-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tue, 22 Apr 2008 8:38 pm Subject: Army 'MUST" continue 'stop-loss' until late 2009 -- or 2011 -- or 2025 ... Beating the Drums of War. US Troop Build-up: Army & Marines Authorize “Involuntary Conscription” http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=20060823&articleId=3042 It is now being openly stated that the U.S. Marines have started recalling or legally summoning thousands of ‘inactive servicemen’ to serve in Iraq and the Middle East, where the number of U.S. troops and contracted security personal are dropping towards haphazard levels[…]. The U.S. Army, undermined by shortfalls in manpower, has ordered over a reported 14,000 ‘inactive servicemen’ back to fight in what is cited as the ‘War on Terror,’ as opposed to ‘fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan.’ Already thousands of servicemen have disserted, even applying for refugee status in Canada, and thousands more are AWOL. […] This seems to be nothing but a [euphemistic] ‘military draft,’ only the continuation of a systematic forced conscription of military troops in a stealthy and cautious manner. Army needs 'stop-loss' until [--at least--] late 2009 By PAULINE JELINEK | Associated Press Writer 2:35 PM CDT, April 21, 2008 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-army-tours,1,7040369.story WASHINGTON - It will be more than a year before the Army can end the unpopular practice of forcing soldiers to stay in the service beyond their retirement or re-enlistment dates, a top official said Monday. Lt. Gen. James D. Thurman, deputy chief of staff for operations, said he hoped that wartime demand for troops will decline enough by around the fall of next year to end "stop-loss." He said there are more than 12,000 currently serving under the practice -- an action that critics have called a "backdoor draft." Thurman also said that as officials continue to increase the size of the Army, it could be possible by the fall of 2011 for troops to be home two years for every year they are deployed. The two issues of stop loss and long tours of duty have been among the Pentagon's most disliked practices among troops. Thousands have been forced to stay in the service beyond their contracts since the start of the global war on terrorism. And tours of duty were increased to 15 months from 12 months a year ago so the Army could come up with the extra forces President Bush ordered for the troop buildup in Iraq. Now that most of the extra troops are being drawn down by the end of July, Bush early this month ordered the tours cut back to 12 months, a move Thurman said would help the Army begin to restore its balance. "We want to reduce the strain and stress on our soldiers and our families," he told a Pentagon news conference. There are currently 17 Army combat brigade teams deployed -- 15 in Iraq and two in Afghanistan. Two are scheduled to come out of Iraq in the drawdown. Though that allows officials to shorten tour lengths, it will be a while before they also can end stop-loss, he said. "As the demand (for troops) comes down, we should be able to get us weaned off of stop-loss ... it's our intent to do that," Thurman said. "But demand exceeds supply right now," he told a Pentagon news conference. He said he hoped, but couldn't promise, that if demand stabilized at around 15 brigades, the use of stop-loss could be ended by the end of budget year 2009, or beginning of budget year 2010. Those currently being held even though their service is supposed to be finished include more than 6,800 active-duty Army, about 3,800 in the Army National Guard and close to 1,500 in the Reserves, he said. The high tempo of operations in recent years has not only strained troops and increased separations and stress on their families, but prevented troops from training for the full range of possible operations. They have focused training on counterinsurgency operations and neglected other skills because counterinsurgency is what's needed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Though the Pentagon is expected to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan sometime next year, Thurman said he had not been asked for such troops. "Could that happen? Yes," he said. The United States now has about 31,000 troops there -- the most since the war began in October 2001 -- and also has been pressing the allies to contribute more. More troops forced to stay in armed forces Despite '07 decision, tours extended more than 6 months on average Tom Vanden Brook USA Today, Apr. 22, 2008 12:00 AM http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/04/22/20080422stop-loss0422.html WASHINGTON - The Army has accelerated its policy of involuntary extensions of duty to bolster its troop levels, despite Defense Secretary Robert Gates' order last year to limit it, Pentagon records show. Gates directed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the service secretaries to minimize mandatory tour extensions, known as "stop loss," in January 2007. By May, the number of soldiers affected by the policy had dropped to a three-year low of 8,540. Since then, the number of soldiers forced to remain in the Army rose 43 percent to 12,235 in March. The reliance on stop loss has increased as the military has sent more troops to Iraq and extended tours to 15 months to support an escalation in U.S. forces ordered by President Bush. The increase last month was driven by the need to send more National Guard soldiers to Iraq. Soldiers affected by stop loss now serve, on average, an extra 6.6 months, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said. Key leaders at the small-unit level (sergeants through sergeants first class) make up 45 percent of those soldiers. Soldiers typically enlist for four-year stints. "Secretary Gates understands the hardship stop loss poses to our troops and their families, but he also understands the need to maintain cohesive units on the battlefield throughout deployment," Morrell said. "Troops who have trained together and fought together should remain together." The trend is alarming, said Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., who wrote a letter on April 17 to Gates urging him "in the strongest terms" to limit stop loss. He says the policy hurts morale, burdens troops' families, damages the credibility of military leaders and threatens recruiting. Stop loss can keep a soldier in the service if his or her unit deploys within 90 days of the end of the soldier's commitment. It is necessary, the Army says, to maintain the integrity of units headed to war. In all, 58,300 soldiers have been affected by stop loss since 2002, according to the Army. That's about 1 percent of active duty, Reserve and National Guard troops. The policy shows the Army is "unraveling a bit" while "under tremendous strain," said Rep. Joe Sestak, a Pennsylvania Democrat and retired vice admiral. Lt. Gen. James Thurman, Pentagon deputy chief of staff for operations, said Monday that he hoped the Army could put a stop to mandatory extensions by fall 2009. Although soldiers understand the reasons for stop loss, it doesn't boost morale, said Robert Sauder, 24, a staff sergeant retained in 2006 when he was preparing to leave the service. Sauder, of Baroda, Mich., said he "was pretty sour about the whole situation." Need a new ride? 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