Washington, DC – September 9th: The US Army ordered thousands of National Guard and Army Reserve forces in Iraq and nearby countries to extend their tours of duty to a year according to a Washington Post story. The new order requires 12-month tours of many Guard and Army Reserve troops, extending their original 6-month tours. The Army issued the new policy late Friday night but made no formal announcement of the change. While defense officials have had authority since the 9-11-01, attacks to activate Guard and reserve troops for two years, most have been called up for only a year of total service, the newspaper reported.  There are 122,000 Army personnel in Iraq, including 3,000 National Guard soldiers and 5,000 reservists, Army officials told the Post. Another 5,000 Guard soldiers and 7,000 reservists are serving in Kuwait.