Happy New Year!
I hope everyone had a great holiday season and were able to communicate with their loved ones back home. Being deployed can be very stressful, but the holidays can be particularly demanding on Soldiers, Airmen and Families, especially when there are changes on the horizon.
Multi-National Task Force-East is entering challenging times. Plans have recently been announced that will change the overall structure and size of KFOR military forces in Kosovo. These changes will affect every country currently contributing a military force in Kosovo.
The current plan, "Deterrent Presence," adjusts the number of Soldiers from NATO-contributing countries based on the safety and stability in Kosovo.
A reduction on KFOR forces is not new, as troop levels have been decreasing from a high of 50,000 Soldiers 1999 to the current level of 15,000. Under Deterrent Presence, troop levels will be further adjusted to 10,000 by January 31, 2010. Our U.S. contingent - Task Force Falcon - is already included in the adjustment to 10,000 troops so we will not see any reduction in U.S. forces in the near term.
As Deterrent Presence plans are further refined or modified I will communicate to everyone in Multi-National Task Force-East and back home how or when they may be affected. This should enable all Soldiers throughout our task force to be ready and capable of meeting any new challenges as they arise. I encourage you all to support the flow of information here and at home during any restructuring of our force.
While some questions have not been answered yet, I strongly urge everyone to stop rumors wherever they appear. Rumors can only detract from our overall mission, and tend to add only negativity. If you are unsure of something or have questions please take them up the chain-of-command. I can assure you I will do everything in my power to keep all informed as soon as accurate information is available. I can also assure you that my number one priority is the welfare of Soldiers, Airmen and their families.
In the upcoming months there will likely be more challenges and changes, and I know you will all maintain the outstanding professionalism and high morale that have helped us reach this point.
Roughriders!
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