US Army to Cut Thousands of Positions in Significant Overhaul for Future Warfare Readiness

WASHINGTON‍ — In a ⁤strategic move to better prepare for future warfare, the U.S. Army is reducing⁤ its⁤ force size by‌ approximately ⁣24,000, or nearly⁤ 5%. This decision‍ comes in the wake‍ of recruitment challenges that ‍have made ⁤it difficult to fill ​all necessary positions.

Most of the reductions will ​be in currently⁤ vacant positions, not active-duty soldiers.‌ These include roles related to counter-insurgency, ⁢which expanded during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars⁢ but are less necessary today. Approximately 3,000 of these reductions will ⁣be from Army special operations forces.

Simultaneously, ⁢the Army plans to‍ increase its strength in other crucial areas by adding about ‌7,500 troops. These include air-defense and ‍counter-drone ⁣units, as ⁢well as five ‍new global task forces with enhanced cyber, intelligence, and‍ long-range strike ⁤capabilities.

An ⁤internal Army document reveals that the service is “significantly overstructured” with not enough soldiers to fill existing units.⁢ The document clarifies that the reductions ⁢are in “spaces” not “faces”, meaning⁢ the​ Army will not be asking soldiers to leave the force.

The ⁣decision reflects the ​reality that the Army has ​struggled to fill thousands of empty posts for ‍years. The current⁣ structure allows for up to 494,000 soldiers, but the actual​ number of active-duty soldiers is about 445,000. The new plan aims to recruit enough ​troops over the next five years to reach a level of ⁢470,000.

This restructuring ‍follows two decades of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, which necessitated a rapid and significant expansion of the Army. The focus of the military⁢ has since shifted towards great power‌ competition from adversaries such as China and ‌Russia, and threats from Iran and North ⁢Korea. The conflict in Ukraine has highlighted the need for a‌ greater emphasis on air-defense systems‍ and high-tech abilities to​ use and counter airborne ⁢and sea-based drones.

A Strategic​ Shift for More Advanced Adversaries

Army leaders have conducted a thorough review‍ of all the service’s job specialties to identify areas for reduction. They also examined ‌the ongoing⁢ effort ‌to modernize the Army with new‍ high-tech weapons to determine where additional forces should be concentrated.

According​ to‍ the plan, the Army ‌will eliminate about ‌10,000 positions⁢ for engineers and similar roles that were tied to⁤ counter-insurgency missions. An additional 2,700 reductions will come from units that don’t​ deploy often and can be trimmed, and 6,500 will come ⁢from various​ training‍ and other posts.

Approximately 10,000 positions will ‍be cut from cavalry squadrons,⁣ Stryker brigade combat teams, infantry brigade combat teams, ​and security force assistance brigades, which⁢ are used to train foreign‍ forces.

These ⁤changes signify a significant shift ⁣in the Army’s preparation for large-scale combat operations against more advanced enemies. However, they also highlight the significant recruitment challenges faced by all military services.

Challenges in Recruitment

In the last fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30, the Navy, Army, and Air⁤ Force all fell short of their recruitment goals, while the Marine Corps and the newly formed Space Force ⁢met‍ their ⁣targets. The Army recruited just over 50,000 ‌individuals, falling significantly short of ⁤the‌ ambitious goal of 65,000.

The previous fiscal year also‌ saw​ the Army‍ miss its ‌enlistment goal by 15,000, with a target of 60,000.

In response to these challenges, the Army launched‌ a comprehensive overhaul of ‌its⁤ recruiting last fall. The focus is now on young people who have spent ⁣time in college or are early in their careers. The Army is also forming a new professional force ⁢of recruiters, moving away from the previous practice of randomly assigning soldiers to the task.

Army Secretary⁢ Christine Wormuth acknowledged that the service has struggled with recruitment “for many​ more⁣ years ⁤than one would think from just looking at the headlines​ in the last ​18 months.” She revealed that the service​ hasn’t⁣ met its annual ‍goal ​for new enlistment contracts since⁣ 2014.