Soldiers challenging extended enlistment

WASHINGTON – Eight soldiers filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the Army’s policy requiring them to serve longer than the terms of their enlistment contracts.

The soldiers, believed to be the first active-duty personnel to file such a lawsuit, want a judge to order the Army to immediately release them from service.

They say they weren’t informed when they signed up that they could be kept in the service beyond their discharge date. The Army says the policy is needed to ensure there are enough experienced soldiers on the battlefield.

Under the Pentagon’s “stop-loss” program, the Army can extend enlistments during war or national emergencies as a way to promote continuity and cohesiveness. The policy, invoked in June, was authorized by an emergency executive order signed by President Bush three days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It also was employed during the buildup to the 1991 Gulf War.

The Army has defended the policy, saying the fine print on every military contract mentions the possibility that time of service may change under existing laws and regulations.

The lawsuit says the contracts are misleading because they make no explicit reference to the policy.