deployment

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Iraq, Afghanistan Deployments Don't Raise Suicide Risk

But further research needed to analyze combat exposure: scientists

(Newser) - Don't blame the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq just yet for the growing number of military suicides. That's the conclusion of a new study published in JAMA Psychiatry that finds the suicide rate of troops deployed there was only a bit higher than that of troops who've...

HOA to Family: Take Down Sailor's Welcome Sign

Attorney says sign can only be up 2 weeks before, after leave

(Newser) - Anthony Marsiglia is in the Navy, currently deployed on an aircraft carrier, but coming home in the next few weeks. His family had a "welcome" sign hanging outside their Louisiana home for him—until their Lafayette homeowner's association instructed them, via attorney, to take it down. The Frenchman'...

Dad, Daughter Deploying to Afghanistan Together

Michael and Miranda Mogg leaving in the next month

(Newser) - As the child of two Army soldiers, Miranda Mogg grew up moving from place to place, her father often away. Now, the two will get a chance to be together for nine straight months, as they deploy to Afghanistan as members of the same brigade. Miranda, an intelligence analyst, will...

200 US Troops Headed to Jordan—and It's a Big Deal

LAT explains it's the first acknowledged step toward military involvement in Syria

(Newser) - Some 200 US troops are headed to Jordan, where some US troops are already stationed. So why is this deployment notable? How it's being played:
  • The Los Angeles Times pulls no punches in its explanation: "The move marks the first deployment that Pentagon officials explicitly described as a
...

First Wave of US Marines Arrives in Australia

Deployment widely seen as a check on Chinese power

(Newser) - A group of 180 US Marines arrived last night in Darwin, Australia, in the first wave of what will eventually be a 2,500-strong US presence on the island continent. Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith officially welcomed the Marines in a ceremony today, the New York Times reports. "One...

US May Deploy Aircraft Carrier to Korean Waters

Pentagon mulls sending USS George Washington

(Newser) - The US is considering deploying one of the world's biggest warships to the waters off the Korean peninsula where the sinking of a South Korean warship has raised tensions with the North. The nuclear-powered USS George Washington would be deployed separately from upcoming joint US-South Korean exercises, defense officials say....

Mental, Not Physical, Illness Hospitalizes Most US Troops

As mental illness increases, cost of care skyrockets

(Newser) - For the first time on record, more US troops were hospitalized for mental illness last year than for any other reason, according to new data from the Pentagon. The year saw 17,538 mental health hospitalizations, which narrowly topped childbirth (17,354) and far outstripped injuries or battle wounds (11,...

Army Wives Get Their Own Training: Burlesque

'Operation Bombshell' good for lonely women and returning men

(Newser) - Operation Bombshell is not taking place in some far-off locale, but right here at home, and it’s our troops who are on the receiving end of some pretty heavy firepower: their wives’ burlesque talents. As a friendly neighborhood service, a dancer-turned-Army-wife is schooling her compatriots in some tricks intended...

Parents' Deployments Hit Kids Extra Hard

Broad study finds children of all ages more likely to struggle

(Newser) - Kids whose parents are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan struggle with their emotions and responsibilities far more than children of civilians, a large new study reveals. Children of service members were twice as likely to report anxiety, emotional problems, and other symptoms of stress than their civilian counterparts. "Kids...

Pentagon to Send 30K New Troops to Afghanistan

Heartland strategy seeks to cut off Taliban's supply of fighters, drug money

(Newser) - US commanders are finalizing plans to beat back the resurgent Taliban with tens of thousands of extra American troops in Afghanistan, the Wall Street Journal reports. As part of Barack Obama's emerging strategy, reinforcements will be deployed in rural areas where Kabul's grip is weak, including along the border with...

US Focus in Afghanistan Shifts to Kabul

Some 3,500 troops will guard capital region

(Newser) - January’s US troop deployments in Afghanistan will focus on areas near Kabul, reflecting rising security concerns about the capital, the New York Times reports. The move marks the first time large numbers of troops will be deployed to regions south of the city. The 3,500 to 4,000...

Bush to Shorten Iraq Tours, Halt Drawdowns

Combat tours shortened to one year

(Newser) - President Bush is expected to announce today that the drawdown of US troops in Iraq will be suspended—once forces reach their presurge level in July—because of a resurgence of fighting, reports the Washington Post. The decision, urged by Gen. David Petraeus, means the number of troops in Iraq...

Combat Tours to Be Cut
 Combat Tours to Be Cut 
Apr 5, 2008 5:20 AM CDT

Combat Tours to Be Cut

Tours of duty to be cut back to 12 months; Congress to hear troop cut proposals

(Newser) - American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are to have their combat tours cut from 15 months to 12 beginning late this summer. The White House plans a formal announcement next week, an insider told the AP. Tours were lengthened last year to boost troop levels in Iraq, and the Army...

Army Allowing Spouses to Live Together in Iraq

Long-standing policy gives way in name of boosting morale, re-enlistment

(Newser) - Desperate to combat sagging morale from repeated deployments to Iraq, the US Army has quietly eased rules against married soldiers living together at war, the AP reports. Wedded soldiers in certain camps can now cohabitate in private trailers. "It makes a lot of things easier," said soldier and...

Iraq Tours to Cut by 3 Months This Summer

Top Army general plans to return to yearlong stints

(Newser) - American soldiers deployed to Iraq this summer will likely serve shorter tours, the AP reports. Soldiers at war today are serving 15 months and coming home for a year before going back to Iraq for another tour. War tours are expected to be shortened to 12 months for units leaving...

US Marines Want Out of Iraq
US Marines Want Out of Iraq
Oct 11, 2007 3:15 AM CDT

US Marines Want Out of Iraq

Commander calls for lead Afghan role instead

(Newser) - The US Marine Corps is lobbying to be withdrawn from Iraq and instead be given the lead role in Afghanistan, reports the New York Times. The move would leave the Army with primary responsibility for the increasingly unpopular war in Iraq. Supporters believe it would allow the branches to operate...

Senate Nixes Limits on Iraq Deployments

Webb's proposal tests congress's support for pullout plans

(Newser) - The Senate failed to push through an amendment to a military appropriations bill that would have drastically cut troop deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, effectively slicing the number of troops on the ground. The measure, cosponsored by Virginia Democrat Jim Webb and increasingly fractious Republican Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, fell...

Soldier Sues Over Fifth Deployment
Soldier Sues Over Fifth Deployment
Jul 9, 2007 8:22 AM CDT

Soldier Sues Over Fifth Deployment

Reservist takes Army to court over tour he says could cost him home, job

(Newser) - A 26-year-old sergeant is suing the army to prevent his fifth deployment to Iraq, claiming that the Army follows inconsistent policies in mobilizing reserves. The military wants reservist Erik Botta return to Iraq next week, the Miami Herald reports, but Botta is suing to stop the order he says will...

Prince Harry Heads for Iraq
Prince Harry Heads for Iraq
Apr 27, 2007 6:04 AM CDT

Prince Harry Heads for Iraq

(Newser) - England's Prince Harry is scheduled to deploy to south-east Iraq with his regiment next month, in spite of misgivings about the high-profile royal becoming a target for insurgents. The British Ministry of Defense continues to support his deployment, saying that holding him back would be a "tremendous propaganda coup"...

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