Forced Army Service Will All but End in Two Years, Gates Says

WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Wednesday that over the next two years, he would all but eliminate an unpopular practice that has prevented thousands of active duty soldiers and reservists from leaving military service on time if they were scheduled to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan.

More than 13,000 Army personnel remain unable to exit from military service under the policy, in place since 2004, and known as "stop-loss." Mr. Gates said the practice was "breaking faith" with those in uniform, and announced a timetable that would cut the numbers affected in half by next June, and virtually eliminate them by March 2011.

He revealed his decision on the evening of the sixth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq, where more than 140,000 American troops are still deployed.

Mr. Gates cautioned that "scores," but not thousands, of Army personnel might continue to be affected by the policy if they had skills that were particularly important to the war effort. He said retroactive pay benefits would be awarded those who fell under the policy.

Mr. Gates also announced personnel decisions to assure continuity for the Obama administration. The defense secretary said he had recommended to the president that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, and the vice chairman, Gen. James Cartwright, be re-appointed to a second two-year term in their posts.

At its core, the stop-loss policy meant that all troops headed to Iraq and Afghanistan would remain in service throughout their unit's deployment -- even if the time on an individual soldier's enlistment contract expired before the deployment ended. It also prevented the movement of soldiers who wished to remain in service but had intended to change positions within the military or attend a military school.