Texas-based troops to replace U.S. soldiers in Bosnia
April 17, 1998
Web posted at: 10:36 p.m. EDT (0236 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Pentagon spokesman said Thursday that troops from Fort Hood, Texas, will replace the U.S. peacekeeping force currently in Bosnia.
Army sources say many as 8,000 troops from the 1st Cavalry Division based at Fort Hood will be sent to Bosnia over the next year, beginning with a deployment 3,500 to 4,000 troops in September.
The 1st Cavalry Division will staff two rotations of six months each in the Balkan nation from September 1998 through September 1999, the sources said. A maximum of 4,000 troops will deploy for each of the two rotations.
Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon said the rotations could begin as soon as June.
The majority of U.S. troops now in Bosnia are from European-based units. However, there are also some from units based in the United States, particularly the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
Details on the deployment were expected to be announced soon at Fort Hood.