U.S. Army Soldiers participate in tactical range training using M-9 Berretta handguns on Normandy Range Complex in Basra, Iraq, July 15, 2009. The Soldiers are assigned to Company B, 445th Civil Affairs Battalion. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt Chrissy Best
Army Times: Army shrinks to smallest level since before World War II
The Army’s latest headcount shows that nearly 2,600 soldiers departed active service in March without being replaced, an action that plunges manning to its lowest level since before World War II.
During the past year the size of the active force has been reduced by 16,548 soldiers, the rough equivalent of three brigades.
Endstrength for March was 479,172 soldiers, which is 154 fewer troopers than were on active duty when the Army halted the post-Cold War drawdown in 1999 with 479,424 soldiers, the smallest force since 1940, when the active component numbered 269,023 soldiers.
Barring unexpected delays, the Army is well-positioned to achieve, or exceed, its budgeted end-strength of 475,000 soldiers by Sept. 30, the end of fiscal 2016.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: With a smaller force (and getting smaller) .... calls for a major reform of the U.S. Army are now making the rounds .... Modern Warfare: Why the U.S. Army Must Reform (Phillip Lohaus, National Interest), coupled with the hope that technology also will make-up the difference in the future .... US Army 2025-2040 will be shaped by leap forward technology (The Next Big Future).