To deal with soldier takes time (6)
I believe the answer is:
manage
'to deal with' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'soldier takes time' is the wordplay.
'soldier' becomes 'man' (I've seen this before).
'takes' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'time' becomes 'age' (age is a kind of time).
'man'+'age'='MANAGE'
(Other definitions for manage that I've seen before include "Run, oversee" , "get on" , "Run, be in charge of" , "Handle, oversee" , "Organise" .)