WASHINGTON, March 28 (UPI) -- If the U.S. "surge" in Iraq lasts past this summer the military will have to look at extending troop deployments beyond a year, a top U.S. general said Wednesday.
If the surge extends into February 2008, it may mean some units will be deployed back to Iraq before they have had a year to rest and retrain back at their bases, said Air Force Gen. Lance Smith, commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command.
"There is a high possibility we would break some 'dwell time' for a small number of units," Smith told reporters.
While the Iraq surge of an additional 30,000 troops -- about six brigades -- creates pressure on the stretched U.S. military to generate troops, the war in Afghanistan is also exreting pressure. The military needs another 3,300 troops to train Afghan soldiers and police.
The U.S. Army's Forces Command has offered up a brigade to meet the requirement, but Smith said that mix of troops may not work. Training foreign troops requires experience, special skills and the kind of confidence and patience unlikely to be resident in the many junior enlisted soldiers in a brigade, Smith said.
The other option is to "cherry pick" soldiers and Marines from across the military. However, said Smith,that depletes brigades of commanders and non-commissioned officers, making the units difficult to deploy.
Congress is considering language now that would require troops to have a year "dwell time" after a year's deployment, a restriction Smith said is unworkable.
"Without taking absolutely a significant risk in other places, it would be very, very difficult," he said. "Are we willing to pull a brigade out of Korea to meet those timelines?"
