Monday, July 13, 2015
What is it?
The Department of the Army announced force structure decisions and associated stationing plans which reduce the Army by 40,000 active component Soldiers and 17,000 Army civilian employees by the end of fiscal 2018. The plans implement the budget caps of the Budget Control Act of 2011 and current law. These reductions impact almost every Army installation, both in the continental United States and overseas.
By the end of FY 2018, the active Army will reduce its size from 570,000 to 450,000 over a five-year period. This represents a 21 percent reduction of the force.
What is the Army doing?
These reductions of Soldiers and civilians will impact almost every Army installation, both in the continental United States and overseas. As part of this reduction, the Army will conduct involuntary separation boards for both enlisted Soldiers and officers.
The Army will convert both the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Georgia and the 4th Airborne Brigade Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, in Fort Richardson, Alaska, into maneuver battalion task forces by the end of FY 2017. Additionally, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, will remain in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, but will convert from a Stryker brigade to a two-maneuver battalion infantry brigade combat team.
The U.S. Army will continue its longstanding presence and interest in maintaining security in the Asia-Pacific region. These conversions, along with the addition of a Stryker brigade combat team to the Army National Guard in the Pacific Northwest, enhance our power projection in the Pacific.
What force structure reduction does the Army plan to continue in the future?
With potential sequestration level cuts, expected to be imposed next year and beyond, the Army’s end-strength will be further reduced to 420,000 Soldiers by fiscal 2019. This is a cumulative loss of 150,000 Soldiers, or 26 percent of the force. Additionally, the Army may be forced to reduce another 6,000 Army civilians.
Why is this important to the Army?
Instability and uncertainty are on the rise across the globe and the Army assumes risk in maintaining readiness with these reductions. An Active Component force of 450,000 Soldiers represents the bare minimum needed for the Army to carry out its missions and execute and meet the requirements of the defense strategy.
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