An Army in limbo - The Killeen Daily Herald
John Hinkley, a 24-year-old M1A2 Abrams tank gunner, who has been in the Army five years. But if the past three years have been any indication, soldiers who voluntarily sign up may not have a guaranteed path to 20 or more years of service and a nice pension for the rest of their lives. Last year, 91 captains at Fort Hood were given pink slips as part of the Army’s drawdown effort to reach 490,000 troops by the end of the fiscal year in October. On Thursday, the Army officially announced where the next round of troop reductions will be made across installations. In the next two years, total troop strength will dip from 490,000 to 450,000, including 3,350 soldiers cut from Fort Hood. As part of the plan, Fort Hood is authorized to have 34,125 soldiers through fiscal year 2017, which is a 17 percent decrease since 2001, when the installation boasted more than 41,000 troops. By the end of fiscal year 2017, one thing is now certain — the Army will be another 40,000 soldiers fewer in size. “Unfortunately, under sequestration and automatic budget cuts, (these Army cuts) may not be the last. Unless the provisions of the Budget Control Act are changed or reversed, the Army will have to cut an additional 30,000 soldiers by 2019,” said Randy George, the Army’s director of force management, during last week’s announcement. Source: kdhnews.com
