PORTLAND (AP) – About 500 soldiers in the Maine Army National Guard’s 133rd Engineer Battalion were told last week they might be deployed to Iraq – but not until 2010.

The far-advance notice is part of a new policy that aims to reduce strain on soldiers and their families and employers while increasing the Guard’s availability for war. Besides getting more advance notice, soldiers will have shorter deployments and train closer to home than has been the case for much of the war.

The policy incorporates recommendations from state adjutant generals, who say they need three things to recruit and keep desirable citizen soldiers: predictability, 12-month maximum deployments and advance notice of deployments.

Back in 2004, the 133rd battalion was given short notice that it was going to Iraq, said Maj. Gen. John Libby, who heads the Maine National guard.

“It was the haphazard start to the war,” Libby said. “We sent some of our units out on the first rotation with three months notice.”

The new policy, called the Army Force General Model, recognizes the shift of the National Guard from a strategic reserve focused on national and state emergencies to an operational reserve that is an integral part of the active-duty military.

The policy aims to provide a predictable and steady stream of reserve forces as the war in Iraq moves through its sixth year. It sets out a schedule in which most Guard units can expect to be available for deployment every fifth year, with the year before that earmarked for stepped-up mobilization training.

Without a schedule, Guard members could be deployed at any time. The short notice gave soldiers, families and employers little time to plan for the separation.

The advance warning for the 133rd’s possible deployment in 2010 suits Michelle Darveau of China. When her husband, Maj. Richard Darveau, was first deployed in 2004, it was a bumpy road for her and their two children because of the uncertainty and short notice.

Now she knows when the unit might be deployed – although the dates, location and mission are pending until the unit receives a mobilization order from the Army. She also knows the deployment will be for no more than 12 months; the first deployment lasted 15 months.

“I feel more comfortable knowing the schedule for my soldier for planning purposes,” she said.

The new policy is also welcomed by employers, who have are seeking predictability for planning purposes.

At Bath Iron Works, as many as 120 Guard members have been on the payroll.

“The volunteers who sign up for the Guard and Reserve are typically those who are highly motivated on and off the job,” said spokesman Jim DeMartini.

“It’s always difficult replacing key contributors in any circumstance. Short notice complicates a difficult process, there’s no question about it.”

One trade-off to the new policy is that guardsmen will now undergo a more aggressive training schedule the year before deployment, which cuts into family and work time. The 133rd, for instance, will have about one-third more training days in 2009 than usual.

Still, it shouldn’t be too grueling, said Lt. Col. Dwaine Drummond.

“One of the things we’re sensitive to is not making the year before we go almost as bad as the year you do go,” he said.

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Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com

AP-ES-06-15-08 1230EDT

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