Army Drawdown
THE ARMY RESTRUCTURING PLAN 2
Abstract
The U.S. Army plans on cutting 80,000 soldiers by 2013. This will be done by cutting the number of combat brigades from 45 to as low as 32. This restructuring comes as the Pentagon works on its 2013 fiscal year budget, which much reflect $260 billion in savings over the next five years. On January 26, 2012 senior DOD leaders released a new defense strategy, this is based on the current budget constraints. “This new strategy will focus on a smaller, leaner military that is agile, flexible, rapidly deployable, and more technologically advanced (Feikert & Henning page 5, 2012).” This new military will rebalance global presence, emphasizing where potential problems exist, such as Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. The new Army will also maintain a presence in Europe, Africa, and Latin America, developing new partnerships and strengthening key alliances.
THE ARMY RESTRUCTURING PLAN 3
THE ARMY RESTRUCTURING PLAN
The Army Drawdown The U.S. Army plans to slash the number of combat brigades from 45 to as low as 32, and broadly restructure its fighting force to save money and cut the size of service by about 80,000 soldiers.
General Ray Odierno, the Army chief of staff, said the drawdown would begin this year and take place mainly through the next decade. “It would include withdrawal of two heavy infantry brigades from Europe, one in 2013 and another in 2014, both of which would be removed from the force rather than relocating to the United States (Alexander, 2012).” The army has stated that it might cut as many as 8 or more Brigade Combat Teams. The Army's final numbers will go from 570,000 troops in 2010 to 490,000 troops by the end of 2017. As part of this reduction, the Army would no longer be conducting large scale
Abstract
The U.S. Army plans on cutting 80,000 soldiers by 2013. This will be done by cutting the number of combat brigades from 45 to as low as 32. This restructuring comes as the Pentagon works on its 2013 fiscal year budget, which much reflect $260 billion in savings over the next five years. On January 26, 2012 senior DOD leaders released a new defense strategy, this is based on the current budget constraints. “This new strategy will focus on a smaller, leaner military that is agile, flexible, rapidly deployable, and more technologically advanced (Feikert & Henning page 5, 2012).” This new military will rebalance global presence, emphasizing where potential problems exist, such as Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. The new Army will also maintain a presence in Europe, Africa, and Latin America, developing new partnerships and strengthening key alliances.
THE ARMY RESTRUCTURING PLAN 3
THE ARMY RESTRUCTURING PLAN
The Army Drawdown The U.S. Army plans to slash the number of combat brigades from 45 to as low as 32, and broadly restructure its fighting force to save money and cut the size of service by about 80,000 soldiers.
General Ray Odierno, the Army chief of staff, said the drawdown would begin this year and take place mainly through the next decade. “It would include withdrawal of two heavy infantry brigades from Europe, one in 2013 and another in 2014, both of which would be removed from the force rather than relocating to the United States (Alexander, 2012).” The army has stated that it might cut as many as 8 or more Brigade Combat Teams. The Army's final numbers will go from 570,000 troops in 2010 to 490,000 troops by the end of 2017. As part of this reduction, the Army would no longer be conducting large scale