Well, at least it will bring the unemployment rate down.
Army Moves to Hold Onto Troops
By Esther Schrader
Times Staff Writer
10:04 AM PDT, June 2, 2004
WASHINGTON — Overstretched by conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Army said today it would keep thousands of soldiers beyond their contractual commitments as it scrambles to maintain 138,000 troops on the ground without permanently increasing personnel.
Lt. Gen. Franklin Hagenbeck, the Army's personnel chief, announced the latest move, which puts what the Army calls "stop-loss orders" into effect for all soldiers deploying to the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts in coming months. Such orders prevent troops from retiring or rotating out of their units for as long as the units are deployed and for 90 days after they return — even if the extension exceeds their contractual term of service.
The decision is certain to stir controversy in the ranks.
The Army has instituted similar orders during the conflicts. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, Hagenbeck said, some 45,000 soldiers have been ordered to remain in the service beyond the contractual end to their enlistment.
The new order puts the policy into effect for all soldiers whose units are involved directly in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, and could continue for several years.
