Army cutting force by 24K in major restructuring – By Ellen Mitchell (The Hill) / Feb 27, 2024
The U.S. Army is cutting its force by about 24,000 positions, nearly 5 percent, a restructuring effort it says will help prepare it to fight in future wars as it struggles to recruit soldiers.
The cuts will bring the Army from a force structure of roughly 494,000 troops to 470,000 by fiscal year 2029, mainly cutting already-empty roles such as jobs in counter-insurgency. Such positions increased during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars but demand dropped off after the conflicts were ended.
“We’re moving away from counterterrorism and counterinsurgency, we want to be postured for large-scale combat operations,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told reporters Tuesday morning.
While the Army is structured for a force of about 494,000, it currently only has roughly 445,000 active-duty soldiers. Its new plan seeks to fill the ranks over the next five years, getting to an eventual level of 470,000, according to a new service document released Tuesday.
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