Should the Army decrease the length of deployments?

You can't just have a specific number to a deployment since they all are different based on mission capability, hostility, etc. Some missions only take 4 months when others take 8. Being in the Navy, we have our deployments that stretch into the 10 month period when usually it should be in the 6 months. If it were easy enough, 6-8 Max would be my line.

I had a 20 month deployment and a 10 month, both different experiences , I is crazy to have anything less then 10-12 months. Waste of time and money anything less

Great write-up.

During my time in the Air Force Security Forces, I would do 6 months away then 6 months home. I actually had one time where I was in Iraq and was relieved by an individual who I relieved just 6 months prior. So while the deployments may be shorter, there is no short supply of continuity on the Air Force front.

What the AD side should possibly be doing is having more continuity like the Army Reserves Civil Affairs have. Each unit is responsible for a different country and or countries. This provides that continuity that we should be requiring for deployments. Also ensures that "We will be back".

Not sure. What is the length of deployment in today's Army. Back in the day, 1960's and 70's (Vietnam) Tour was 13 months for most part with an R & R of up to 4 weeks during that time. I stayed over for 27 months and I was ok with that. I looked forward to R&R trips and to Bob Hope Shows. In fact when I learned a few years ago that rotations were 6 months I was really surprised. Then I have a good buddy who is a O-3 and was due for retirement. Just as soon as he submitted his retirement papers the Army offered him O-4 if he would extend and take a tour in Iraq. He declined with 22 years, he worked his way through the enlisted ranks until he finished college. Anyway, after he refused the Army's generous offer they denied his request for retirement unless he resigned his commission, which he did not want to do. Well, the good ole Army extended him for 18 months with NO advancement in rank and put him in the sand box for 15 months after 3 months of prep training. (He was changed from medical support MOS to Psy Ops!) Anyway, he is home and well.

The Marines don't really have 6 month deployments, even in peace time. We have 24 month "cycles" with 12 up, 12 down, where 6 are "high" and 6 are "low." The preceding 6 months to those are shifts from one to the other. As an example, prior to a MEU (SOC), there is normally a RIMPAC or other SOC qualifier event, as well as a CAX for Conventional Warfare Qualification.

But our deployments are also based on our resources. You have 3 MEUs on the West & East Coast (each) rotating with their respective ARG and BLTs. A 18-24 month schedule works out almost perfectly. If we had 4 MEUs, it would be shorter. If it was 2, it would be longer.

I was stationed at Okinawa, right out of boot camp. It was for 12 months, it went by pretty fast.

I would say either 6 or 9 months. Then, at least that long of stateside down time before redeployment.

Look at it this way- 30 days to acclimate, 30-60 days to learn the terrain and people, 30-60 days to learn how/like to use to kill you, adjust to the higher command- Then it takes you 30-60 days to start to shut down and brief the incoming groups advance party. So you have spent 7 months and just when were you going to do your assigned job?
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Short tours can be extremely detremental in that by the time the unit learns the people and the area they are leaving.

I would say there is a lot of questions in there. First I think the Guard should not be called up before Active units of the same type of unit. I still scratch my head when I see a NG unit get called up when there is an active unit sitting there who hasn't deployed. Second, length of tour, as it takes the Army months to do anything for a deployment you have to get something out of that, or you will be calling up units all the time. As for the other services, Most of the Army never floats on a boat, or has to fly missions all over. So there is that. Lastly, our force structure is such that it is so damn expensive to send units over, you may as well leave them for a while.

Before OIF the deployments for the Army were 6 months. With OEF going on and then added OIF the Army was stretching thin and went to 12 months. Now were are back to pre-OIF since 2011, I think it's long overdue that we need to go back to the 6 months rotation to parts of the world that we are just there to show of force only.

There is no easy answer to this. By keeping rotations at a year or less, we may have extended our operations because with every RIP/TOA, new commanders had to build relationships with all the local leaders. This hurt consistency in our efforts as every commander would do things differently and in some cases stop what the previous unit did. I also think that the constant rotation of units in and out make it feel less like it is an Army at war vs. it is now our turn.

I think this should depend on your units mision. I am support and 1year away sucks but is tolerable because for the most part I live and work on a FOB. Tours for folks that go out on patrol or pn mission need much shorter tours to retain a bit of sanity,

Three to four month deployments is one significant attraction of SOF.

I feel that 9 months should be a minimum with 15 being the longest. You could also have augments from other units fill in if it starts to seem like you are going to need more troops.

I don't think so. That would just make for more multiple deployments. Too hard on the soldier and his family.

No.

No.

they need to cut them down to ( months unless a specific soldier wishes to stay longer and work with incoming Unit...

This is misleading, as you can not compare any of those branches together. The reason is Marines and Navy go out on deployment, for 6-8 Months then return home for training, and workups for next deployment, 12 month home port then back out 6-8 month's. The other issue is Equipment certifications, AirForce and Navy have some more complex systems that have to be re certified after so much use, not like MRAPS or Tanks. Army units are not always deploying on a regular bases, if not at war like Marines, Navy, and Airforce. The other thing is when Marines deploy like OEF/OIF it is 9-10 months, not 6. The 6-8 month deployment and 12 back then out is slandered for Navy and Marine Corps with or without a war, the Army does not deploy all the time like the other branches. If we were not a war the Army would hardly ever deploy, like the other branches.

So remember the same Marine unit on that 6 month deployment MUE, only gets 12 months home then back out for 6-8 months and repeat cycle, this is why we get a Sea Service or Deployment ribbon were as you receive overseas, that is why yours is a 12 month deployment, you are on a year overseas duty station, that is why your DD214's are different form Marines and Navy. I would have given anything to do 1 year out then 2 or 3 years back like Army does, but we don't, and we are lucky they changed to 6-8 out and 12 back it use to be 6 out 6 back then repeat, but that is what the Navy and Marine Mission is to be forward presence, the Army does not have that same mission per-say.