Unit rotations pose 'major challenge'
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD — The Army will face a major challenge from January to April as part of a force rotation in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan that includes more than 8,000 Hawai'i soldiers, acting Secretary of the Army Les Brownlee said yesterday.
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Brownlee, making a stop at Wheeler after visiting U.S. forces in Alaska and South Korea, also said all active duty and reserve forces in theater would have upgraded body armor by the end of December. Steps also are being taken to increase production of "up-armored" Humvees, he said.
As part of individual readiness training in preparation for large-scale rotation of units next year, Staff Sgt. Micky Brooks shows a Wheeler Army Airfield class how to check vehicles for booby traps when stopped at checkpoints.
"We will have on the move 60,000 reservists going to the theater and about the same number returning," Brownlee said of next year's troop rotation. "We will have, simultaneously with that, elements from eight of the Army's 10 active divisions. All told, there will be somewhere between 200,000 (and) 250,000 soldiers moving to the area of operations and coming back as we rotate the forces."
Rather than use individual replacement soldiers as in the past, units are being rotated, and that means an overlap as one arrives and another plans to leave.
"This will challenge the Army as we move all of these people through our various mobilization posts and installations and camps around the country, passing them through there as they are mobilized and sent to theater and demobilizing them as they come back," Brownlee said.
The troop rotation plan comes as the Army has been hit with criticism from Capitol Hill about past logistical errors and concerns about protecting U.S. troops and helicopters in Iraq.
"The Army has to plan this (next year's troop rotation) very well, so we're kind of taking it like the invasion of Normandy ... so we can anticipate what the requirements are and address those," Brownlee said.
Tripler Army Medical Center is preparing for its own big crush. Tripler, assisting in "Soldier Readiness Processing" for 8,000 25th Infantry Division (Light) soldiers and more than 800 reserve component soldiers from around the Pacific being called to active duty, is canceling some appointments to handle the deploying soldiers, officials said yesterday.
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More than 10 percent of Tripler clinicians are getting ready to deploy with the 25th Division, which is sending 4,500 soldiers to Iraq in February and 3,500 soldiers to Afghanistan in April.
Acting Secretary of the Army Les Brownlee said U.S. soldiers in Iraq are making "enormous progress."
The latest possible reserve call-up involves about 200 Hawai'i Army National Guard soldiers and 14 Chinook helicopters for possible mobilization and duty in Iraq.
"We need our patients' help as we prepare these soldiers to go to war, and provide major support to the division," said Maj. Paul Sander, chief of Tripler's Clinical Support Division.
Soldiers will have immunizations verified at Schofield, get a physical and dental check, and have blood samples drawn for comparison if the prospect of toxic exposure should arise.
The Pentagon last week ordered an additional 15,000 reservists and National Guard members to be prepared for Middle East duty. About 130,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq, and more than 10,000 are in Afghanistan.
Brownlee said reserve and active-duty forces will have Interceptor body armor with ceramic plates that can stop a 7.62 rifle round, the most common in Iraq.
"Every soldier in theater will have it. That wasn't the requirement when we went there," Brownlee said. "It was intended only for the front-line soldiers that we thought would be in the closest contact with the enemy."
But with the attacks on convoys and checkpoints, the decision was made to equip all soldiers with the gear.
Brownlee told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last week that all 3,500 "up-armored" Humvees needed wouldn't be available until 2005, but production is being ramped up and other methods of vehicle protection are being examined.
Asked about the retention of reserve forces, Brownlee said there has been no "evidence at this point that would indicate to us that we have a significant problem."
Brownlee said U.S. soldiers in Iraq are making "enormous progress" opening schools and hospitals and forming new local governments. But such news gets eclipsed by attacks, he said.
"(When a land mine or small-arms attack occurs) there are plenty of Iraqis around to help our troops. But the ones that the media seems to focus on are maybe the one or two disgruntled ones who may say something bad," Brownlee said.
"Is there still danger there? Yes," Brownlee said.
That's the reason for 2,000 patrols every day, he said.
Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5459.
