Tom Harkin: Harkin Presses To Establish Minimum Down Time For Troops Between Deployments

Legislation would assure troops have time to physically and mentally recuperate before being re-deployed to a combat zone

July 9, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today co-sponsored an amendment to establish minimum time periods of rest between deployments for members of the Armed Forces for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. This new policy, a significant part of a new Iraq strategy being pushed by Senate Democrats, will be offered as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008.

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Specifically, this amendment, authored by Senator Jim Webb (D-VA), mandates that if a unit or member of the regular Armed Forces deploys to Iraq or Afghanistan, they will have the same amount of time spent at home or longer before being redeployed. Further, no unit or member of the National Guard or Reserves could be redeployed to Iraq or Afghanistan within three years of their previous deployment. In the event of a national security emergency, the President would be able to waive these limitations by certifying to Congress that redeployment of the unit or member is necessary.

“It is simply unacceptable that our troops’ time at home has often been cut short, depriving them of the time they need to recover from combat, complete additional training and spend precious time with their families,” said Harkin. “This systematic abuse of re-deploying our troops with little down time has placed enormous stress on our troops and their families, and has brought our Army to its breaking point. Having an established amount of time between deployments is crucial to protecting our troops’ mental and physical wellbeing and providing some stability and predictability for military families.”

Senator Harkin has authored other measures to assist the families of those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. In March, Harkin introduced the “Coming Together for Guard and Reserve Families Act,” which would help National Guard members and their families deal with the challenges they face before, during and after military deployments. With many members of the Guard and Reserve on their third or even fourth deployment overseas, and with some deployments being stretched to 16 months, the stress on military families can be severe. Guard and Reserve families are particularly vulnerable during this period because they usually don't live near a military base and do not have the same access to support services as active duty military families.

Harkin has also introduced The Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act that would increase awareness of mental illness, the risk factors for suicide, and reduce the stigma of seeking mental health care amongst troops. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Violent Death Reporting System, suicide disproportionately affects veterans. In 2004, veterans accounted for over twenty percent of deaths by suicide, yet they only make up ten percent of the general population.

“We owe it to the brave men and women who serve in uniform to give them time to rehabilitate both physically and mentally after returning from a combat zone,” said Harkin.

Source: Senator Tom Harkin