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Question
Hi, I realize some deployment lengths vary depending on careers and ships schedules and such, but in general which branch deploys most and for the longest? I don't have a girlfriend/wife at the moment but I am 29 and considering going into the service for lack of jobs available, and when I eventually do start a family I want to be around as much as I can. So any help you can offer would be appreciated. Also, what is the likelihood of getting sent to Iraq or Afghanistan lately? I heard their supposed to be pulling troops out but Afghan. seems to be a hot zone again. Thanks.
Matt
Hi Matt,
You may wish to read my article, comparing the military services at: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/choosing.htm
Among other things, the article compares recent deployment rates.
Currently, we still have 124,000 troops deployed to Iraq. This is (currently) scheduled to decrease to 120,000 troops by the end of this month, and to around 50,000 (or so) in the next year. Right now, the US intends to keep between 40,000 and 50,000 troops in Iraq to help train the Iraqi Army and police forces, and to be available for "back up," should they need us to help keep the peace.
There are currently around 60,000 troops deployed to Afghanistan. The area commander has asked President Obama to increase this by 40,000, but the President has not yet decided how he will respond to this request. Talk on the "D.C. Streets" is that he will probably only approve (at this time) an increase of around 20,000 troops.
I strongly suspect we will be deploying military to both regions for many years to come.
For more information about the United States Military, feel free to visit my US Military information site at: http://usmilitary.about.com
Hope this helps!
Rod Powers
About.com US Military Guide
http://usmilitary.about.com
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Rod Powers
Expertise
Rod Powers is considered one of the premire experts about U.S. Military career information on the planet. He has more than 30,000 articles about U.S. Military career information on the About.com U.S. Military Careers Information website at: http://usmilitary.about.com. Additionally, he is the author of "ASVAB for Dummies," "ASVAB AFQT for Dummies," (available in Dec 2009), and "Veteran Benefits for Dummies," all published by Wiley Publishing. He is also the author of "Barrons' Guide to Officer Candidate School Tests," published by Barron's Educational Series.
Experience
Rod Powers is a retired Air Force first sergeant, with 23 years of active duty service, 11 of those years as an Air Force First Sergeant. He has helped thousands of military members, recruits, and military applicants since he took over the About.com U.S Military Careers Information site in 1999. He has a reputation for "telling it like it is," so questions may not be answered based on "what you want to hear," but will be answered based of the bast available information, concerning the service/situation.
Education/Credentials
Rod is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Noncommissioned Officers Academy, the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, and the Air Force First Sergeant Academy. He also holds an Associates Degree in Personnel Administration from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF).
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