WASHINGTON, U.S.A. – In the
move to save money, the US Army is to cut 40,000 soldiers from its ranks over
the next two years at home and abroad, a defense official said Tuesday, in a
move that will raise doubts about its ability to fight wars.
It will affect virtually every Army post domestically and
abroad, USA Today said.
Under the cost-cutting plan, the Army will be down to
450,000 soldiers at the end of the 2017 budget year.
Even though in 2013 it
argued in budgetary documents that going below 450,000 troops might mean it
could not win a war, USA Today said.
Even though in 2013 it
argued in budgetary documents that going below 450,000 troops might mean it
could not win a war, USA Today said.
By comparison, the Army swelled to 570,000 men and women
during the peak of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the newspaper said.
Some 17,000 civilians working for the Army will also be laid
off, the official told AFP, confirming the USA Today report.
The defense official told AFP that the Army plans
to announce the cuts soon, with USA Today adding that the matter would be
addressed this week.
Across-the-board government budget cuts are due to kick in
in October and if Congress does not avert these the Army will have to lay off
another 30,000 soldiers on top of the 40,000, according to the document quoted
by USA Today.
Source: USA Today, AFP
Post a Comment