Pentagon proposes 13pc cut in US Army size
27 January, 2012
WASHINGTON: The Pentagon on Thursday proposed trimming the number of US army troops by 13 per cent as the debt-ridden United States winds down a decade of war but vowed renewed investment to exert power in Asia and the Middle East. With pressure mounting to balance the US books, President Barack Obama's administration sought a nine per cent cut in the 2013 budget compared with last year's request by retiring older ships and planes and pulling back two brigades from Europe. But the administration called for investment on new projects including a futuristic floating base for special operations and drones and assigning elite Brigade Combat Teams with language training to each region of the world. "We are at a strategic turning point after a decade of war and substantial growth in defence budgets," Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said as he unveiled a preview of the Defence Department's 2013 budget requests. Panetta vowed to maintain US power in the Middle East and Asia including by modernising submarines and funding a next-generation bomber. Panetta called for funding to station littoral combat ships in Singapore and patrol craft in Bahrain, part of the US strategy of forward-deploying its military to such small and strategically placed US allies. "The force we are building will retain a decisive technological edge, leverage the lessons of recent conflicts and stay ahead of the most lethal and disruptive threats of the future," Panetta told a news conference. The budget is far from a done deal. Panetta is hoping to ward off calls for steeper cuts backed by some members of his Democratic Party, while Republicans seeking to defeat Obama in November elections have resisted any cuts to the military and instead prefer reductions on social benefits at home. Panetta proposed a $613 billion budget for the year starting in October — a $525 billion base spending plan and $88.4 billion for combat operations, primarily in Afghanistan. He said the base budget would rise to $567 billion by the 2017 fiscal year, by when the United States plans to withdraw most forces from Afghanistan. He proposed reducing the number of active US Army soldiers from 570,000 in 2010 to 490,000 by 2017 and cutting the Marines' strength from 202,000 to 182,000 over the same period. General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged that the proposals were "tough" and said he expected more cuts in the future as the Pentagon looks to meet a goal of saving $259 billion over five years. "The primary risks lie not in what we can do, but in how much we can do and how fast we can do it," Dempsey said. "As I have said before, we will face greater risks if we do not change from our previous approach." Panetta said he would seek $88.4 billion to support combat operations in Afghanistan, down from $115 billion in 2012 largely due to the end of the war in Iraq and the withdrawal of US forces there at the end of last year. The budget begins to flesh out a new military strategy announced by the Pentagon earlier this month that calls for a shift in focus from the ground wars of the past decade towards efforts to preserve stability in the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East. It would delay the purchases of weapons like Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Pentagon's largest procurement program, as well as submarines, amphibious assault ships and other vessels. The Pentagon would increase its emphasis on drone aircraft and would go ahead with a long-range bomber and proceed with other weapons that would allow it to project power from a longer range, a capability needed in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East. The size of the active-duty Army would be trimmed to 490,000 over five years from its wartime peak of 570,000 in 2010 and the size of the Marine Corps would fall to 182,000 from its high of about 202,000. Military pay increases would begin to slow after two more years of growth, and fees would be increased on healthcare benefits for military retirees, those who served more than 20 years, both above and below the age of 65. In addition, the Pentagon would:- - Delay development of a new ballistic missile submarine by two years; - Eliminate six of the Air Force's tactical-air fighter squadrons and retire or divest 130 aircraft used for moving troops and equipment; - Retire seven Navy cruisers and two smaller amphibious ships early, postpone the purchase of a big-deck amphibious ship by one year and postpone the planned purchase of a number of other vessels for several years; - Eliminate two Army heavy brigades stationed in Europe and compensate by rotating US based units into the region for training and exercises. End.
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