Getting your player ready...
WASHINGTON — Soldiers heading to war this summer are likely to see their tours shortened from 15 months to 12 months, even if troop cuts in Iraq are suspended in July as expected, the Army’s top general said Tuesday.
Gen. George Casey said that while his forces are strained by nearly seven years at war, the Army can maintain 15 combat brigades in battle for at least a couple of months after July while military commanders assess the situation in Iraq.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, have said they favor a suspension in troop cuts after July, but Casey says it probably will not hamper his move to 12-month tours.
