Yahoo! News - Army Issues Order to Keep Soldiers from Leaving
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers designated to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan will be barred from leaving the military when their volunteer service commitment ends, the U.S. Army said on Wednesday.

The latest "stop loss" and "stop movement" orders, broader than others issued previously, were a further sign of increasing stress on the Army as the Pentagon strives to maintain adequate troop levels in the two conflicts.

Hagenbeck said the orders were open-ended, and could be in place for several years while the Army reorganizes itself into smaller, more interchangeable, units. The orders were meant to preserve unit cohesiveness by keeping together soldiers who have worked and trained together, he said.

Critics argue that keeping soldiers beyond the end of their contractual obligation is a breach of trust, and undermines the concept of the all-volunteer military.

The "stop loss" order means soldiers who otherwise could leave when their commitments expire, starting 90 days before being sent, will be compelled to remain to the end of a yearlong overseas deployment and up to another 90 days after returning to their home base. That means some may remain in the Army involuntarily for up to 18 months beyond when they were scheduled to leave.

Sorry guys.