Repeated combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with inadequate time at home between rotations were burning out our troops when I assumed office in 2007.  We needed more responsible rotational cycles in place to protect their welfare and their families. 

That’s why I introduced a measure requiring that active-duty troops and units have at least the same amount of time at home as the length of their previous tour overseas.  This is a matter of basic fairness.  The amendment also set a minimum 1:3-year deployment-to-dwell ratio for National Guard and Reserve members and units.
 

I regret that my amendment, which received a clear majority of 56 votes in the Senate, did not reach the number of votes needed to break a filibuster. While I was disappointed at the time that the amendment did not pass, I was pleased that our bipartisan efforts put our troops’ well-being at the forefront of the national agenda regarding the urgent need to give our troops more time at home between deployments.

Today, our military’s leadership and my colleagues in the Senate are very aware of the need for a minimum 1:2 deployment to dwell time—and higher. The end of our combat mission in Iraq and continued drawdown there, coupled with additional end strength for the Army and Marine Corps, will help. If we do not see a significant increase in deployments to Afghanistan beyond planned numbers, we finally have the prospect of increasing dwell time to more acceptable levels.  Nonetheless, I continue to worry about the stress on our people and the long-term implications it poses.