Inhofe on Army Force Reduction Announcement

Statement

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, responded to the announcement from the U.S. Army that it would inactivate ten brigade combat teams (BCTs) as part of plans to reduce active-duty end strength by 80,000 Soldiers.

"While it is unfortunate that the Army plans to inactivate ten brigade combat teams, I understand the Army is working under difficult circumstances brought on by leadership failures of the Obama administration," said Inhofe. "These devastating reductions are the direct result of the misguided agreement of the Budget Control Act of 2011 which requires 50 percent of the total cuts to come from the Department of Defense which makes up only 18 percent of the total budget.

"What I find more troubling is the impact of sequestration on future Army force structure. The Chief of Staff of the Army has consistently stated that should sequestration be fully implemented, the Army will be forced to reduce its end strength by an additional 100,000 soldiers. This will result in more brigade combat team, support units and training base reductions. I will continue to work with my Senate colleagues to cancel or minimize the impact of sequestration on our forces.

"I know the Army is doing the best it can to preserve combat capability in the face of large budget cuts. In Oklahoma, I am especially pleased the Army decided to add an Air Defense Artillery battalion with over 400 solders to offset the loss of two Field Artillery units that was announced last year. While I am not pleased with the fact that Fort Sill had a net loss of 546 soldiers, we still did well when compared to other installations in the Army. But, we must find a way to prevent further cuts to Army force structure. The world is not safer than it was two years ago. I will continue to work to fix sequestration for the military budget and stop any further reductions."

The ten BCT reduction comes after two BCTs in Europe have already been inactivated. This significant reduction in the size and capability of the Army results from the Obama administration's decision to reduce the size of its force from the 2010 figure of 570,000 to 490,000 by the end of 2017 under the Budget Control Act.

Although the loss of ten brigade combat teams (BCTs) is significant, these cuts are not a part of the across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration, which are set to reduce military spending by an additional $500 billion over ten years. If sequestration remains in effect, the Army could reduce force structure by an additional 100,000 soldiers starting next year.

Source