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7,000 soldiers part of next Iraq rotation

The Army today confirmed the next rotation of troops — including one corps headquarters, two division headquarters and two brigade combat teams — to Iraq.

The announcement affects about 7,000 soldiers.

Today’s confirmation follows a Defense Department announcement that also extends one unit in Iraq and adds approximately 2,000 combat support soldiers to theater.

• Headquarters, XVIII Airborne Corps, from Fort Bragg, N.C., will replace Headquarters, III Corps, of Fort Hood, Texas, as the Multi-National Corps-Iraq Headquarters in November. The MNC-I headquarters element oversees day-to-day operations in Iraq. The XVIII Airborne Corps Headquarters last took on this mission from February 2005 to February 2006.

• Headquarters, 1st Armored Division, from Wiesbaden, Germany, and Headquarters, 4th Infantry Division, from Fort Hood will deploy to Iraq in August. Both will serve as multinational force headquarters, assuming command and control of units and areas of operations as directed.

The 1st AD headquarters last served in Iraq from April 2003 to August 2004, and 4th ID headquarters returned from a yearlong deployment there in December.

• 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, from Fort Drum, N.Y., and 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, from Fort Bragg are the two BCTs pegged for deployment.

The 10th Mountain soldiers completed their last Iraq deployment in August 2006. They also served in Afghanistan from June 2003 to May 2004.

The 82nd Airborne unit served in Iraq from September 2003 to April 2004. The soldiers also served twice in Afghanistan, from December 2002 to May 2003, and June 2005 to March 2006.

• Headquarters, 25th Infantry Division, from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, has been extended for about 45 days. The unit is currently serving as Headquarters, Multi-National Division-North. The soldiers now will re-deploy in September.

• 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division of Fort Bragg will now serve a full 12-month rotation. The soldiers deployed to Iraq in January and were initially scheduled to re-deploy in September. They will now return in January 2008.

• An additional headquarters unit, from 214th Fires Brigade, from Fort Sill, Okla., will be sent to Iraq. These soldiers will plan, coordinate and synchronize lethal and nonlethal effects for operations commanders. The 214th will deploy at the end of April.

• The Army National Guard’s 181st Field Artillery Battalion, 145th Field Artillery Battalion and 131st Field Artillery Battalion will deploy to Iraq in September. These units have soldiers from Georgia, Kansas, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.

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