European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 19, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 stars and stripes thursday april 19 2007 time not Money for troops losing dwell time by Jeff Schogol stars and stripes Arlington troops who Cut Short their time at Home to deploy will get some time off but no Money defense officials said wednesday the move is retroactive to Jan 19 for a Tiv duty troops who do not get two months at Home for every one month deployed and Reserve component troops who do not get five months off for every month they Are mobilized officials said the defense department had consid ered whether to give Money to troops who have to break dwell time or their time at deploy but officials ultimately decided against it said Michael l Dominguez undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness we we rent trying to find some Meta physical balance Between the service you officials believe Days off More valuable than Cash to overtaxed service Meinberg Are rendering and a bucket full of Gold Dominguez said officials decided the Best Way to compensate troops who have to deploy Early was to give them More of a respite said Bill Carr Deputy undersecretary of defense for Mili tary personnel policy to that end the defense department came up with a formula to determine How much time off troops who break dwell time to deploy can get a defense department news release says the formula for Active duty troops is based on a 36month time period the news release says within those 36 months Active duty troops get one Day off for every month they Are deployed beyond 12 months after 18 months they get two Days off per extra month deployed after 24 months they get four Days off per extra month deployed Reserve component troops Are awarded Days off under the same formula based on a 72month period us troops who Are extended while in theater will continue to get an extra per month Dominguez said in january defense Secretary Robert Gates ordered the Dod to figure out How to compensate troops who Are required to mobilize or deploy Early or often or to extend beyond the established rotation policy goals right now troops get about one month off for every month deployed but with the us military involved in wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan us troops have been get Ting less and less time at Home Between combat Tours the defense department announced recently that two units would spend less than a year Back Home before deploying the 1st armoured division Headquarters based in Wiesbaden Germany and the 1st Bri Gade 10th Mountain division based in fort drum by last week the defense department announced that Tours for soldiers in the us Central command area of operations would be extended from 12 to 15 months in order to keep five brigades from having to break dwell time to deploy soldiers who serve 15month rotations in the Cen com theater Are eligible for an extra in compensation Emai Jeff Schogol at Kevin of us air Force an aircrew Waits to Greet the Pilot of an Aio following its arrival at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan on tuesday the Squadron of aids adds a second fighter Squadron to the 455th air expeditionary Wing a10 Thunderbolt ii Squadron adds some punch to forces in Afghanistan stars and stripes a Squadron of a10 Thunderbolt us arrived this week in Afghanistan adding muscle to the support of us and coalition ground forces troops on the ground Are facing increasingly aggressive insurgents who on tuesday blasted a in Convoy with a Roadside bomb in Kandahar and at tacked police posts in coordinated strikes near Kabul according to the associated press the a10 twin engine jets which arrived tues Day add a second fighter Squadron to the 455th air expeditionary Wing according to a news release is sued by the combined joint task force82 combined press information Center alos rotated out of Bagram in january and were replaced by f15es which officials say provided an Edge during Winter months the newly arrived alos join f15es already there the alos come from the 354th fighter Squadron at Davi Monthan air Force base in Arizona they can carry bombs and Airt ground rockets and Are equipped with a 30 my Cannon that can fire 3900 rounds per minute the aircraft can survive a direct hit from armo piercing projectiles they also have updated defences including self sealing fuel cells protected by foam and manual flight controls that can serve As backup in Case of Hydraulic failure officials say the aircraft can be a Challenge to maintain be cause if s a 20plusyearold plane but our Guys work hard to keep them ready to go said air Force Cape Kevin Koren the 354th aircraft maintenance unit officer in charge insurgent killed 8 arrested in raids one suspected insurgent was killed and eight oth ers arrested in raids that us military officials said targeted men connected to a militant cell using chlo Rine bombs the suspects Are believed to be tied to Almaeda in Iraq and a car bomb network known to use chlo Rine in its attacks they Are also allegedly involved in facilitating foreign terrorist movements a news release issued wednesday read the suspects were arrested in Mosul and Taji officials said from staff reports Gates failure in Iraq will be Felt in Mideast by Lolita c Baldor the associated press Cairo Egypt failure in Iraq will unleash sectarian strife and extremism and will be Felt first in the Middle East defense Robert Gates said wednesday speaking to an american Cham Ber of Commerce luncheon on the third Day of his Middle East tour Gates exhorted Arab countries to use their influence to Dampen the insurgency and encourage Politi Cal reconciliation in Iraq whatever disagreements we might have Over How we got to this Point in Iraq the consequences of a failed state in Iraq of chaos there will adversely Impact the Security and Prosperity of every nation in the Middle East and Gulf Region he said he warned that while some who disagree with the War May be cheering for failure in Iraq these sentiments Are dangerously shortsighted and self destruct Tive the initial effects of failure he said will first be Felt in Middle East capitals and communities Well before they Are Felt in Washington or new York Gates speech came in the midst of talks with military and political leaders in the Region where he urged them to do what they can to Spur reconciliation efforts in Iraq and involve the iraqi government More actively in the political discourse in the Middle East Gates who is making his third trip to the Region As defense Secre tary reaffirmed the us commit ment to Iraq and to protecting Al lies in the also alluding to the raging debate Between the Democrat controlled con Gress and the Bush administration Over bringing an end to the War the arguments he said Proba Bly reflect those going on across the Middle East but do not Sug Gest the us is not determined to keep working with its allies in the Region defense Secretary Robert Gates Speaks to an american chamber of Commerce luncheon on the third Day of his Middle East tour in Cairo Egypt on wednesday that is a responsibility we will not abandon a Trust we will not break he said Gates also said that Iran and Syria need to become part of the solution by reducing the violence and helping promote reconciliation in key goal of prime minister noun Alma Likis govern ment Gates also said wednesday that diplomatic efforts to resolve the standoff with Iran Over its disputed nuclear program Are work ing and should be Given a Chance to succeed both the us and Israel accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons a charge Iran denies Gates said the International Community is United in telling Iran what it needs to do with respect to its nuclear program the United states and its allies have led efforts to pass two in Security Council resolutions imposing sanctions on Iran for Refus ing to suspend uranium enrich ment a process that can be used to develop nuclear weapons