The U.S. Army will reduce its force
The U.S. Army will reduce its force by about 24,000 positions, or nearly 5%, in order to better fight future wars.
Although the U.S. Army will reduce its force, the service was unable to attract enough recruits to fill all vacancies.
The cuts will mainly cover already vacant positions, not current soldiers, including in areas such as counterinsurgency that grew extensively in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars but are no longer needed as much.
The U.S. Army will reduce its force by about 3,000 in special operations forces alone.
But, the plan will add about 7,500 troops in other areas such as air defense, drone defense and five special task forces around the world with increased capabilities in cyber, intelligence and long-range strike areas.
According to an Army document, there are not enough soldiers to fill existing positions; the cuts, he emphasized, are of “slots” and not “human beings” and the Army is not laying anyone off.
Read more: MACY’S NEW STORE STRATEGY: LESS FOR MORE.
The U.S. Army will reduce its force: Contradiction…
The U.S. Army will reduce its force and it is contradictory in the midst of wartime tension in the world.
The decision reflects the reality that for years the Army has been unable to fill thousands of vacancies.
While the Army, in its current structure, can have up to 494,000 soldiers, the total number of active military personnel currently stands at about 445,000. Under the new plan, the goal is for the number to rise to 470,000 over the next five years.
The restructuring follows two decades of war in Iraq and Afghanistan that forced the military to expand rapidly and dramatically in order to fill brigades deployed to the front lines. This included a massive mission to combat Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and the extremist group Islamic State.
Notably, the U.S. Army will be reducing its force in an approach that has been geared more toward competition against rivals such as China and Russia, and threats from Iran and North Korea.
Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine has demonstrated the need for greater emphasis on air defense systems and technological capabilities for employment and reaction against drones launched from land or sea.
Read more: “TRUMP’S PARTY DOESN’T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT LATINOS”.
Army leaders say they carefully evaluated the branch’s entire organizational chart to decide where to make the cuts and examined existing efforts to modernize the Army, with new high-tech weapons, to decide where new forces should be employed.
Under the plan, the Army will cut about 10,000 positions for engineers or similar jobs linked to counter-subversive missions.
Another 2,700 cuts will be made in units that are not normally deployed and may be reduced, and 6,500 will be made in training and other positions.
In December 2023, the U.S. Congress approved an $886 billion defense budget for 2024, which includes bolstering an international surveillance system already widely used by the country.
The amount is about 3% higher than that of 2023, and provides in particular for several billion dollars to “strengthen the position” of the United States in Asia-Pacific and counter the influence of China.
It also expands the military aid program to Ukraine, allowing for the gradual release of some $300 million for Kiev.
