In an effort to follow the Bipartisan Budget Act imposed spending cap of $496 billion, Pentagon officials have announced plans to reduce the size of the American Armed Services. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is anticipated to lay out the controversial shrinking proposal this afternoon, one of his first step to take firm control of the military spending situation plaguing the country and administration. This new strategy moves to fulfill the President’s promise of ending two lengthy land wars and takes into account grim realities of the government’s fiscal standing.
While Hagel’s change in direction requires a number of significant downsizing and discontinuations in a number of branches—including the elimination of an entire class of Air Force attack Jets, future reduction of Navy aircraft carriers, and dropping the Army’s numbers to 490,000 troops—he promises that the money saved will allow the military to focus on better training and equipping soldiers for modern warfare. Ultimately, the major goal of this new strategy is to create a smaller, more mobile army that can handle any arm confrontation with one enemy, and hold off any threats posed to national security.
The Budget maintains the current spending on Special forces and cyberwarfare; the latter has been gaining serious traction, as the potential for serious conflicts has become a reality in the public’s mind. In the same vein, for the foreseeable future the Navy will maintain their number of aircraft carriers at eleven, however that is due to change. When all things are considered, the United States will continue to have a sizable and intimidating military.
Before this place can be put into action, Congress has to approve of the budget, which will be the center of some contentious debates. There are a lot of interests and views that have to be considered: politicians with bases in their district, veteran organizations, and military personnel. Critics are worried that a reduced army would lead to more courageous adversaries, however, Pentagon officials promise that the armed services will still be able to handle all enemies or threats.
Political opposition aside, Secretary Hagel and the Pentagon are making serious headway with their proposed plan. This is significant for anyone planning on joining or already in the army, things may rapidly change once in process. We’ll keep you posted on it’s progress, as we learn more.
*For more information, read the full New York Times Article here .
Jimi (@Nativejimi)
