Our professional military is being tested like never before. IAVA recommends the following steps to rebuild our military and to protect our national security.

4.1 Repeal the Waiver of High- Deployment Pay

• IAVA opposes the Secretary of Defense’s use of national security waivers to avoid paying servicemembers “high deployment allowances” of $1,000/month. The high deployment allowance should be enforced, and should include servicemembers who are currently in a combat theatre and have served more than 365 days in a hazardous duty zone over the past two years (for active-duty troops) or over the past five years (for those in the reserve component).

4.2 Mandate a Reasonable Deployment Schedule

• IAVA opposes the current policy of 15-month Army combat tours. A reasonable deployment schedule provides adequate time for rest, training and reset. IAVA recommends mandating a 1:2 deploymentrest ratio for active duty troops, as recommended in the 2007 Army Posture Statement, and a 1:4 deployment- rest cycle for reserve units. • IAVA opposes the current mobilizations of reservists that result in their absence from home for 18– 24 months.

4.3 End the Use of Stop Loss

• About 8,000 troops are still being held under “Stop Loss,” a military policy that extends troops’ service months and even years beyond their voluntary commitment. IAVA opposes Stop Loss, an ineffective and unfair “Band-Aid solution” to the troop shortage.

4.4 Ensure Adequate Equipment Levels

• IAVA recommends that the DOD be obligated to report detailed equipment reset expenditures within the procurement accounts in a way that confirms that funds appropriated for reset are expended for the correct purposes.