The Pentagon is going to deploy more than 30,000 troops, including the 25,000 active duty Army soldiers that will be going to Iraq in the beginning of the fall to replace the troops who will be coming home by the end of this year.

The new Pentagon policy that goes into effect in August will have troops serving 12 month tours instead of the 15 month tours that soldiers are now serving.

Four brigades of the National Guard Army, about 14,000 troops that will be going to Iraq beginning next spring and one National Guard Army brigade, about 3,100 soldiers that will be going to Afghanistan in the spring of 2010 were told by the Pentagon to begin to prepare to for deployment.

National Guard Army brigades going to Iraq will be providing security and the National Guard Army brigade going to Afghanistan will be training Afghan national forces.

The plan leaves open the possibility that the U.S. will keep those 15 brigades there until the end of 2008 and 2010, as voters go to the polls and elect a new president.

Right now there are 155,000 troops, including 17 combat brigades in Iraq.