WASHINGTON: The United States Army has decided to reduce the sired of its force over the next two years, US media reported on Wednesday.
The Army is to reduce the size of its force by 40,000 soldiers till 2017 while, the cost-cutting exercise will also see an additional 17,000 civilian employees cut from the army.
The plan, which could be officially announced later this week, would see the US troop level drop to about 450,000 soldiers by the end of 2017.
The US army had about 570,000 soldiers on duty in 2012 at the height of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A drastic cut like this has long been on the table – in early 2014, the then Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel proposed trimming the active-duty Army to 450,000 personnel, after two costly foreign wars.
Nearly 10,000 US troops still remain in Afghanistan after plans for a gradual withdrawal were delayed until 2016.
The army would have to cut a further 30,000 troops if automatic budget cuts known as sequestration come into effect in October, according to USA Today.
