US Army eliminating 24,000 jobs in major restructuring

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US Army is planning to eliminate roughly 24,000 jobs as it prepares to carry out a major restructuring to move the force away from counterinsurgency operations and towards large-scale wars, according to a new plan rolled out Tuesday.

The Army is currently set up to be comprised of about 494,000 soldiers, but current levels include roughly 445,000 active-duty soldiers, according to an Army document published on the service's website. Plans will now see the maximum number set at 470,000 troops, and the military will work to fill the gap in the coming years.

The reduced upper threshold is part of the Army's plan to "generate new capabilities and re-balance its force structure" with an eye towards shifting operations away from the counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism efforts that have defined the US's past two decades of war-fighting.

"The Army will continue to need capabilities related to these missions. But in light of the changing security environment and evolving character of war, the Army is refocusing on conducting large scale combat operations against technologically advanced military powers," the document says.

"This transformation will enable the Army to bring in new capabilities to meet requirements under the National Defense Strategy. It will also allow the Army to narrow the gap between force structure, which was designed to accommodate 494,000 soldiers, and current Active Duty end strength, which is set by law at 445,000," it added.

The Army will prioritize the elimination of positions that are "historically vacant or hard to fill." About 7,500 posts will be added in what the Army determines to be critical areas.