The Army is considering asking the Defense Department to change National Guard and Reserve policy that
currently limits active duty tours to an accumulated amount of 24 months, said a senior Army official
on Jan. 6. The change would authorize repeated call-ups of Reserve Component members for up to two
years at a time. Under current policy, if, for example, a Guard or Reservist was mobilized for six
months after the 9/11 attacks, and again for nine months in Afghanistan, the accumulated 15 months
would prohibit a callup for a standard 12-month tour in Iraq. A new policy of periodic 12- or 24-month
activations would make such individuals available. It also would make all RC personnel subject to
recurring recalls after a specified time between active duty periods.
