No Surprise – Most Deployments are Soldiers

5 Weight of Deployments Fell on Soldiers

While all of the services contributed to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan since the 9/11 attacks, the burden was greatest on soldiers, according to a RAND Corp. report. Of 1.6 million deployments between September 2001 and December 2012, 59 percent were Army, 15 percent Air Force, 14 percent Navy and 12 percent Marine Corps. The percentages include reserve components. The Regular Army provided 70 percent of the Army’s contribution, while the Army National Guard provided 21 percent and the Army Reserve provided nine percent.

What to watch: The report, Measuring and Retaining the U.S. Army’s Deployment Experience, was evaluating the substantial loss of combat experience facing the area, a serious problem as a result of normal turnover and the reduction in the size of the Army. While not it’s intention, the report provides a good reason to rethink Army force cuts.