The ninth rotation of U.S. troops into Kosovo since 1999 will leave in mid-September with its 1,300 members of the Army National Guard and Reserves.
The rotation will last nine months, instead of the usual yearlong assignment. ...
The deployment, which includes a predeployment training of just 60 days instead of three months, reflects changes in Army mobilization policy for Kosovo, Davoren told Stars and Stripes in a phone interview from Camp Atterbury, Ind., where the task force is preparing.
Note that the policy doesn't slight training despite the loss of a month of pre-deployment training. The intent is that 5 or 6 ARNG combat brigades will be available each year. They will spend the previous 5 years gearing up with more training and new equipment as they approach their "on-call" year.
This is the template for the Guard as a whole. Though it will be several years before Kosovo policy can be applied globally.
