Army Seeks ‘Deployment Equality’

Recruiters, drill sergeants and instructors without a combat patch listen up: get ready for a trip downrange.

In a move aimed at spreading the deployment burden, the Army has instituted a new set of policies that will make it more difficult for soldiers in non-deployable jobs to remain out of the combat zone.

"There aren't a lot of them, but these soldiers know who they are," said Lt. Col. Richard McNorton, an Army Human Resources Command spokesman. "We have their Social Security numbers and we know exactly who they are and why they have not deployed, and we are working to ensure they have an opportunity to serve in a combat zone."

McNorton stressed in an interview with Military.com that the vast majority of the Army is pulling its deployment weight.

"Ninety-three percent of the Army has deployed, is preparing to deploy or are exactly where we need them to be," he confirmed. "It's that other 7 percent that we are focused on getting deployed."

That 7 percent translates to approximately 25,000 soldiers across the Army.

"Some soldiers have deployed four times, others haven't deployed at all," McNorton added. "We have to even out the deployment equality."

The Army has long been aware of tension within the ranks toward a small minority of soldiers who, for a variety of reasons, have yet to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan after eight years of war.

"A few years ago, you could get by without that combat patch, but now a soldier really sticks out if their spotted without that patch," McNorton said.

Some have a valid, often heartbreaking, explanation for not deploying, McNorton said -- a serious illness inflicting them or a family member is among the most common.

But scores more have re-upped for drill sergeant duty, instructing at an Army schoolhouse or recruiting to avoid a combat tour.

But those days are over.

Soldiers without deployment history -- or even with limited combat tours -- may not re-enlist for a second tour with a non-tactical, non-deployable unit.

Soldiers can apply for an exception, which is usually considered by an O-5 or higher, and deployment history will be considered in weighing the exception, McNorton said.
 
This move, made effective earlier this year, follows a series of policy changes in 2007 which made it more difficult for Soldiers to remain in Korea with the aims of deploying more soldiers to combat zones.

McNorton said the 25,000 figure shifts from day to day.

"It will never get to zero, but it keeps getting smaller and smaller," he said. "Each year we lose 80,000 people who have deployed and we have to keep working to ensure deployment equity."

The failing economy that has bolstered recruiting and retention numbers has translated into Army policies that value soldiers patrolling Baghdad and Jalalabad rather than trolling high schools and strip malls for potential Joes.

McNorton also said that some Soldiers have chosen repeated deployment in order to remain at a particular duty station rather than relocate.

"You have the a lot of soldiers at places like Hood, Bragg and Lewis who will choose to deploy every other year so they don't have to put their family through a move," McNorton explained. "They'll keep going and going so they won't relocate. There are a lot of soldiers that fall into that category."

Some specialists are likely to never deploy.

"If you are a burn specialist or in certain intel role, we need you here and you're not likely to deploy," McNorton said. "There are also certain instructors who may have a very specialized skill which there are only a handful of. These are also people who may not deploy."

But for thousands of other Soldiers who lack a specialized skill and have watched the wars from afar, get ready for some sand in those boots.

"We want to get every soldier in to the fight," McNorton said.

To find more deployment news and resources, visit The Deployment Center.