U.S. Army to Axe 10 Brigade Combat Teams
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The U.S. Army announced on Tuesday that it is cutting 10 brigade combat teams over the next four years.
The cutbacks bring the number of active-duty BCTs down to 33, but Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno warned that an eleventh doomed unit, an overseas brigade, will be identified and announced in the near future.
The move follows the recent announcement of the closure of two BCTs in Germany.
The BCTs getting the chop are: 3rd BCT, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas; 4th BCT, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; 4th BCT, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky; 3rd BCT, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; 3rd BCT, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.
They are joined by 4th BCT, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; 3rd BCT, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Knox, Ky.; 4th BCT, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.; 2nd BCT, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
Mr. Odierno said the cuts are in line with the Army’s effort to shrink the active-duty force to 490,000 as it ceases operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He added that the reductions are the result of the Budget Control Act of 2011 and not sequestration, which could lead to even deeper cuts.
The remaining BCTs will be restructured with the addition of a third maneuver battalion to its remaining armored and infantry brigades, Mr. Odierno said.
