LONDON, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- British military officials say they're revamping regulations to allow soldiers more family time in between foreign deployments.
Gen. Richard Dannatt, head of the British Army, announced the changes Monday in a speech at the Institute for Public Policy Research think tank, The Times of London reported. The new rules will increase the gaps between foreign deployments from 2 years to 2 1/2 years.
"Many families and marriages have unfortunately fallen victim to the relentless pace of operations," Dannatt said. "A gap of one year between operational deployment is not unusual. Often soldiers are spending much of the year before deployment away from home in training and preparation. This is unacceptable."
The Times said Dannatt has made the changes to avoid the break-up of families and stop the exodus of experienced soldiers from the Army after constant operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for the last six years.
