Army Chief of Staff Casey: Deployments may extend past 15 months

Soliders with 10th Mountain Division prepare to destroy a bridge near Carghuli Village on July 3rd. The bridge is used by insurgents moving through the "belts" around Baghdad.

FORT BLISS, Texas — After five years of war, the U.S. Army is stretched thin and long deployments are taking a toll on soldiers and their families, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey said Tuesday.

Casey, who became the 36th Army chief of staff in April, said the continuing war in Iraq has put so much pressure on the Army that limiting deployments to 15 months can’t be guaranteed.

“I had that same question from the families today and what I told them was I can’t guarantee that it won’t go beyond 15 months,” Casey said, following a tour of the Texas post and meetings with soldiers and families stationed there. “However, I am personally concerned about the impact on the soldiers operating in that environment [Iraq], of asking them to stay there longer than 15 months.”

He said he would do everything he can “to ensure that we don’t put them additionally at risk.”

Read the the rest at Army Times

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