With Tuesday’s announcement, the Pentagon has issued
deployment orders for 25,000 of the 30,000 additional troops approved
by the Obama administration.
The orders come amid reports of
“It is January, and we have 25,000 of the 30,000 identified and with deployment orders to go,” said
Tuesday’s announcement included 2,600 soldiers assigned to the
They will join more than 7,500 Marines from
The additional troops will increase the size of the U.S. force in
Citing security concerns, Whitman would not release the precise date that the aviation brigade would deploy to
When the new
officials said they wanted the surge forces to be in place within six
months. During congressional testimony later, top Pentagon officials
said the buildup would be completed by the fall.
Waving off talk of tension, officials have insisted that both the
and Pentagon want the troops in place in order to have maximum impact.
One official, speaking about the internal planning process on condition
of anonymity, said that nearly all of the forces would be in place by
August.
The logistics of moving extra forces into
pose formidable challenges. Not only must extra equipment for the
forces be shipped or flown into the country, but facilities to feed and
shelter the troops must be constructed.
Although some bases in
are built up, with regular barracks and expansive chow halls, military
leaders are pushing for troops to travel more lightly and live in
austere conditions.
New facilities will be bare-bones compared with existing large bases at
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