"Army warns of steeper reductions in troop numbers
WASHINGTON — Senior Army officials warned Tuesday that they may have to cut more than 100,000 additional soldiers over the next decade unless automatic spending reductions forcing the military services to slash their budgets are stopped.
Testifying before a Senate committee, Army Secretary John McHugh said the losses would undermine the service’s ability to be prepared for wartime missions. ‘‘Today we find our Army at a dangerous crossroads,’’ McHugh said....
If the automatic cuts, known as sequestration, are extended into future years, tens of thousands more soldiers, including members of the Army National Guard and Reserve, will have to be let go due to a lack of money, he said.
General Ray Odierno, the Army’s chief of staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that fewer soldiers won’t translate into cost savings because the departing troops will have to be paid separation benefits, Odierno said....
Might as well just keep 'em on then, huh?
--more--"
