WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon announced a plan on Wednesday to replace weary military personnel in Iraq with fresh American and international troops in the coming months, with most U.S. soldiers facing yearlong deployments. The long-awaited troop-rotation plan for the postwar stabilization force in Iraq features the first-ever deployment of a new Army brigade built around the high-tech "Stryker" armored vehicle, and also calls for activating thousands more Army National Guard soldiers. The Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) will be sent home in September and replaced by elements of the 82nd Airborne Division, acting Army Chief of Staff Gen. Jack Keane told a Pentagon briefing.
Read the rest of the article for a more detailed description of the rotation plan. |