Some Marine reserve combat battalions back to Iraq

[G_j]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6156132,00.html
Marines Plan to Recall Some Battalions

Wednesday October 18, 2006 10:16 PM


By ROBERT BURNS

AP Military Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Marines are planning to send back to Iraq at least some reserve combat battalions that have already served one tour there, officials said Wednesday - the first time such units would be returned to the war.

The plan to remobilize those reserve forces is designed to relieve some of the growing strain on active-duty Marines.

A Marine Corps spokesman, Lt. Col. Scott Fazekas, said Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld gave the Marines the go-ahead to conduct detailed planning on how the battalion reactivations would be done. Initially, Fazekas said Rumsfeld had approved the plan itself. Later he said the approval was for detailed planning.

The Army, which is organized differently than the Marine Corps, has not sent any of its National Guard combat brigades back to Iraq for a second tour, although it is considering making more use of the Guard. Both the Marines and Army have sent reserve support units and active-duty forces to Iraq multiple times.

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