National Guard units from 4 states tapped for possible tour in Iraq

WASHINGTON – About 13,000 National Guard troops are receiving notice to prepare for possible deployment to Iraq, making it the second tour for several thousand of them.\nThe orders had been anticipated, but the specific units were not announced until Monday. \nThey are the Army National Guard’s 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, based in Little Rock, Ark.; 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma City; the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Indianapolis; and the 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Columbus, Ohio.\nThe units would serve as replacement forces in the regular troop rotation for the war, and they would not be connected to the recent military buildup for security operations in Baghdad, the Pentagon said.\n“They are receiving alert orders now in order to provide them the maximum time to complete their preparations,” the Defense Department said. “It also provides a greater measure of predictability for family members and flexibility for employers to plan for military service of their employees.”\nThe final determination on whether the units will deploy will be made based on conditions on the ground in Iraq, officials said.\nThe troop alerts come as President Bush and Congress wrestle over legislation that would set timelines for troop withdrawals from Iraq.\nBush asked for more than $100 billion to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan this year. Congress has approved the money, but the Senate added a provision calling for most U.S. combat troops to be out of Iraq by March 31, 2008. The House version demands a September 2008 withdrawal. Bush has vowed to veto any legislation that includes such deadlines.\nThe Army said some of the troops being alerted now have not yet served in Iraq, but some have served in the campaign in Afghanistan or elsewhere.\nSince November 2002, various elements of Indiana’s 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Their last brigade-level rotation was in support of the Afghan campaign from May 2004 to August 2005.