The U.S. Army announced that it will cut 40,000 troops and 17,000 civilian employees over the next two and half years, whittling the Army down to its lowest numbers since before World War II. The reductions, which will affect all domestic and foreign posts, are due to Pentagon budget cuts. By the end of the 2017 budget year on September 30, the Army will have 450,000 soldiers. To put that cut into perspective, prior to the September 11 attacks, the Army had 480,000 active-duty service members. A military analyst at Brookings Institution told USA Today that 450,000 is the absolute lowest number of troops the Army should hit.
The cuts come as the country continues its participation in two expensive wars and as tensions continue to mount in both Eastern Europe and the Middle East. That irony has not been lost on conservative lawmakers, who have openly criticized the decision. "One person who's going to be very pleased with this is Vladimir Putin," Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Ala.), a member of the Armed Services committee, said. Despite the cuts, President Obama said Monday that the administration has no plans to increase military presence in areas of ongoing conflict.
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