Undeployed Soldiers Targeted for Combat

The Army is planning to deploy 37,000 active-duty soldiers who have not yet served a combat tour. During the more than six years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, only 59.4 percent of the 515,000 active-duty soldiers have served one or more tours in the Central Command area of operations. Another 33.4 percent who have not yet gone to combat are either in units tagged for deployment or are serving in slots that prevent them from deployment until their tours end. That leaves 7.2 percent, or some 37,000, who are being targeted for deployment. One plan will be to reduce tour lengths for some soldiers in Training and Doctrine Command by replacing them with combat-experienced soldiers, according to officials. The deployments of those soldiers, however, depends upon replacements by others who’s deployments have been extended to 15 months, so the process won’t happen overnight.