More Airtime

HEADNOTE

Under pressures of war, the Air Force moves to extend deployments.

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Three months is not much time to learn

to do a job, especially when it's in Iraq or Afghanistan. That's one reason why the Air Force decided in june to extend deployments for airmen from 90 to 120 days. The longer tours also are a sign that the Air Force, like the other military services, is struggling to field troops for missions ranging from air patrols over Iraq to security for domestic military bases.

"Simply put, the demands on our forces have not diminished and are not expected to diminish any time soon," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John jumper wrote in a june 4 message to airmen announcing the new deployment schedule. Beginning next month, airmen will be deployed four out of every 20 months, he said.

"This is a reaction to increased operational tempo. When a war's under way, all bets are off," says Clark Murdock, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.