Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Army Times
May 26, 2008
Pg. 8
Active BCTs among first to return to 12-month tours
By Michelle Tan
Seven active Army and four Army National Guard brigade combat teams are preparing for the next round of Iraq deployments, which are to begin this fall, sources told Army Times.
An additional Guard brigade is expected to be alerted for duty in Afghanistan.
An official Defense Department announcement of the next rotation is expected to be made in the near future.
More than 38,000 soldiers will be affected by these deployments, which are part of the regular rotation of forces into Iraq and Afghanistan.
The current plan includes some 21,000 active-duty troops slated to begin deploying in late fall, likely between October and December. These soldiers make up the first large group of soldiers who will deploy for 12 months instead of 15. Active Army soldiers have been serving 15-month tours in the Central Command area of operations, which includes Iraq and Afghanistan, since April 2007.
President Bush announced April 10 that deployments will return to 12 months beginning Aug. 1, which coincides with the end of the surge of five brigades into Iraq.
The active Army brigades slated to deploy this fall:
*2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo. The brigade completed its second Iraq tour in January 2006, during which it supported Iraqi security forces in Najaf, Karbala and the northern Babil Province.
*3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. The unit served a one-year tour in Afghanistan from April 2004 to April 2005, and a 15-month tour in Kirkuk, Iraq, from July 2006 to October 2007.
*2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. The brigade was recently reflagged from 3rd BCT, 1st Armored Division. Before the reflagging, the unit was based in Germany and completed a 15-month Iraq tour in November 2007. Upon its return the brigade cased its colors and was reflagged as the 172nd Infantry Brigade.
*3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. The brigade has completed three combat tours since the U.S. went to war after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, deploying to Afghanistan from July 2002 to January 2003 and to Iraq from August 2003 to April 2004 and August 2006 to October 2007.
*172nd Infantry Brigade, Schweinfurt, Germany. The 172nd deployed to Iraq in August 2005 and was extended for four months. The unit completed a 16-month tour and redeployed in November 2006. Upon its return, the unit was redesignated as the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division in Alaska. The 172nd was brought back on the active rolls in March 2008 with the reflagging of the Germany-based 2nd BCT, 1st Infantry Division.
*3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. This will be the brigade’s third deployment. The unit deployed to Iraq in 2004 and again in 2007.
*1st Stryker Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska. The brigade began its conversion to a Stryker brigade in 2002 and deployed to Iraq in October 2004, returning to Fort Lewis, Wash., in September 2005. The unit’s personnel and equipment were assigned to the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment and moved to Vilseck, Germany, in June 2006. The unit was temporarily inactive, but was reactivated in December 2006.
A Defense Department press officer would not discuss the tentative deployment schedule.
“The Department of Defense issues deployment announcements at the appropriate time,” said Army Lt. Col. Mark Ballesteros. “When we have something to announce, we will announce it.”
Army spokesman Paul Boyce on May 16 said only that notice about deployments would come through the Defense Department after soldiers and family members in identified units have been notified.
While DoD had not made the official announcement at press time, various military sources identified the units to deploy next. At least four of the BCTs had either completed training at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., or were preparing to do so as part of the standard pre-deployment workup, and local news reports have cited these units and their preparations to go to the war zone.
Specifics on when and where these BCTs will deploy have not been released, but soldiers in these units are expected to serve one-year tours.
“We’re currently planning 12-month deployments for these brigades,” a senior Army official, who asked to remain anonymous, told Army Times.
Much of the Army’s plans hinge on conditions on the ground and the demand for troops by commanders in theater. The planning figure provided to the Army for the foreseeable future is 13 BCTs in Iraq and two in Afghanistan.
“All those numbers could change literally overnight,” the official said. “The Army has no control over this. The Army meets requirements. The Army doesn’t set requirements.”
However, if demand remains the same and conditions in theater allow it, brigade combat teams that come home in fiscal years 2009 and 2010 should receive more than 12 months of dwell time, the official said. This plan affects not only the seven brigades preparing to deploy this fall, but also those that are currently deployed and scheduled to return during those fiscal years.
Far from clear is how the election of a new president, who will take office in January, will affect deployments and force levels in the war zones.
Outlook for dwell time
For BCTs returning to their home stations in fiscal 2009, five are planned to receive more than 18 months of dwell time, six are planned for 15 to 18 months of dwell, and five others are scheduled to have between 12 and 15 months at home, the official said.
Among the units coming home in fiscal 2010, seven BCTs will receive 18 or more months at home, three will receive 15 to 18 months of dwell, and seven will be home for fewer than 15 months.
The difference in dwell time is based mostly on the type of brigade needed in theater — light, heavy or Stryker, the official said.
In fiscal 2009, the active Army will have 19 light, 18 heavy and six Stryker BCTs on hand. Those numbers grow to 23 light, 19 heavy and six Strykers — for a total of 48 BCTs — on hand in 2012, he said.
In addition to BCTs, “enablers” in combat support and combat service support units make up about half of the force overseas. Those soldiers also will return to 12-month tours beginning Aug. 1, but the demand for them has not decreased, the official said.
“If you’re not in a BCT, demand for your type of unit does not appear to be changing, and you can probably plan on the same [boots on the ground] and dwell levels you’ve been experiencing,” he said. “Your dwell will be about the same as you’ve been seeing in the past … for the foreseeable future.”
Deploying Guard units will be mobilized for no more than 12 months, according to a policy announced in January 2007 by Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Guard mobilizations
Four Guard BCTs were identified by sources as having been alerted for possible mobilization to Iraq. About 14,000 soldiers are affected, but they are not scheduled to deploy until at least late fiscal 2009.
The soldiers, who will be tasked to perform security forces missions in Iraq, including base defense and route security, belong to:
*72nd BCT, Texas National Guard.
*2nd BCT, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania National Guard. The unit last deployed to Anbar Province, Iraq, in 2005. The unit returned in June 2006.
*256th BCT, Louisiana National Guard. The unit returned from Iraq in September 2005 and was activated almost immediately to help with recovery and relief in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
*278th BCT, Tennessee National Guard. The unit deployed to Iraq from December 2004 to October 2005, operating along the Iranian border in Diyala Province.
These units are scheduled to replace the following Guard brigades, which will deploy to Iraq this fall: 56th BCT, 36th Infantry Division, Texas; 29th BCT, Hawaii; 81st BCT, Washington.
In addition, the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division in Pennsylvania and the 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team from North Carolina will deploy in spring 2009 to replace two active Army brigades currently in Iraq. That means they will have their own battle space and conduct full-spectrum combat operations. Also, the 50th BCT of New Jersey will deploy in the fall to run detention operations in Iraq and the 33rd BCT of Illinois will deploy to Afghanistan.
Those soldiers were alerted in October 2007 and have been preparing since then for their deployments.
Officials also were to announce that more than 3,100 soldiers from the Vermont National Guard’s 86th BCT have been alerted to deploy to Afghanistan in the spring of 2010 to train the Afghan National Security Forces.
May 26, 2008
Pg. 8
Active BCTs among first to return to 12-month tours
By Michelle Tan
Seven active Army and four Army National Guard brigade combat teams are preparing for the next round of Iraq deployments, which are to begin this fall, sources told Army Times.
An additional Guard brigade is expected to be alerted for duty in Afghanistan.
An official Defense Department announcement of the next rotation is expected to be made in the near future.
More than 38,000 soldiers will be affected by these deployments, which are part of the regular rotation of forces into Iraq and Afghanistan.
The current plan includes some 21,000 active-duty troops slated to begin deploying in late fall, likely between October and December. These soldiers make up the first large group of soldiers who will deploy for 12 months instead of 15. Active Army soldiers have been serving 15-month tours in the Central Command area of operations, which includes Iraq and Afghanistan, since April 2007.
President Bush announced April 10 that deployments will return to 12 months beginning Aug. 1, which coincides with the end of the surge of five brigades into Iraq.
The active Army brigades slated to deploy this fall:
*2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo. The brigade completed its second Iraq tour in January 2006, during which it supported Iraqi security forces in Najaf, Karbala and the northern Babil Province.
*3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. The unit served a one-year tour in Afghanistan from April 2004 to April 2005, and a 15-month tour in Kirkuk, Iraq, from July 2006 to October 2007.
*2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. The brigade was recently reflagged from 3rd BCT, 1st Armored Division. Before the reflagging, the unit was based in Germany and completed a 15-month Iraq tour in November 2007. Upon its return the brigade cased its colors and was reflagged as the 172nd Infantry Brigade.
*3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. The brigade has completed three combat tours since the U.S. went to war after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, deploying to Afghanistan from July 2002 to January 2003 and to Iraq from August 2003 to April 2004 and August 2006 to October 2007.
*172nd Infantry Brigade, Schweinfurt, Germany. The 172nd deployed to Iraq in August 2005 and was extended for four months. The unit completed a 16-month tour and redeployed in November 2006. Upon its return, the unit was redesignated as the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division in Alaska. The 172nd was brought back on the active rolls in March 2008 with the reflagging of the Germany-based 2nd BCT, 1st Infantry Division.
*3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. This will be the brigade’s third deployment. The unit deployed to Iraq in 2004 and again in 2007.
*1st Stryker Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska. The brigade began its conversion to a Stryker brigade in 2002 and deployed to Iraq in October 2004, returning to Fort Lewis, Wash., in September 2005. The unit’s personnel and equipment were assigned to the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment and moved to Vilseck, Germany, in June 2006. The unit was temporarily inactive, but was reactivated in December 2006.
A Defense Department press officer would not discuss the tentative deployment schedule.
“The Department of Defense issues deployment announcements at the appropriate time,” said Army Lt. Col. Mark Ballesteros. “When we have something to announce, we will announce it.”
Army spokesman Paul Boyce on May 16 said only that notice about deployments would come through the Defense Department after soldiers and family members in identified units have been notified.
While DoD had not made the official announcement at press time, various military sources identified the units to deploy next. At least four of the BCTs had either completed training at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., or were preparing to do so as part of the standard pre-deployment workup, and local news reports have cited these units and their preparations to go to the war zone.
Specifics on when and where these BCTs will deploy have not been released, but soldiers in these units are expected to serve one-year tours.
“We’re currently planning 12-month deployments for these brigades,” a senior Army official, who asked to remain anonymous, told Army Times.
Much of the Army’s plans hinge on conditions on the ground and the demand for troops by commanders in theater. The planning figure provided to the Army for the foreseeable future is 13 BCTs in Iraq and two in Afghanistan.
“All those numbers could change literally overnight,” the official said. “The Army has no control over this. The Army meets requirements. The Army doesn’t set requirements.”
However, if demand remains the same and conditions in theater allow it, brigade combat teams that come home in fiscal years 2009 and 2010 should receive more than 12 months of dwell time, the official said. This plan affects not only the seven brigades preparing to deploy this fall, but also those that are currently deployed and scheduled to return during those fiscal years.
Far from clear is how the election of a new president, who will take office in January, will affect deployments and force levels in the war zones.
Outlook for dwell time
For BCTs returning to their home stations in fiscal 2009, five are planned to receive more than 18 months of dwell time, six are planned for 15 to 18 months of dwell, and five others are scheduled to have between 12 and 15 months at home, the official said.
Among the units coming home in fiscal 2010, seven BCTs will receive 18 or more months at home, three will receive 15 to 18 months of dwell, and seven will be home for fewer than 15 months.
The difference in dwell time is based mostly on the type of brigade needed in theater — light, heavy or Stryker, the official said.
In fiscal 2009, the active Army will have 19 light, 18 heavy and six Stryker BCTs on hand. Those numbers grow to 23 light, 19 heavy and six Strykers — for a total of 48 BCTs — on hand in 2012, he said.
In addition to BCTs, “enablers” in combat support and combat service support units make up about half of the force overseas. Those soldiers also will return to 12-month tours beginning Aug. 1, but the demand for them has not decreased, the official said.
“If you’re not in a BCT, demand for your type of unit does not appear to be changing, and you can probably plan on the same [boots on the ground] and dwell levels you’ve been experiencing,” he said. “Your dwell will be about the same as you’ve been seeing in the past … for the foreseeable future.”
Deploying Guard units will be mobilized for no more than 12 months, according to a policy announced in January 2007 by Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
Guard mobilizations
Four Guard BCTs were identified by sources as having been alerted for possible mobilization to Iraq. About 14,000 soldiers are affected, but they are not scheduled to deploy until at least late fiscal 2009.
The soldiers, who will be tasked to perform security forces missions in Iraq, including base defense and route security, belong to:
*72nd BCT, Texas National Guard.
*2nd BCT, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania National Guard. The unit last deployed to Anbar Province, Iraq, in 2005. The unit returned in June 2006.
*256th BCT, Louisiana National Guard. The unit returned from Iraq in September 2005 and was activated almost immediately to help with recovery and relief in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
*278th BCT, Tennessee National Guard. The unit deployed to Iraq from December 2004 to October 2005, operating along the Iranian border in Diyala Province.
These units are scheduled to replace the following Guard brigades, which will deploy to Iraq this fall: 56th BCT, 36th Infantry Division, Texas; 29th BCT, Hawaii; 81st BCT, Washington.
In addition, the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division in Pennsylvania and the 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team from North Carolina will deploy in spring 2009 to replace two active Army brigades currently in Iraq. That means they will have their own battle space and conduct full-spectrum combat operations. Also, the 50th BCT of New Jersey will deploy in the fall to run detention operations in Iraq and the 33rd BCT of Illinois will deploy to Afghanistan.
Those soldiers were alerted in October 2007 and have been preparing since then for their deployments.
Officials also were to announce that more than 3,100 soldiers from the Vermont National Guard’s 86th BCT have been alerted to deploy to Afghanistan in the spring of 2010 to train the Afghan National Security Forces.