• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

US Military

  • Branches
    • Army
    • Navy
    • Air Force
    • Marine Corps
    • Coast Guard
    • National Guard
    • Air National Guard
    • Find A Recruiter
  • Find A Recruiter
  • Military Benefits
    • GI Bill
    • VA Loans
    • Military Scholarships
    • Military Friendly Colleges
    • Money
  • Jobs
    • Military Pay Chart
    • Veteran Jobs
    • Civilian Jobs
  • VA Loan Rates
  • Military News
    • Top News
    • Benefits
    • Careers
    • Education
    • Featured Columnists
      • Larry Fowler
      • Scott Ostrow
      • Kim Lengling
      • Dr. Sasha Toperich
      • Rick Stewart
  • GI Bill
  • VA Loans
  • Military Scholarships
  • Top Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities in America

Pace Says Differing Tour Lengths Affect Deployment Morale

September 27, 2007 By admin

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M., Oct. 5, 2006 – Tour lengths are the biggest obstacle to U.S. troop morale in Iraq, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said during a visit here yesterday.

Marine Gen. Peter Pace said that when he visits combat zones, morale generally is high. But after a bit of digging, he said, he finds the different tour length policies among the services work against morale.

“Specifically, if you sit around a table in a dining facility with servicemembers from all four services, they all have different tour lengths,” he said. The Army has a tour length of one year. Marines are in the country for seven months.

Navy and Air Force tours are four or six months. “The question that gets asked is how can you possibly have so many different tour lengths?” he said.

The services examine tour lengths constantly. The Marines – with their tether to Navy ship deployments – find seven months on and seven months at home station works. The Army has a one-year-on, one-year-home cycle that it would like to change to one year deployed three years home.

The Navy and Air Force also have good reasons for their tour lengths, the chairman acknowledged, but he said the differences don’t always sit well with people affected.

“It may compute math-wise, but it doesn’t compute in peoples’ minds and hearts,” he said. “That’s the biggest morale factor that I’m aware of when I travel.”

He said the Joint Chiefs of Staff continue to scrub the problem and challenge their assumptions. “Just because an assumption is true today, doesn’t mean it will be so tomorrow,” he said.

In response to a question from the largely Air Force audience, Pace addresses the reduction in force now under way in that service.

He said from his standpoint, the military is not reducing. The Army and Marine Corps are growing. “The Air Force and Navy have determined they can get smaller and still get the job done,” he said. The military of the future needs more special operations people, and the Air Force is looking to expand that community, he said.

But a technological shift in the service leads to a smaller force, he said. “If you go back to World War II, it took 3,000 planes to hit one bridge,” he said.

During Desert Storm, he said, that number dropped to 10 aircraft. “Today, one plane can hit 30, 40 or 50 bridges in one mission,” he said. “Somewhere in that math, you have to believe that you can do the mission for the nation with fewer planes. And that means fewer maintenance personnel, armorers and so on to keep those planes flying.”

He said he is comfortable in a change in size in the Air Force “that tells me I actually hit more targets from the air with fewer planes five years from now than I could with more aircraft five years ago.”

Pace said he will continue to ask and prod Air Force officials to understand the situation.

Filed Under: Top News, Updates

Recent Posts

  • What Makes Navy SEALs The Best Special Forces Operators in the World Today?
  • How Was Military Time Created And Why?
  • The Best 5 US Military Bases In The World
  • Congrats To Recent Graduates And Is The Military A Great Place For Young People Today
  • The Best Jobs in the United States Army
VA Loans

Primary Sidebar

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE

USMilitary.com is a privately owned website and is NOT AFFILIATED (or endorsed) with the U.S. GOVERNMENT, U.S. ARMED FORCES, or DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS

USMilitary.com Career Guide

Sign up to receive USMilitary.com email updates and to hear what's going on with all military branches!

Featured Columnists

Larry Fowler

Larry Fowler is the publisher of USMilitary.com Network one of America's premier privately owned

Do You Know The Army’s Most Dangerous Jobs?

Scott Ostrow

Lt Col (Dr.) Scott A. Ostrow retired from the Air Force in September 2005 and has been teaching

Congrats To Recent Graduates And Is The Military A Great Place For Young People Today

Kim Lengling

Kim Lengling is a Air Force Veteran whose passion is to help support veterans and their

This Memorial Day: The Knock On The Door

Dr. Sasha Toperich

Dr. Sasha Toperich is the Senior Executive Vice President at Transatlantic Leadership

Sarraj’s Dangerous Dance With Power

Rick Stewart

Rick Stewart is a former United States Air Force Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE)

Announcing American Patriots Unsung Magazine

Nathan B. Nelson

Capt (ret) Nathan B. Nelson is the Director of Military Affairs for the 1st Congressional district

Three Critical Considerations for Every Veteran Prior to Leaving Active Duty

Laquan Daniels

Laquan Daniel is a military recruiting expert with over 17 years of specialized experience in the

Important News For Military Transitioning Veterans

Veteran Buzz

High-Paying Jobs for Military Veterans

5 High-Paying Jobs for Military Veterans

July 2, 2018 By Ben Ehinger

High Paying Jobs Not Requiring a Degree

June 28, 2018 By Ben Ehinger

7 Best Military Careers That Lead To High Paying Civilian Jobs

June 10, 2018 By larryf

VA Loans

Footer

  • Advertise With Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Write For US
  • Link to Us

Recent

  • What Makes Navy SEALs The Best Special Forces Operators in the World Today?
  • How Was Military Time Created And Why?
  • The Best 5 US Military Bases In The World
  • Congrats To Recent Graduates And Is The Military A Great Place For Young People Today
  • The Best Jobs in the United States Army

Search

© Copyright 2022 USMillitary
Web Design by Goebel Media Group


THIS IS A PRIVATE WEBSITE THAT IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, U.S. ARMED FORCES, OR DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE NOT REVIEWED THIS INFORMATION. THIS SITE IS NOT CONNECTED WITH ANY GOVERNMENT AGENCY.