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Pentagon to alert 8 Guard units for duty
By Associated Press
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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Pentagon is preparing to alert eight National Guard units that they should be ready to go to Iraq or Afghanistan beginning late next summer, The Associated Press has learned.

The U.S. military is reaching out to more Guard units in an effort to maintain needed troop levels, ease some of the strain on the active duty Army and provide security for ports, convoys and other installations.

According to defense officials Wednesday, seven of the units would deploy to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the orders had not yet been signed and the announcement is not expected until the end of this week.

Two of the units will be full combat brigades heading to Iraq - between next summer and into 2009, to serve as part of the rotation with active duty troops. There are currently 20 combat brigades in Iraq, but under plans mapped out by President Bush and his top commanders, that number will gradually drop to 15 next year, as the U.S. reduces its troop presence there.

Those two Guard brigades would include about 3,500 soldiers each - generally the size of a combat brigade. But the other five going to Iraq will be much smaller brigades that are tailored for specialized support operations, mostly security and detainee operations. Their sizes vary, but some would be about 1,000 troops.

The announcement sometime this week will give the Guard units advanced notice of the planned deployment schedule so that they can begin training and preparing. Also, because it looks far into the future, there is always the possibility that plans could change, based on conditions in Iraq.

There are now 171,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, largely because several units are overlapping as some move in and others move out of the country. Once those transitions are complete and the drawdown begins, the level of troops in Iraq could drop to as low as 135,000.

Some of the smaller Guard units would be stationed in Kuwait, where they would provide security for the port there, as well as convoys that move in and out of Iraq.

All together, the Guard announcement would involve about 20,000 soldiers.

Specific brigades were not identified, but they will include units from North Carolina, Oklahoma, Illinois and Hawaii, according to officials. Some of those being alerted this week have done tours in the war zone already, and others would be going for the first time.

A key element of the plan calls for sending the Guard brigades in fully intact units, complete with their own commanders and headquarters, rather than breaking them up and spreading them around, as has been done in Iraq in previous Guard deployments. Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard, has made that a priority, saying his brigades are more effective working as teams.

At the same time, the plan will also allow the citizen soldiers to serve just eight or nine months on the battlefield, as part of a 12-month deployment. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has committed to having Guard soldiers serve in war zones for no more than one year, including the final training time before they leave.

Previously, Guard soldiers would spend up to six months training before going overseas for 12 months - forcing them to be away from home for as long as 18 months. More recently, brigades in Iraq - including some Guard units - saw their deployments extended to up to 15 months on the battlefield.

The new plan would have them spend several months at home training, then the remainder of the year at the battlefront.

As of this summer, more than 185,000 Guard members had served in either Iraq or Afghanistan over the past six years and more than 28,000 of them had been deployed more than once.

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Reader comments on this story - 21 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

God Bless the Soldiers wrote on Oct 26, 2007 3:01 PM:

" nuff sed "

former D.I. 2 wrote on Oct 20, 2007 3:04 AM:

" BUT!! he wont come out the same!!! ive know guys that went awol during peace time and 30 years later they still have a hard time just tieing thier shoes.. we dont take kindly to sissies that think they have the balls to stand in formation with us but when it gets tough they split.. we would rather split thier skulls. thier useless.. why bother joining?? for the money? so ? you cant go find a job so you join ..what mentality. if your not ready to lay your life down everyday then dont even think of joining, we dont want you. our entire army is ready to do this for america but yet i read this crap from americans on here..it makes me sick..i know why the vietnam vets are so p/od no body really cares unless your seen on t.v. or in the paper.. this is sad.. "

former D.I. 1 wrote on Oct 20, 2007 3:03 AM:

" oh please i dont want to here this crap from any of you really..christians that want to kill muslims? come on.. a real christian doesnt want to kill anything..so if your husband doesnt want to serve there ..it will only cost him some time in levenworth.. 5-10 years at best but he will be alive..maybe?? "

John Jordan Smuckentelly wrote on Oct 19, 2007 3:29 PM:

" Why is someone picking on a good Democrat like the BN Democrat? Anyone who calls themselves a Democrat has to be good, right? "

BN Democrat wrote on Oct 19, 2007 3:19 PM:

" Why is a war monger accusing me of being a Convict that was homeschooled? Peace to all of you. "

BN Democrat wrote on Oct 19, 2007 3:15 PM:

" Con Homeschooled? Let us leave the poor Convicts out of this. "

to face it.. wrote on Oct 19, 2007 2:51 PM:

" I agree. My husband just received word last night he is going. Orders are in and they are gearing up to go. No matter what just support the troops and their families. They are doing their job and do not have a choice of to go or not to go. "

Face It wrote on Oct 19, 2007 1:00 PM:

" A large number of IL residents are going. The Dems are doing nothing to withdraw troops. The Dems answer is to put US troops between Turks and Kurds in an otherwise peaceful northern Iraq. Of course, this action by Pelosi did not cost anyone any money. It may cost US military lives, but no money. "

The Cat wrote on Oct 18, 2007 10:07 PM:

" 1. I am still waiting for an explaination on the attacks by Muslims on non Christians and intra Muslim conflicts. By the way, who are and what are the actions of "fanactical Christians"? 2. The troops were sent with equipment that more than did the job in the Gulf War and it was more than sufficient to topple the Saddam regime. Many of the initial IED casualties were in supply and administrative vehicle that were never intended to be in direct enemy contact. As we upgraded the vehicle the Iranians provided upgraded explosives to defeat the armor protection. There is also a limit on what can be done in upgrading equipment without degrading the characteristics of the equipment. "

to BN Democrat wrote on Oct 18, 2007 10:00 PM:

" Again, the art of satire is lost on the Con. Homeschooled? "

To: to The Cat wrote on Oct 18, 2007 4:26 PM:

" Maybe if you were not so busy doing the Tango. You could learn a little about what is in the real world. "

BN Democrat wrote on Oct 18, 2007 4:24 PM:

" We voted to send them without any armor or other equipment. We support the troops that is why we will not give them any equipment. "

to The Cat wrote on Oct 18, 2007 1:04 PM:

" It takes two (or more) to tango. The fanatical Muslims have their share of the blame. That fact in no way changes the fact that the fanactical Christians want to kill Muslims. "

The Cat wrote on Oct 18, 2007 12:12 PM:

" If you think "Christians are out for blood" as the reason the US is responding to 30 years of attacks, how does that account for the fact that the US is religiously diverse and the conflicts in India, Africa, and in Southeast Asia between Muslims and other religions? It also does not account for the conflicts in the Muslim world between different sects and between hard liners and more moderate elements as in Eqypt, Turkey, and the North African countries like Algeria. The "Holy War" is being preached by al-quada, the regime in Iran, the Taliban, and other radical groups. "

to what if wrote on Oct 18, 2007 11:29 AM:

" i believe when you enlist for the military you take your orders when they are given to you! there isnt an option to refuse to go unless you maybe want an dishonorable discharge! "

to The Cat wrote on Oct 18, 2007 10:52 AM:

" That doesn't change the fact that many Christians are out for blood. "

Army Wife 2 wrote on Oct 18, 2007 10:50 AM:

" I think the best thing to do is to continue supporting our troops! My husband will be deployed next Fall along with many other soliders and we just need to continue praying for their safety as well as for the safety of those who are still over there. Thank you troops!! "

what if wrote on Oct 18, 2007 10:37 AM:

" What if they all refused to go? "

The Cat wrote on Oct 18, 2007 10:29 AM:

" To BN "Republican": You seem to have missed the fact that the holy war is against non Muslims by militant Muslims. Although the excuse they give is the atheist aspects of Western culture (pushed by "Progressives"), this has been ongoing since the 7th century and has included Buddhists and Hindus putting a lie to that claim. Good luck and a safe and speedy return to the Guard units and their families. "

army wife wrote on Oct 18, 2007 9:24 AM:

" We have been on alert for this for several months now and knew this was coming. The guys have their training orders for it but are waiting on their deployment orders. Glad to see that we may finally have an answer to this soon. Godspeed to all. "

BN Republican wrote on Oct 18, 2007 9:03 AM:

" This is excellent news. Those atheist Democrats haven't been able to stop our glorious Holy War against the Muslims. "
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