The decisions announced Monday affect home stays for the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division, based at Ft. Drum, N.Y., which will be home for 10 1/2 months before returning to Iraq in June, and the headquarters of the 4th Infantry Division, based at Ft. Hood, Texas, which will be returning to Iraq in August after less than 10 months at home.
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Pair of Army units will return to Iraq sooner
The troop buildup is forcing cuts in the normal minimum of a year between tours.
THE CONFLICT IN IRAQ: BOMBING IN KIRKUK; SHORTER HOME STAYS FOR U.S. TROOPS
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This year, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates changed Pentagon policy to make it easier for the military to call up National Guard brigades for second tours of duty in Iraq, a move widely viewed as an effort to take pressure off active-duty units facing short home stays.
Guard units were not called up as part of the latest troop assignments, but Pentagon officials said Guard brigades could be tapped for Iraq duty in the fall to keep the buildup going through the end of the year.
"Stay tuned," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said when asked whether Guard brigades would be headed back to Iraq soon.
Last month, the Pentagon called up 800 California National Guard soldiers to support the buildup, although they have yet to receive any formal orders to deploy to Iraq.
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peter.spiegel@latimes.com
