ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Almost 150 members of the Minnesota Army National Guard have been deployed to Southwest Asia to support the war on terrorism.

The troops will leave next week for training at Fort Carson, Colo. The exact length of the mission is undetermined, but the soldiers are expected to be activated for a year. Maj. Gen. Eugene Andreotti, Minnesota’s Adjutant General, said the deployment order came as a surprise.

“These men and women are under tremendous pressure,” he said, “but we will be doing everything we can to support their families and civilian employers.”