Monday, May 9, 2016

U.S. Army cuts leave the fewest active-duty soldiers since pre-World War II as Obama administration and Pentagon reduce troop numbers .

U.S. Army cuts leave the fewest active-duty soldiers since pre-World War II as Obama administration and Pentagon reduce troop numbers

The number of active-duty soldiers in the Army for March was 479,172

That's the lowest number of active-duty soldiers since 1940, when the Army's active-duty numbers were at 269,023

The Army is currently in the process of reducing its numbers, with plans to bring down active-duty soldiers to 450,000 by the end of 2018

PUBLISHED: 08:37 EST, 9 May 2016 | UPDATED: 08:51 EST, 9 May 2016

The number of active-duty soldiers in the Army is the lowest its been since before World War II.

The Army Times reports that the number of soldiers on active duty for March was 479,172 which is the smallest active-duty force since 1940 - the year before the U.S. entered World War II. At that time there were just 269,023 soldiers on active duty.

The current force is also 154 soldiers less than the post-Cold War drawdown in 1999.

The Army is currently in the process of drawing back its active duty numbers, with a goal of reducing its numbers to 475,000 by September.

The number of active-duty soldiers in the Army is the lowest it has been since before World War II. Above, soldiers stand in formation at a training exercise in Bulgaria in April

In the past year, the active force has been reduced by more than 16,500 troops which is the equivalent of three brigades.

The drawdown plan was unveiled last July, with the ultimate goal of reducing numbers to just 450,000 by the end of the fiscal year in 2018.

Military officials say the draw back is not voluntary, but something that must be done to meet budgeting constraints.

'These are not cuts the Army wants to make, these are cuts required by budget environment in which we operate,' Gen. Daniel Allyn, vice chief of staff of the Army, has said. 'This 40,000 soldier cut ... will only get us to the program force, it does not deal with the continued threat of sequestration.'

In addition to an active force of 479,172, the Army also has 548,024 soldiers in reserve.

ARMY ACTIVE-DUTY NUMBERS, MARCH 2016
Rank	Active component	Women AC	National Guard	Army Reserve
General	11	0	1	0
Lt. General	46	4	2	0
Maj. Gen.	122	7	64	34
Brig. Gen.	129	6	162	78
Total general officers	308	17	229	112

Colonel	4,156	480	1,452	1,875
Lt. Colonel	9,268	1,251	3,531	5,178
Major	15,692	2,786	6,539	7,270
Captain	28,963	5,819	10,623	10,784
1st Lieutenant	13,273	2,625	9,487	5,956
2nd Lieutenant	6,214	1,274	4,663	2,196
Total branch officers	65,620	14,235	9,487	33,259

Chief warrant officer five	627	40	392	106
Chief warrant officer four	2,065	175	1,429	518
Chief warrant officer three	4,233	393	2,096	943
Chief warrant officer two	6,160	623	3,553	1,377
Warrant officer one	1,839	171	1,097	407
Total warrant officers	14,924	1,402	1,097	3,351
Total all officers	92,900	15,654	45,092	36,722

Sgt. Major	3,321	273	2,082	1,556
Msgt.	10,931	1,220	7,357	5,678
Sgt. 1st Class	35,481	4,144	21,434	15,334
SSgt.	55,646	5,938	39,064	20,226
Sgt.	66,794	9,277	64,386	33,149
Specialist	119,364	17,943	94,750	54,892
Pvt. 1st Class	45,532	7,200	39,168	16,655
Pvt. E2	27,961	4,428	20,007	8,398
Pvt. E1	16,921	2,275	15,123	69,512
Total enlisted	381,951	52,698	303,371	162,839

Academy cadets	4,321	819	0	0

Grand total	479,172	69,171	348,463	199,561

Monday, May 9, 2016