Pentagon Announces Afghanistan Force Rotation and Deployment

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16, 2009 -- The U.S. Department of Defense announced today that the 4th Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, based in Fort Richardson, Alaska, is scheduled to deploy as part of the next rotation of forces in Afghanistan. The 25th Naval Construction Regiment, based in Gulfport, Miss., will deploy as an additional unit in support of coalition operations in Afghanistan.

This announcement involves approximately 4,000 service members, and their deployments are scheduled to begin in February 2009.

The 4th Brigade, 25th Infantry Division will replace one active duty brigade currently on the ground, and continues the current U.S. commitment to providing three brigade combat teams in support of Regional Command East.

The 25th Naval Construction Regiment will provide additional expeditionary engineering and construction support to coalition forces in Afghanistan. This regiment was originally scheduled for deployment to Kuwait, but will now deploy to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

In consultation with Afghan officials and NATO, commanders continue to assess the situation to ensure sufficient force levels to best support the Government of Afghanistan, perform counter-terrorism operations, assist with reconstruction, and train and equip the Afghan national security forces. Afghan security forces continue to develop capability and assume responsibility for security, and this U.S. force rotation and deployment may be tailored based upon changes in the security situation.

(Report from a U.S. Defense Department news release.)

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