Almost 60,000 soldiers and civilian personnel in the US Army are expected to lose their jobs in the next two years as the Obama administration contemplates on the next move it should take against Islamic State militants.
In a hearing at the Senate Armed Services Committee, US Army Gen. Martin Dempsey confirmed that they are planning to cut 40,000 Army soldiers to bring down the number of active troops from 490,000 to 450,000 by 2017.
Dempsey admitted that decreasing resources prompted their decision to lay off about 57,000 Army workers including 17,000 civilian employees in the Army as part of a plan, details of which are scheduled to be outlined later, Fox News reported.
His announcement came a day after President Barack Obama discussed a long-term campaign for a more robust US response against ISIS in the wake of setbacks during a meeting with top military brass at the Pentagon on Monday.
Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Joe Buccino explained that the US military is facing an extremely difficult fiscal situation with its portion of Budget Control Act or sequester cuts estimated at around $95 billion in the next 10 years.
"Failing to maintain the proper balance and end-strength, readiness, and modernisation will result in a hollow Army," Buccino said, according to the Washington Times.
In 2014, former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel first announced a plan to cut the Army to pre-9/11 levels and pre-World War II levels in a 2015 budget proposal.
A document from the Department of National Defense acquired by USA Today said the number of American Army troopers reached 570,000 during the peak of wars in Iraq and Pakistan.
Citing documents, USA Today explained that the Army might also need to cut an additional 30,000 soldiers if automatic budget cuts or sequestration begins in October.
"At that level, the Army would not be able to meet its current deployments and respond to demands for troops in other regions," USA Today said.
The plan for force reduction has angered lawmakers in Capitol Hill, who pointed out its impact in their home district as well as the fight against ISIS in general.
Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson revealed that Fort Stewart and Fort Benning will be letting about 4,000 Army forces in the Peach State alone.
"We cannot afford to reduce our military readiness at a time when threats to our security here at home and throughout the world are growing at an alarming rate." Isakson argued.
"We should be using our military to send a clear signal to the rest of the world that America has no intention of standing down in the fight against the threat of terrorism worldwide," he added.
Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan said the Army's proposal to downsize units comprising about 4,000 soldiers to about 1,050 soldiers at the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson base in Alaska "makes no strategic sense."
"One person who's going to be very pleased with this is Vladimir Putin," Sullivan complained, according to USA Today.
