Washington, -- Congressman Neil Abercrombie says U.S. troops now serving in Iraq and Afghanistan—as well as some who have recently returned from the region—would be assured of receiving minimum rest and recuperation time from their tours of duty, under a bill passed by the U.S. House today.

On a vote of 229-194 (and three members voting "present"), the House approved the measure which prohibits units and members of the regular Armed Forces from being deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, unless the period between deployments is equal to or longer than the period of the previous deployment. The measure also bars members and units of the reserves from being deployed if they have been deployed within the preceding three years.

"This bill is crucial to state of readiness and of our military forces today and tomorrow," said Abercrombie (1st District, Hawaii), an original co-sponsor of the legislation and chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces. "In addition, this bill is critical to our nation’s ability to retain troops in our all-volunteer Armed Forces.

"Military families in Hawaii and across the country have been struggling with unpredictability and instability in their homes when a spouse on active duty does not know when and how long he or she may be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. All service members and their families deserve to know more about their deployments, especially if we’re sending them into a situation where their lives are at risk every day."

The bill further authorizes the President to waive the bill's deployment limitations after certifying to Congress that the deployment is necessary to meet an operational emergency posing a threat to vital national security interests. And the bill authorizes the chief of staff of the military department concerned to waive the limitations if a service member has voluntarily requested mobilization.
 
"If the United States is going to maintain fighting forces in a high state of readiness, then the country must restore some stability and predictability in the lives of service members and their families," said Abercrombie. "This can only help our troops to cope with the incredible stress of life on the battlefield and when they return home to rest and recuperate while facing the possibility of a future deployment."

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