US Marine Core
The Department of Defense will be undergoing a series of budget cuts to reduce the size of the U.S. Army. The goal is to reduce the number of military personnel from 519,786 to 420,000 troops on active duty. It is expected that up to 30,000 soldiers will lose their jobs. 10,000 of those troops will be let go in 2014 and the other 20,000 in the following year.
The Army Times noted that, "The personnel total includes 4,000 West Point cadets and several hundred soldiers who are processing for separation because of physical disability, and several hundred others who have been identified for involuntary separation or retirement because of indiscipline or selection by force reduction boards.”
The Army Times also noted that 15 percent of the annual cuts will be achieved through voluntary separations. The other involuntary separations will be selected by the Department of Defense several months after the voluntary separations.
According to USA Today, the annual budget cuts and reduction in the size of the military would save up to 500 billion dollars. However, some military insiders are not so enthusiastic about the D.O.D.’s policies. Raymond Odierno, the Army Chief of Staff stated that a military of 420,000 cannot protect the U.S. borders while fighting wars abroad at the same time.
There are however, others who disagree. Professor Gordon Adams (American University) noted that America may never have to fight a war too large in scale that would require more than 420,000 active troops. He stated there is no immediate foe of the U.S. that has a military larger than that.
