My husband is about to join the US Army and I want to know if and when he'll get deployed to Afghanistan...?

It depends on what MOS (job) he picks/receives. This will determine how long his AIT (job training) school is after basic. He will then go to his unit, which may or may not deploy. He may deploy to Afghanistan or he may deploy to some other country entirely. He might not deploy.

Nobody can tell you when or if he'll deploy. It's very possible that he may deploy sometime in his career at least once. But it depends on his first unit on how soon he sees the Middle East. He will not deploy while in basic or AIT, period. Once he finishes AIT he will go to his first duty station and from there the unit he is assigned to may be scheduled to deploy at a later date, they may already be deployed (he may join them a month or so later as a "late deployer"), or they may not be scheduled to deploy at all. Chances are, one of the first two will apply to your husband and he'll be looking at deploying between a month and a year (or longer) after arriving at his first duty station. I've seen guys who were home for over a year and a half before going overseas. The third scenario is highly unlikely since the chances of your husband going to a nondeployable unit during his first enlistment are almost zero since most people in nondeployable units are people who been in for a few years and may have at least one deployment under their belt already.

There are no "safe from deployment" MOS. This is a common claim from people who are unclear about the military and recruiters who try to sweet talk you. All jobs that exist in the Military are there by necessity and that includes all bases, including overseas. All soldiers be cooks, band members, doctors, lawyers... they are all soldiers first. They are all trained to fight, fire weapons and defend their country. So the question shouldn't be "will" but "when". The movement of his unit and the completion of his training all help determine his deployment dates. It could be a month or it could be a year. Most people who are enlisted in active duty live with a one year home.. one year gone situation on a normal basis. Not all missions soldiers are deployed to are war zones even if wars are going on. Jo Schmo living on base in Germany might be deployed to a war zone and a soldier stateside needs to go to that soldiers post to fill in the holes. There is no way to determine where soldiers shift and where your MOS will station you. Good luck.

air rigidity is the terrific decision. the deployments are much less and its greater kinfolk friendly than the different branches. im a militia spouse. and its troublesome. however the coverage is great. with reference to the ineffective section, existence isn't guarented. no longer something is. hes questioning with reference to the destiny. and at times the militia pay is stable and loose college and well being care is greater valuable than residing pay verify to paycheck. my husband has long gone to iraq thrice. and all i do is say to myself that god has a objective for the the two one human beings. i help my husband 1000 %, and could in no way circulate away him reason definitely, i comprehend that hes doing it for the fam. some wifes cant cope with the militia existence, yet to me its all approximately love and endurance and have faith. to me, loss of life can take place at each time and at anyplace. anyhow, air rigidity is a lot greater valuable. i advise he joins. he can retire in 30 something yrs and have a pension. stable success.

Depends on his career field. If he's in a high-demand field, like infantry, he could be called out as soon as his training is over. I had a friend who enlisted in March of last year, completed training in July/August, and shipped out in October.

It really depends. No one here will be able to give you a definitive answer. Deployment dates and durations are dependent on the military's need.

Before he ships out, check your local army post and start connecting with other spouses of deployed service members. It's good to develop a support network of people who understand what you're going through. Good luck with everything!

who the hell knows. he could be deployed 3 days after he reports to his first duty station.. or 3 years. or never deploy at all.

Far too many variables to make even a wild guess.

You really can't always tell. My husband thought he would deploy straight after AIT, and we've ended up being stationed in Korea until Nov 2011. Then we go to Benning, and then he could (more than likely) deploy.

A huge factor is your husbands MOS, if he's infantry, he'll be more likely to get there sooner.

Good luck. :)

Hello Jamie,

Only the Army can answer that question.

But, you seem to be prepared that he will go to Afghanistan.

Now. Listen carefully. People have to stop going around talking about every move being a "deployment."

There is a difference in a "deployment" and a "permanent change of station."

A deployment is a temporary condition - more in line with the Army - of course, when certain people are selected because of the jobs (MOS) that they have and need to go to Afghanistan to replace people who are coming back from Afghanistan. Army deployments can be whatever the Army wants them to be. But, usually about 6 - 8 months, maybe.

People who deploy come back to the same base that they are stationed.

A person who gets a permanent change of station goes to a base somewhere overseas for a full tour of duty. If a person is being sent to an overseas base for 12 months unaccompanied to a short tour overseas; or 24 months to an unaccompanied tour overseas, or 36 months accompanied tour overseas, that is NOT a deployment. They are changing bases and when their overseas tour is up they are reassigned back Stateside to a new base that needs their skills.

If your husband does go to Afghanistan is will most likely depend on his MOS (Military Occupational Specialty - his job title) and his rank, and his skill level, and after he completes basic combat training and his technical school for his MOS. Army tech schools are called "AIT" schools or: Advanced Individual Training schools.

I venture to say, that at least 6 months will go by from the date he enlists until he is picked at his first Army post to deploy.

And, of course, if the President begins to "wind down" the US commitment in Afghanistan then fewer troops will be going over there. You would have to watch what the world situation is in the next six months to a year from now.

In any case, it would be wise for you as a military wife to make plans on being able to wait it out "if" he does deploy, for his return after going to Afghanistan.

The more you learn about the Army way of life the easier it will be for you if he does deploy.

Best wishes,

Larry Smith

Senior Master Sergeant, USAF (Ret.)

First Sergeant

No one can say. Chances are though he will be deployed fairly quickly. Since my bf has been in he has had 2 tours in iraq and currently one in afghanistan.

it is like asking how long is a piece of string.............there is NO sure fire way of telling when or even if he will go.......[like you said more than likely he will]

He has basic, then trade school [not sure what it is called in the Army] then he will get to his 1st duty station and at that point you will have a much better idea of when / if they are going.

Everything else is pretty much a guess to be honest.....