Speaking to reporters this morning in the Rose Garden, President Bush once again scolded Democrats for attaching a troop withdrawal deadline to the emergency supplemental spending bill for Iraq. He renewed his threat of a presidential veto and said that further delay in funding will hurt in various ways, including forcing the Pentagon to extend current deployments beyond the planned end dates and by reducing the time soldiers get at home between overseas deployments. A White House transcript is available here, and see video below.
But some of that is already in the cards, points out Senior Editor Anna Mulrine, who covers defense. She reported last week that Air Force Gen. Lance Smith, head of the Joint Forces Command, is anticipating extended deployments and shorter home "dwell times" for soldiers rotated out of Iraq and Afghanistan if the Iraq "surge" continues through the summer.
Regardless of the budget fight, deployment extensions are becoming common: On Monday, for instance, the Pentagon announced a 45-day deployment extension for about 1,000 soldiers who are part of the Hawaii-based 25th Infantry Division Headquarters and the 25th Special Troops Battalion (including the 25th Infantry Division Band). Also, the Pentagon announced that the 4th Infantry Division headquarters, based in Fort Hood, Texas, will redeploy to Iraq 81 days ahead of schedule--and after less than seven months at home.
Etc.: Of 44 Army Brigades, Only One Hasn't Seen Iraq or Afghanistan, on the News Desk at USNews.com
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