Washington, DC – September 9th: The US Army ordered thousands of National
Guard and Army Reserve forces in Iraq and nearby countries to extend their tours of duty
to a year according to a Washington Post story. The new order requires
12-month tours of many Guard and Army Reserve troops, extending their
original 6-month tours. The Army issued the new policy late Friday night
but made no formal announcement of the change. While defense officials
have had authority since the 9-11-01, attacks to activate Guard and reserve
troops for two years, most have been called up for only a year of total
service, the newspaper reported. There are 122,000 Army personnel in
Iraq, including 3,000 National Guard soldiers and 5,000
reservists, Army officials told the Post. Another 5,000 Guard soldiers
and 7,000 reservists are serving in Kuwait.
|
|