The Tennessee National Guard has announced that Tennessee's 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment won't deploy to Iraq until the 2010 fiscal year.

Earlier this week the U.S. Department of Defense had said in another press release that the 278th, which is Tennessee's largest National Guard unit and has soldiers based in Greeneville, was one of four National Guard brigades that would begin deploying to Iraq in the spring of 2009.

But the Tennessee National Guard said on Wednesday that the 278th won't deploy before the 2010 federal fiscal year, which begins in October 2009.

"On May 19th, the Department of Defense (DoD) issued Press Release No. 428-08 concerning the alert of four brigades of the Army National Guard," the Tennessee National Guard news release said. "Tennessee's 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment (Brigade Combat Team) is listed as one of these brigades.

"Although possible deployments for some of these brigades will begin in the Spring of 2009, the 278th is still scheduled for possible deployment in Fiscal Year (FY) 2010. This blanket release for the four brigades does not represent an acceleration of the scheduled mobilization times for these brigades.

"Fiscal year 2010 has always been the projected time for the [278th Armored Cavalry] Regiment's deployment, falling under the DoD model for deployment of one in five years for National Guard units. The 278th last deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III in November of 2004."

The federal Fiscal Year 2010 begins in October 2009, according to the Tennessee National Guard news release.

The soldiers will mobilize under the current DoD guidelines of a 12-month mobilization to include training prior to the mobilization.

"We are confident that the 278th will not deploy until FY2010," said Maj. Gen. Gus Hargett, Tennessee's Adjutant General. "The soldiers of the 278th are trained and ready professionals who will represent the Volunteer State in the same outstanding tradition as generations of Tennesseans before them."

More than 12,500 soldiers and sirmen of the Tennessee National Guard have deployed since Sept. 11, 2001.

Currently more than 1,000 Tennessee Guard members are deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, according to the Tennessee National Guard.