Military: Troops to stay home more

March 23, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON

Beginning this fall, the Marine Corps will guarantee nearly all Marines 14 months at home for every seven months they spend in war zones, the first payoff for service members of the United States’ diminishing military presence in Iraq.

The Army hopes to make a similar change by the end of 2011, guaranteeing soldiers two years at home for every year they’re in war zones.

The change is the first concrete sign that the stress on the U.S. military caused by the years-long engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan is beginning to ease.

The lack of time at home between repeated combat tours — what military planners call “dwell time” — has been blamed for exacerbating a range of woes, including higher rates of suicide, divorce and domestic violence among returning troops and a record-high suicide rate in the Army.

More time at home between combat tours also will allow the military to address what commanders say is a huge backlog in training that has left forces with little preparation for events that once were considered routine.

For example, many Marines, who are expected to move from sea to land, have never been on a ship; instead, they’ve been on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Also on the agenda: more cross-training in the use of different armaments.

“We aren’t trained in a full spectrum of operations,” Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told troops stationed in Saudi Arabia during a recent visit. Increasing time at home, he said, “will allow us to train and more importantly to rest and be with our families.”