US Army considers shorter Iraq, Afghanistan tours

[ECH1969]

The US Army is considering shortening the current one-year term served by troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to as few as six months, a senior general said Thursday.

Lieutenant General Franklin Hagenbeck, the Army's deputy chief of staff for personnel, said the Army is studying six- or nine-month tours of duty, but cautioned that shorter tours would be possible only if the overall troop levels in the two countries could be scaled down with improved situations there.

"Soldiers will tell you they can take a deep breath for six months and they can maintain that level of focus and energy level for six months. In a 12 month tour they can do it, but it takes a greater toll," Hagenbeck said at a news briefing at the Pentagon.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-04/08/content_2803534.htm

[Erika]

1. And we're still there because?

And we're still in Iraq because? And our kids are dying in both countries because?

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Sir, yes Sir, tel me Sir

what if the troops are not scaled down?

What if yuo cannot maintain current recruitment which is lower than needed to replace current manpower needs

Or Sir, can I ask you ONE more qusetion? Wasn't the army running 9 month deployments for a while in Nam, they included the three months Boot Camp...

Oh sorry, for briinging Nam up again...

[Journeyman]

3. Shame on you. . .

puncturing this fool's illusions. . .

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Imagine if the press actually asked those questions?

also knowing how things are done in DoD.. this poor fool is repeating what SecDef is telling him to do.. what yuo want him to loose his pension when he leaves?

[applegrove]

4. Sort of like a Cameo? n/t

[ET Awful]

6. Sure they'll shorten the tour to 6 months, soldiers will just be

required to do more tours. In Iraq for 6 months, home for 2, back for 6, etc.

[hadrons]

7. that's what I was thinking, just more rotations and keep them longer

[dbt]

8. Goddess, I LOVE the smell of bullshit in the morning!

[unhappycamper]

9. what bullshit. these talking head generals remind me of the

fools we had leading the military in the Viet Nam war 'action.' i do notice some differences between then and now:

• Viet Nam didn't have oil
  
• body count was a good thing last time
  
• it's more expensive this time
  

i'm sure there's more, but i don't want to think about it anymore. . . .

[soup]

10. They're going to need a fancy schmancy name for this-

Let's call it Bushigan's Warland.

it'll have a nifty theme song:

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
a tale of an ego trip.
That started from this American port,
aboard this sinking ship...


a well-known mascot:


source: http://www.adage.com/century/icon05.html


established talking points:

security and stability
freedom
and the ever-popular boogeyman - weapons of mass destruction . programs . related activity . intentions

---

Can't go on, it's too early in the day to be this fed up.