in Iraq and Afghanistan, and provide ammunition to critics in Congress who are pushing the Bush administration to increase the size of the military.
In the corridors of the Pentagon, a major concern is that the tempo of deployments since the Sept. 11 attacks will ultimately take its toll on retention and recruitment both in the active service and the reserves. Thus far, the Army has been able to meet recruiting goals for the active force, but is falling short of its 2004 target numbers for the National Guard.
There are now more than 131,000 Army National Guard troops and reservists on active duty, in most cases for 15- to 18-month stints.
