The US Army has said it would extend the current 12-month mobilization of Army Reserve by between three to six months.

"It means our Reserve forces will be mobilized longer than initially planned, but we believe this is a measured and responsible decision by the army and a decision that will contribute directly to improving stability in Iraq," said US senators Zell Miller and Saxby Chambliss, co-chairs of the Senate's Reserve Caucus, in a statement.

"We encourage the army and the Department of Defense to continue utilizing the Reserve components wisely," the lawmakers said.

The new policy, which experts say is likely to have a negative impact on morale, retention and recruiting, coincides with a drive by the US government to recruit more international help in Iraq through the United Nations, amid fears that US forces are stretched to the breaking point with deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere around the globe.

Of 122,000 US troops currently deployed in Iraq, according to media reports, 3,000 belong to the National Guard and 5,000 are reservists. Another 5,000 guards and 7,000 reservists are serving in Kuwait.

Army officials defended the new policy, saying that the scarcity of active-duty forces and security concerns made it necessary to keep a large number of Guard and Reserve troops in Iraq for as long as possible.

WAR.WIRE