An Army National Guard unit from Washington

state has been put on alert as the United States gears up to

mobilize more troops because of the war in Iraq.

The order affects

the 81st Army National Guard Infantry Brigade, which has about

33-hundred members in Washington, plus one-thousand affiliated

troops in Michigan and California. Being on alert is a step below

actual mobilization.

The Pentagon says two other units

were given mobilization dates next month. They are the 30th

National Guard Brigade in North Carolina and the 39th National

Guard Brigade in Arkansas. In a news release, the Pentagon says a

unit that is mobilized can expect to be on active duty for 18

months, including up to a year in Iraq.

This is the second time in

eight months the 81st brigade has been put on alert, standing by in

case it is needed to support the operation in Iraq. The last time

the 81st was put on alert, in February, it lasted for several

months.