Millitary Deployment and the Effects on Its Soldiers
Michael Bancroft
Carolyn Geraci
ENGL 1310 TTH 7-8:20
October 20, 2009
Military Deployment and the Effects on its Soldiers Recent wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Korea, and other locations throughout the world have resulted in the most sustained military combat operations since the Vietnam Conflict. As a result, soldiers in the military are finding themselves subjected to longer deployments, and faster redeployment times than in any other combat operations. While these steps are necessary to maintain the high level of military operations currently in progress, the negative effects of longer deployments on the families, soldiers, and the military in general far outweigh the benefits. A study by the RAND Army Research Division in 2002 showed that the length of deployment for a soldier serving overseas had increased almost twofold since 1994, and in some cases, had tripled (Polich & Sortor, 8). This trend began with missions to Bosnia in 1995, and has steadily increased through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prior to the Bosnia conflict, the average total days spent overseas by the military for one year was tow and half million days. Current numbers show average deployment bases at up to eight million (Polich & Sortor, 8). In addition to the increase in overall deployments, redeployment has also increased in recent years. In 1994, nearly 8,000 soldiers were redeployed within three years to an overseas operation. Currently, this number has risen to nearly 16,000 redeployments within a three-year period (Polich & Sortor, 10). The length of those deployments increased as well. In 1994, the average deployment time for an individual soldier was 120 days (Polich & Sortor, 12). According to the office of the U.S. Army Public Affairs, current soldiers in Iraq face deployment of one year or more (Albert, A6). In some cases, soldiers are kept on active duty and redeployed even beyond their anticipated discharge from the
Carolyn Geraci
ENGL 1310 TTH 7-8:20
October 20, 2009
Military Deployment and the Effects on its Soldiers Recent wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Korea, and other locations throughout the world have resulted in the most sustained military combat operations since the Vietnam Conflict. As a result, soldiers in the military are finding themselves subjected to longer deployments, and faster redeployment times than in any other combat operations. While these steps are necessary to maintain the high level of military operations currently in progress, the negative effects of longer deployments on the families, soldiers, and the military in general far outweigh the benefits. A study by the RAND Army Research Division in 2002 showed that the length of deployment for a soldier serving overseas had increased almost twofold since 1994, and in some cases, had tripled (Polich & Sortor, 8). This trend began with missions to Bosnia in 1995, and has steadily increased through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prior to the Bosnia conflict, the average total days spent overseas by the military for one year was tow and half million days. Current numbers show average deployment bases at up to eight million (Polich & Sortor, 8). In addition to the increase in overall deployments, redeployment has also increased in recent years. In 1994, nearly 8,000 soldiers were redeployed within three years to an overseas operation. Currently, this number has risen to nearly 16,000 redeployments within a three-year period (Polich & Sortor, 10). The length of those deployments increased as well. In 1994, the average deployment time for an individual soldier was 120 days (Polich & Sortor, 12). According to the office of the U.S. Army Public Affairs, current soldiers in Iraq face deployment of one year or more (Albert, A6). In some cases, soldiers are kept on active duty and redeployed even beyond their anticipated discharge from the
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