"Please develop a plan that would enable us on fairly short notice to curtail tour lengths for our deployed and deploying soldiers," he wrote.
Other factors, both foreign and domestic, also will play a role in determining how quickly the Army can reduce tour lengths and numbers in Iraq.
The review, due to report by September 2011, will look at the current structure of senior ranks and practices such as tour lengths and intervals.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 - The acting secretary of the Army has told the service to begin drawing up plans to shorten the 12-month tour lengths of soldiers sent to Iraq and Afghanistan.
The move will help cut costs for the Ministry of Defence, but military commanders insist money is not the issue and that an increase in tour lengths is necessary to ensure a smooth transition during a critical period next year.
The result is an Army and Marine Corps on the ropes, acres and acres of broken equipment, and tour lengths of 15 months because we have too few troops for the tasks at hand.
