US Army considers shorter Iraq, Afghanistan tours

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.

The 12-month tour, however, will continue as long as the situation in Iraq or Afghanistan requires the current level of forces, he said.

The change was part of the Army's effort to convince current soldiers to re-enlist when their military commitment ends, and to persuade young people to join the military when they have become increasingly reluctant to sign up because of fears of dangers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Recruiting has been depressed for the US Army by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and by yearlong combat call-ups for part-time Guard members and reservists.

The Army has missed its recruiting goals for the last two months. To expand its pool of potential enlistees, the Army has raised the maximum age for recruits for the National Guard and the Army Reserve by five years, from the current 34 years to 39.

Source: Xinhua