The Fayetteville Observer January 26, 2012
Army cuts likely to mean fewer brigades
WASHINGTON - The Army plans to slash the number of combat brigades from 45 to as low as 32 in a broad restructuring of its fighting force aimed at cutting costs and reducing the service by about 80,000 soldiers, according to U.S. officials familiar with the plans.
Officials said the sweeping changes likely will increase the size of each combat brigade - generally by adding another battalion - in an effort to ensure that those remaining brigades have the fighting capabilities they need when they go to war.
A brigade is usually about 3,500 soldiers but can be as large as 5,000 for a heavily armored unit. A battalion is usually between 600 and 800 soldiers.
The brigade restructuring is intended to save money without eroding the military's ability to protect the country and wage war when needed. Army officials contend that while there would be fewer brigades, building them bigger would give them more capabilities and depth and would reduce stress on the units.
Fort Bragg
Army special operations forces, which are based at Fort Bragg, are not expected to be affected, but the installation is home to four brigade combat teams, all with the 82nd Airborne Division.
It's unclear whether those brigades will be affected by the Pentagon's plans.
Some national security experts disagree on the potential changes at Fort Bragg.
Matt Leatherman is an analyst for the Stimson Center, a national security policy think tank in Washington. He said if the reports of cuts are accurate, brigade combat teams on Fort Bragg would be spared would be spared.
"I think the paratroopers are on relatively safe ground," Leatherman said.
But, he said, he does not expect Fort Bragg to escape unscathed.
"It's hard for a military installation of that size not to be (affected)," Leatherman said. "But it won't come from the combat units."
Another expert, John Pike of Globalsecurity.org, has said previously that Fort Bragg's specialties would insulate it from defense cuts.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon released a strategic review that mentioned counterterrorism efforts, Special Forces and rapid deployment capabilities - all Fort Bragg mainstays - as important strengths needed moving forward.
But Michael O'Hanlon, a national security and defense policy analyst with the Brookings Institution in Washington, said earlier this month that the 82nd Airborne is not the sacred cow that some think it is.
"If (President Obama) were really to let (Defense Secretary Leon) Panetta have his way, and I hope he does, then I think Fort Bragg is safe," O'Hanlon said at the time. "On the other hand, if we go to this $900 billion in cuts, I'm not sure the 82nd Airborne is sure to survive. Everybody loves it, but not everybody is convinced it's the most important thing we've got in this day and age."
If the 82nd Airborne does survive, it could be slashed to one brigade from its current four, he said.
On Wednesday, O'Hanlon said he'd heard contradictory leaks about the defense budget and did not think it was worth the speculation.
"A cut to 32 would be quite substantial, though I'll believe it when I see it," he said.
Shifting soldiers
Reducing the overall number of brigades would eliminate the need for the headquarters units that command and oversee them.
Officials acknowledged that merging battalions together into larger brigades could shift some soldiers to different bases across the country, although that effort could be stymied by members of Congress who don't like to see the staffing decline at bases that feed the local economy. Officials said the Army will try to limit such shifts.
The cuts come as the Pentagon puts the finishing touches on its 2013 fiscal year budget, which must reflect about $260 billion in savings in its five-year plan. Congress has ordered the Defense Department to come up with a total of $487 billion over the next 10 years, and the military could face cuts of double that amount if Congress can't reach an agreement to avoid automatic, across-the-board reductions mandated by lawmakers last year.
Military leaders, from Panetta on down, insist they will come up with the budgets cuts without hurting the force's effectiveness. In fact, many of the top Army leaders who have been putting the budget together were around when massive budget cuts after the Vietnam War left Army units badly undermanned and ill-equipped - leading to what they call a hollow force.
According to officials, plans call for the active-duty Army to shrink from a high of about 570,000 soldiers to roughly 490,000 over the next decade or so. Initial cuts have been ongoing, and there are currently about 558,000 active-duty soldiers in the Army.
Additionally, there are nearly 205,000 in the Army Reserve and close to 360,000 in the Army National Guard, the Army said Wednesday.
The Army plans to shed soldiers carefully, including through planned departures, separations for medical or behavioral problems, and by scaling back the number of people promoted or allowed to enlist and re-enlist.
One priority would be to make sure that the Army retains its midlevel officers, who routinely take up to 10 years to get to the rank of major or higher. Army leaders struggled through periods of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, using bonuses and other incentives to retain the midlevel officers they needed to command smaller units on the battlefield.
But Army officials acknowledge they will be forced to deny the re-enlistment of many qualified soldiers while continuing to bring in quality recruits.
Gen. Ray Odierno, chief of staff of the Army, has warned that cutting brigades is one way to cut the budget. And he said that shrinking the force will mean that the Army will no longer be able to handle two simultaneous conflicts - long a requirement for the U.S. military.
But the new military strategy mapped out by President Obama and his defense team envisions a shift away from the hard-fought ground wars of Iraq and Afghanistan that relied on tens of thousands of troops to battle stubborn terrorists and insurgent groups. The future military, instead, will focus more on Asian security risks such as China and North Korea and build on partnerships in the Middle East to keep an eye on Iran.
One major reduction, already announced by Panetta, will cut the number of Army brigades stationed in Europe from four to two. Other units would rotate in and out of the region as needed.
Currently there are three brigades in Germany and one in Vicenza, Italy, and that would change so that there would be one in Germany and one in Vicenza.
© Copyright 2012, The Fayetteville Observer
