Pentagon Alerts 4 Major National Guard Units to Prepare for Duty in Iraq

[rodbarnett]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Four major Army National Guard units have been placed on alert for possible deployment to Iraq late this year or in early 2005 as part of a larger force rotation, officials said Monday.
The units are the 42nd Infantry Division headquarters from the New York National Guard, the 256th Infantry Brigade from Louisiana, the 116th Cavalry Brigade from Idaho and Oregon, and the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment from Tennessee, according to several officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The alert notifications were expected to be publicly announced later Monday at the Pentagon.

The exact number of Guard members who would be mobilized is unclear; the number could change depending on the security situation in Iraq during the course of this year, but they likely would total several thousand or more.

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGACF7GUARD.html

[lebkuchen]

1. Somebody's got to replace the divisions that are rotating in now

At the time of their deployment, nobody has had a clue who their replacement would be. Looks like it's more guard units, and possibly the draft.