Fort Riley Numbers

Whether any of the 9,300 Fort Riley troops deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan would be affected by Gen. David Petraeus' plan to gradually scale down troop levels in Iraq is not yet known, according to Fort Riley officials.

In congressional testimony Monday in Washington, Petraeus outlined his vision for reducing U.S. troop levels, starting this month. He reported that the recent buildup of U.S. troops has yielded enough good results to foresee a transition to Iraqi security control.

Petraeus said he has recommended that in December an Army brigade — numbering 3,500 to 4,000 soldiers — be withdrawn, and that between December and next July four additional Army brigades plus two Marine battalions leave Iraq without being replaced. That would return U.S. force levels to near the 130,000 that were in Iraq before Bush announced his troop buildup in January.

The 1st Infantry Division's 3,500-soldier 4th Infantry Brigade Combat deployed to Iraq in early February of 2007. With the Army's 15-month deployment policy, the brigade would not be scheduled to return to Fort Riley until May of 2008. The brigade left for Iraq a few days early because of the 30,000 troop surge ordered by President Bush.

"We have not been told anything," Fort Riley spokeswoman Deb Skidmore said about the possibility of the brigade returning early. "It takes a little bit of time to set the wheels in motion."

Today's total of 168,000 U.S. troops in Iraq is the highest of the entire war. For Fort Riley, the 9,300 troops currently deployed is the highest total since the war started in March of 2003. The deployment leaves a total of about 6,200 troops on post.

The 1st Infantry Division's 3,700-soldier Combat Aviation Brigade began deploying last week and will be gone within the next 10 days. The 300-troop sustainment brigade has also deployed this fall.

The Fort Riley-based 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division is transitioning into a heavy infantry unit and will eventually reflag as the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. The brigade has been put on the list for possible deployment in 2009, but has received no orders to date.