CommunityEditor
01-14-2009, 08:23 PM
The Army chief of staff said Wednesday that he projects there will be a “slight increase” in the number of soldiers deployed between now and mid-2010.
“I see our committed strength going up slightly and staying up until about the middle of 2010,” Gen. George W. Casey said at a morning meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army in Arlington, Va.
About 140, 000 soldiers are now deployed in support of operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait, according to the Army operations shop.
Casey told his audience that “Iraq and Afghanistan are not going to go away” and said he does not yet know how decisions made by the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama will impact the Army.
“We don’t know where this is going to come out, but I don’t see much reduction until the middle of 2010,” Casey said.
“We’re probably not going to have everything out of Iraq on the timelines we need to have it in Afghanistan. So I think maybe, a slight increase,” Casey said, in reference to a previously announced increase in forces in Afghanistan by 20,000 by this summer.
Casey described the slight increase as a temporary measure, declining to pinpoint an exact number of troops or identify the units under consideration for deployment.
It is unlikely that any significant number of people serving in Iraq would be sent directly to Afghanistan, he said, pointing to the example of the 10th Mountain Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team, which had orders for Iraq and was diverted to Afghanistan instead.
The brigade is in the process of deploying from Fort Drum, N.Y.
Casey said he didn’t expect the deployment of additional soldiers to disrupt the progress the Army is making in providing more dwell time for soldiers.
Article: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/01/army_caseyausa_011409w/
“I see our committed strength going up slightly and staying up until about the middle of 2010,” Gen. George W. Casey said at a morning meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army in Arlington, Va.
About 140, 000 soldiers are now deployed in support of operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait, according to the Army operations shop.
Casey told his audience that “Iraq and Afghanistan are not going to go away” and said he does not yet know how decisions made by the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama will impact the Army.
“We don’t know where this is going to come out, but I don’t see much reduction until the middle of 2010,” Casey said.
“We’re probably not going to have everything out of Iraq on the timelines we need to have it in Afghanistan. So I think maybe, a slight increase,” Casey said, in reference to a previously announced increase in forces in Afghanistan by 20,000 by this summer.
Casey described the slight increase as a temporary measure, declining to pinpoint an exact number of troops or identify the units under consideration for deployment.
It is unlikely that any significant number of people serving in Iraq would be sent directly to Afghanistan, he said, pointing to the example of the 10th Mountain Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team, which had orders for Iraq and was diverted to Afghanistan instead.
The brigade is in the process of deploying from Fort Drum, N.Y.
Casey said he didn’t expect the deployment of additional soldiers to disrupt the progress the Army is making in providing more dwell time for soldiers.
Article: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/01/army_caseyausa_011409w/