Army plans to cut 40,000 troops

Defense officials confirmed on Tuesday the Army was moving ahead with the plan to reduce uniformed and civilian personnel and was expected to announce details on Thursday about which units would be affected by the cuts.

The US Army plans to cut 40,000 troops over the next two years, United States of America Today reported Tuesday.

The reductions are part of a longstanding plan that has been publicly discussed since 2014.

The Army first announced in 2013 that it would reduce its force to 450,000 by the end of 2017, and could go even lower – to 420,000 if sequestration remains in place. During the peak of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army swelled to about 570,000 soldiers to ensure that deployments could be limited to one year.

Cutbacks under the Budget Control Act could potentially cost Fort Campbell about 16,000 soldiers and civilians. At that level, the Army would not be able to meet its current deployments and responding to demands for troops in other regions. The cuts would affect 30 bases throughout the country.