Pentagon Says Storm Response Will Slow Combat Deployments

WASHINGTON—Defense Department efforts to help Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Maria will delay troop deployments to Afghanistan and affect deployments across the globe into the next year, Pentagon officials said Thursday, spurring questions about department-wide military readiness.

A planned increase in troops for the fight in Afghanistan will be delayed because of the response to the natural disaster, Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the top staff officer on the Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters. He said the delay doesn’t reflect unfavorably on the overall readiness of the U.S. military.

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