Here are recent headlines about the military in Kansas:Fort Riley ¢ 1st Infantry Division(AP) Army plans to move battalion to White Sands : WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M. – The U.S. Army plans to station an engineering battalion here next year after the end of the battalion’s current deployment to Iraq. The Army plans to redesignate the 70th Engineer Battalion, which currently has headquarters at Fort Riley, Kan., as the 2nd Engineer Battalion at White Sands in June 2008, said Sens. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., and Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M. A spokesman for the missile range, Larry Furrow, said officials expect the battalion to arrive sometime between May 2008 and October 2008. About 225 soldiers are initially expected, increasing to up to 550 by October 2008, he said.(49abcnews.com) Extended tour of duty creates added pressures for Fort Riley families: Last month, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced that tours of duty for active soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan would be extended to 15 months instead of 12. Now, it’s the 116th Military Police Company’s job to serve its time, and soldiers and families say no matter how long the tour, it’s never easy to say goodbye. “I’m with a bunch of great guys, everybody will take care of each other and we’ll come home safe in 15 months and do it over again if we have to,” said Spc. Martin Gerber, 116th Military Police Company. This deployment ceremony is nothing new military wife Stephanie Gerber, but for 6-month-old Ryland, it is. And though the support for his father is loud and clear, Stephanie says she’ll have to rely on pictures and videos to keep Ryland close to his dad.Kansas National Guard(Salina Journal) Guard gets its $9 million: The Kansas Legislature gave $9 million in bonding authority to the Kansas National Guard to build a joint training center at the Smoky Hill Weapons Range west of Salina, Rep. Josh Svaty said Wednesday. The Ellsworth Democrat said the measure was part of an omnibus appropriations bill passed Wednesday morning by the House and Senate. Svaty said he voted against the bill for philosophical reasons, but was in favor of giving the Guard a means to build the training hub at the weapons range, which is in his district.