Army, for first time, sends unit from Iraq to Afghanistan

[w8liftinglady]

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=61751
An Army unit in Iraq has been shifted directly to Afghanistan, marking what defense officials said was the first time such a move has been made between the two war zones.

The 100th Brigade Support Battalion had been serving in Iraq since December, but was “repositioned” to southern Afghanistan at the end of March, officials said.

The shift comes amid a larger change in the focus of U.S. military efforts from Iraq to Afghanistan. Last week, President Barack Obama announced a revamped war strategy, part of which involves sending at least 4,000 additional military trainers to Afghanistan.

Obama also had previously announced that 17,000 more U.S. troops would be added in Afghanistan this year. The new strategy also beefs up the number of civilian specialists in the country, along with putting increased emphasis on Pakistan and the tribal areas surrounding the border.

Several other U.S. military units have had their orders changed from Iraq to Afghanistan before they left their home bases, officials said. But the 100th BSB got word in Iraq. The unit was headquartered at Balad, but some of its troops had been serving at Camp Cropper, working in security and detainee operations.

[MADem]

1. Wow, split deployment. It supports the plus-up in southwest asia.

It wouldn't surprise me if he does more of that. It's one way of transitioning people to the other theater while they're still in an operational mode.