European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 4, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                July 2007 stars and stripes Page 3 Dod at Odds Over dwell time for unit by John Vandiver and Lisa Burgess stars and stripes Germany army Europe has not yet requested a waiver from the Secretary of defense to Send a Baumholz debased 1st armoured division unit Back to Iraq Only nine months after its last Pentagon officials said although Usa eur officials maintained tuesday that commanders had some leeway to resolve dwell time is Only defense Secretary Robert Gates can make that Pentagon spokes Man Bryan Whitman said if a waiver is sought and company a of the 1st 6th infantry regi ment is facing a third straight Christmas away from Whitman said the policy requiring a waiver from the Pentagon obviously applies to the in a statement issued us a eur officials said the command will not do anything that is contrary to guid Ance from its higher the statement we want to emphasize that the 2nd but iad and the units As signed to to include Are on pre pare to deploy in the absence of or Ders to the we cant assume that the but or any of its units will not deploy or would be delayed after the Normal deployment Usa eur officials would not say whether they intended to ask Gates for a waiver to the units deployment operational communications Between Usa eur and higher com mands Are not Public there fore it would not be appropriate to discuss when or if a request has been said Usa eur spokesman Bruce Anderson in the it will be up to Gates to de cide whether to allow Usa eur to deploy company a three months Whitman senator seeks one month Home for every month spent downrange by Usa Burgess stars and stripes a lawmaker whose own Marine son has deployed to Iraq is pressing for a Law guaranteeing All service members one month at Home for every month they Are freshman Jim him self a former will on monday Intro Duce an amendment to the 2008 defense budget that proposes 1tol dwell time for All military his spokes Jessica Smith told stars and stripes on the Bill is basically going to say that on the Active however Long an individual has been they have to be Al Lowed to stay Home at least that Long before you Send them Webb said in a Friday speech on the sen ate if youre guard and however Long youve been you have to be Able to have been at Home at least three times that length before youre sent because of the nature of the guard and re Webb was travelling out of the country and not available to talk with stripes the week of july Smith in when Gates altered army policy and extended Tours from 12 months to 15 part of the rationale was to in Webb he is introducing his Bill even though defense Secretary Robert Gates has Al ready introduced a policy on dwell time be Webb we still Are reaching the Point where were burning out our webbs proposal differs from the 12month dwell time policy put in place by Gates because his Bill is geared to wards the Pentagon is directed at according to Pentagon spokes Man Bryan Gates policy requires units to spend a minimum of 12 months Back Home after 15month units that Are in danger of breaking dwell must request a waiver from the Whitman we manage dwell by Whitman said in part because of the need for units to reconstitute and train As a whole and also because of the complexity of trying to manage dwell time All the Way Down to each single managing dwell time on an individual basis is Whitman because so Many service members return from deployments and Transfer to other or go to professional schools and Are then re assigned to units that happen to be in the pipe to in order for the amendment to become it will have to pass the and then either survive in conference negotiations with the House or be introduced in and Pas the House defense budget there is no version of the Bill in the Smith 1 sure that returning units would receive a full 12 months of at Home known As dwell on Usa eur said it would de ploy the company with the rest of the 2nd brigade in november even though company a didst return from Iraq until Gebru the appears to have been shortly after us Reurs Friday state Gates and the chairman of the joint chiefs of Marine Peter said in response to a question at a Penta gon press briefing that no one from us a eur had asked for a waiver to deploy the before a waiver to break dwell time can be commanders must explain to Gates Why it is necessary and Why another unit cant fill that to Gates has not gotten a waiver re quest from any unit in the army to break the 12month dwell time Whitman said i cant recall Whitman soon after the pentagons May 8 announcement for troop rotations in novem which included the 1st armoured Divi Sions 2nd brigade combat questions emerged about whether one of the Bri Gades units should be after the matter was brought to de sense officials were prompted to look into Why the unit was not getting its full 12 months of dwell Usa eur officials then asked the 2nd but to not deploy company a with the rest of the brigade until the unit gets its full 12 months per army Whitman said on May army officials said the matter was under review by the whole Chain of in tuesdays Usa eur commanders do have some leeway to make personnel Cross lev within their commanders at All Levels within Usa eur have been doing this to the extent possible to resolve dwell time there still Are sol Diers who will be affected because the options Are limited but this is truly the sex Eption and not the email John Vandiver at  email Lisa Burgess at  lawsuit filed against Yokosuka dredging More than 640 people in the Yokosuka area have signed on As plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed tues Day against the japanese govern ment to Stop a dredging project at Yokosuka naval bases the lawsuit in Yokohama District court claims the dredging of cubic meters of dirt from Piedmont pier will cause Environ mental according to the plaintiffs Masahiko the group also wants to Stop the dredging to prevent an incoming nuclear powered aircraft car Rier from being based at Yokosuk saying the ship could pose health risks if there was an Acci Goto dredging is needed to House the uss George slated to replace the uss Kitty Hawk next from staff reports correction an item in the july 2 ust of july fourth events in Europe should have said that the food at the Camp painting the town White and Blue photos by Kevin and stripes a Box full of flags awaits fourth of july revellers in a Wiesbaden army Germa gym on Ludwig Weeber sets up a carnival ride near the Parade Field at Wiesbaden army Airfield on games and food will be offered to visitors on cardboard cutouts of Uncle Sam and the statue of Liberty Are among fourth of july props awaiting Many events will take place indoors due to a Rainy