Ensuring Military Readiness Through Stability and Predictability Deployment Policy Act
On August 2, 2007, the House passed H.R. 3159, Ensuring Military Readiness Through Stability and Predictability Deployment Policy Act by a vote of 229-194. The bill mandates troop rest times equal to their deployment times, similar to an amendment by Senator Jim Webb, D-Va supported by 56 Senators as an amendment to the defense authorization bill. President Bush threatened to veto this bill.
It would require active duty forces to be guaranteed that their time at home match the length of their deployment. National Guard and reservists would be home for three times the length of the deployments. The bill would allow the President to waive these requirements to meet the national security needs of the country, and allow Service Chiefs of Staff to allow for the voluntary mobilization of members. These requirements would apply to those serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The bill also expresses a sense of the Congress that the goal for the time between deployments for regular components should be one year deployed to two years at home station, and the goal for the reserve components should be one year deployed to five years at home station.
The 110th Congress is taking America’s defense in a New Direction—addressing the worst military readiness crisis since the Vietnam War and restoring our military’s capability to protect us against threats throughout the world. This bill will enhance national security and support troops and their families by increasing the time troops are at home between deployments to Iraq.