Pentagon using more troops for combat

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Defense revealed it's sending a bigger percentage of its troops into combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Some 57 percent of active-duty soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors were deployed to the combat zones in June, compared with 50 percent of the Pentagon's troops in June 2006, USA Today reported Monday.

The biggest jump has come in the Army, where 68 percent of its soldiers were in Afghanistan and Iraq in June compared to 58 percent two years ago. A further 10 percent are in training and soon will be eligible for a combat deployment, Lt. Col. Anne Edgecomb, an Army spokeswoman, told the newspaper.

Another big increase has come in the number of soldiers who have served multiple tours in the combat zones. That figure is 31 percent of U.S. soldiers compared with 20 percent in 2006, USA Today said.