The 376th Engineering Company in Hammond is part of a statewide National Guard brigade that has received word it will be deployed to Iraq at the start of next year, according to the officer who will head up the troops.

It is expected that a majority of the brigade's 3,500 members will be deployed, which will mark a second tour of duty in Iraq for many of the troops, said Col. Corey Carr, deputy commander of the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

He said he will take over as commander when the brigade is deployed.

More than half of the 376th Engineering Company was deployed to Iraq a year and a half ago with members of the local 113th Engineer Battalion, Carr said.

It is not yet clear what the brigade's mission will be or whether it will remain in one place, he said. He also could not explain why National Guard troops are for the first time being called on for a second tour of duty in Iraq.

"I think there's a recognition that the Guard today is much more capable and ready for missions the country calls on it for," Carr said.

The state's 76th brigade is among the most highly trained units and has spent enough time together, including combat experiences, to build strong cohesion, he said. Carr said an estimated 35 percent of the brigade members already have been to Iraq and all have served outside the country since 9/11.

Several National Guard brigades are expected to be redeployed to Iraq, including troops from North Carolina, Florida and Arkansas. It is the first time full Guard combat brigades were sent back to Iraq for a second tour.

The units will serve as replacement forces in the regular unit rotation for the war.

Guard officials told The Associated Press in February they had contingency plans to send at least two Guard combat brigades back to Iraq in 2008 for their second yearlong tour of duty.

Smaller units and individual troops from the Guard already have returned to Iraq for longer periods, and some active duty units have served multiple tours. A brigade is roughly 3,500 troops.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.