US to cut 40,000 soldiers from Army – official – Rappler

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.

Multiple media outlets, including Reuters, cited a U.S. Today report that says along with the 40,000 troops, 17,000 civilian employees will also be cut. United States of America Today said officials intend to announce this plan this week.

The disclosure about Army cuts comes a day after President Obama spoke at the Pentagon about his strategy fighting the Islamic State.

The Army did not comment to U.S. Today on the proposed reductions. He said he and military leaders had not discussed sending additional troops to Iraq to fight, but added, “this will not be quick.”

The Army, which swelled to 570,000 during the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq between 2001 and 2014, has planned to keep a regular force of 450,000 by the end of 2017. This Guard BCT would be based in the Pacific Northwest.

Neither domestic nor foreign outposts are exempt from the cuts, according to a document obtained by US Today.

Confronted by budget constraints, the Obama administration has looked to cut the size of the military, pledging to scale the Army back to its lowest troop level since before World War II.

If senior brass were forced to cull 70,000 soldiers the army would not be able to meet its current deployments and respond to demands for troops in other areas.