About 2,000 of Hawai'i's citizen soldiers are just a few months shy of donning camouflage full time again in preparation for a repeat deployment to the Middle East.

But they are not the only ones. The presidential election could change the war-zone landscape, but at this point, late 2008 and early 2009 may set a record for numbers of Hawai'i troops in Iraq and Kuwait.

In addition to the National Guard deployment, about 7,000 Schofield Barracks soldiers with the 25th Division headquarters, combat aviation brigade and 3rd brigade could be returning to northern Iraq at the end of the year. Those units returned from a similar deployment in October.

The Stryker brigade of 4,000 soldiers is scheduled to remain in Iraq for 15 months, meaning it would be there into early 2009.

And battalions of Hawai'i Marines continue to rotate into western Iraq. About 1,000 Marines and sailors are usually part of the deployments.

That adds up to 14,000 Hawai'i troops who could potentially be in Iraq or Kuwait at the same time as the Pentagon continues what's known as a high "op tempo" for its all-volunteer force.

Throughout 2005, the 29th Brigade Combat Team of the Hawai'i Army National Guard served in Kuwait and in Iraq. In Iraq, the troops were in Baghdad and at Logistics Support Area Anaconda north of the capital.

Eighteen soldiers from the combat team were killed, but the 29th Brigade drew from a number of Mainland units, and just one of those 18, Sgt. Deyson Cariaga, was from Honolulu.

This time, the duty will be primarily in Kuwait, with some missions in Iraq, officials said. It will be the same upheaval and sacrifice for Guard families, though.

The latest word from the Hawai'i National Guard is that the mobilization for active duty will occur in August, with 29th brigade units — including the Army Reserve's 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry — expected to be in place in Kuwait in late October or early November.

For the 2005 combat duty, Hawai'i National Guard soldiers were called up in 2004 and spent about 18 months on active duty, including time spent in training on the Mainland and for demobilization after a year spent overseas.

A change in National Guard policy nationally since then means that mobilizations now are no longer than a year, including pre-deployment training.

But the Hawai'i National Guard also expects to double its annual training from 15 to 30 days. Maj. Chuck Anthony, a spokesman for the Hawai'i Guard, said sometime around June or July, the soldiers will be conducting that training.

Anthony said the training will be in Hawai'i, but whether that will be at Schofield Barracks or Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island remains to be determined.

There will be additional time spent away from home during the trainup before deployment. Anthony said some of that training will be conducted on the Mainland, but details still have to be worked out.

The Hawai'i soldiers will have responsibility for security and management of U.S. bases and troop training in Kuwait, which is used as a port to receive combat equipment and is the primary route into and out of Iraq.

Some soldiers are expected to conduct convoy security missions throughout Iraq from Kuwait.

The Hawai'i soldiers will replace the Ohio Army National Guard's 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, which is about to start nine months of duty in Kuwait and Iraq.

The 37th brigade recently completed more than 80 days of training at Fort Hood, Texas, in preparation for the deployment.

The National Guard Bureau goal had been five years between combat deployments, but the need to spell an overstretched force means the Hawai'i Army Guard will get less than three years between mobilizations.

Sixty-seven Hawai'i National Guard soldiers are on their way back to Hawai'i after spending a year in Afghanistan rounding out an Arizona battalion.

Anthony, of the Hawai'i Guard, said those soldiers have the option of going to Kuwait, staying in Hawai'i as full-time soldiers with the 29th brigade's rear detachment, or demobilizing and returning to civilian jobs.

IN BRIEF

PUBLIC HEARING TOMORROW CENTERS ON NAVY PLANS FOR K-BAY POSEIDON JETS

The Navy will conduct a public hearing tomorrow on its plans to base 18 P-8A Poseidon jets at Kane'ohe Bay as replacements for the venerable P-3C Orion turbo-prop, a move that would result in fewer airplanes and personnel at the Marine Corps base, slightly more noise, and an investment of $169 million for infrastructure upgrades.

The Navy said in a draft environmental impact statement that it wants to begin replacing the aging Orions in its fleet no later than 2012 and have the process completed by 2019.

Under the "preferred" basing plan, 84 Poseidons would replace 120 of the older Orions at these bases: Kane'ohe Bay; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Whidbey Island, Wash. There also would be periodic squadron detachment to North Island, Calif.

The Poseidon is a military version of the Boeing 737 commercial jet. Kane'ohe Bay would receive three squadrons with six of the planes in each squadron.

According to the Navy report, each of the P-3C squadrons here has 346 personnel and nine primary aircraft. Under the replacement plan, each of the three squadrons at Kane'ohe Bay would have 166 personnel.

While the two planes have different noise characteristics, the actual increase in noise would range from 1 to 2 decibels for the P-8A Poseidon, the Navy said.

The public hearing will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at Castle High School. The hearing will be preceded by an information session from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. More information can be obtained at www.MMAEIS.com.

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.