Army finally details cuts to bases

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by DKR, Jun 25, 2013.


  1. DKR

    DKR Raconteur of the first stripe

    The Army on Tuesday announced major force structure cuts that will drop the number of brigade combat teams from 45 to 33, saying further shrinkage of the federal defense budget would require even deeper cuts and further lessen the Army’s combat power.
    The Army previously announced it would reduce its end-strength from its current level of 541,000 to 490,000 soldiers by the end of fiscal 2017 under the $487 billion of spending reductions mandated by the 2011 Budget Control Act, but until Tuesday had only announced it was cutting two brigades in Europe. The Army reached a wartime high of 570,000 soldiers, after having some 482,000 soldiers in 2001.

    Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said Tuesday that another 10 BCTs would be inactivated. Meanwhile, the number of maneuver battalions per brigade would be increased to three from the current two, and each brigade would be assigned more engineers.
    By reducing the number of headquarters and increasing the number of battalions per brigade, Odierno said the Army is “increasing our tooth to tail ratio.” He added that while there would be some civilian job losses, many civilian positions are in place to support the basic functions of a post, and won’t be affected.

    Odierno said 10 BCTs would be cut from 10 Army installations:
    Fort Bliss, Texas;
    Fort Bragg, N.C.;
    Fort Campbell, Ky.;
    Fort Carson, Colo.;
    Fort Drum, N.Y.;
    Fort Hood, Texas;
    Fort Knox, Ky.;
    Fort Riley, Kan.;
    Fort Stewart, Ga.; and
    Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

    Another two BCTs used for soldier training will also be cut, officials said.
    An eleventh BCT in a location still undecided will be cut in the future, Odierno said.
    The Army was working early Tuesday to notify Congress of the planned cuts, an Army official told Stars and Stripes.

    The brigades selected for reduction included one Stryker brigade, three armored brigades, five infantry brigades and an airborne brigade. A brigade has roughly 3,500 people.

    If you live near any of these posts/bases, big impacts will be coming soon.

    Other, deeper, cuts will be revealed later.
     
  2. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    Interesting. But isn't part of the Amnesty/Immigration bill that the illegals will serve two years to get citizenship? Do you think this is a way to make room for cheap foreign soldiers who may not have America's best interest at heart?
     
    bebop likes this.
  3. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    BTW- that is really odd because I had heard (last year) Ft Carson was increasing troops and actually construction has been booming on that base.
     
  4. stg58

    stg58 Monkey+++ Founding Member

    They had to cut all those troops and bases, Homeland Security is buying all the ammo none left for us or the Army.
     
    Yard Dart and Mountainman like this.
  5. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    They can still cut some brigades but add to those remaining. All of the soldiers "misplaced" by the cuts will have to go somewhere. This will also increase the retention rate by filling in many slots previously void of soldiers. You can see this as more of a re-flagging than a downsizing, even though some brigades will be obsolete. As we have seen before, with the build up of the military in time of war, we have brought back, or "activated" old units. I don't fully buy the political propaganda associated with "downsizing", since most jobs left in this failing economy are State/Federal jobs...and the machine rumbles onward, ever onward.
     
    Yard Dart and Motomom34 like this.
  6. VisuTrac

    VisuTrac Ваша мать носит военные ботинки Site Supporter+++

    Ooo, shiny, some what used but highly secure bases on which they could import foreign troops to be used on the Amerikan population without being seen arriving at commercial airports.

    Great plan. Great locations near major population centers.

    (sorry, went full tinfoil on that one ... But if you can dream it, they can do it.)
     
  7. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    No Visutrac you are correct. Some of those coming back from sandland/'stan are headed to Ft Carson. They have been expanding to accommodate them. I keep reading Colorado is the new capital or NWo something.
     
  8. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    Probably because of the new airport and the massive underground city network connected by super trains.
     
    Motomom34 likes this.
  9. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    This cut back is not overly surprising as the close out of "overseas contingency operations" ;) are winding down with the normal reset to basic troop strength for units. As @Brokor said this is more of a re-flagging of units/personnel. The reduction in manpower will happen thru normal attrition with reduced recruiting goals and minimizing of waivers to thin the qualified enlistee's (no GED and so on).

    At the same time they are reducing manpower in these types of units listed above, they have been going thru a large increase in manpower for special operations units to deal with the changing battlefield to more urban/counter insurgency roles. So basically you are taking manpower from Peter to give Paul more horsepower in a sense...
     
    Brokor likes this.
  10. Gator 45/70

    Gator 45/70 Monkey+++

    I noticed Ft.Polk is not on the list. Could it be because this is where Obozos goons are trained ?
     
    Yard Dart likes this.
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