Running head: ARMY BUDGET CUTS OF 2015

Army Budget Cuts of 2015

Jonathan N. Michou
University of Texas at El Paso

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Abstract
In 2015, The Department of Defense (DoD) will be cutting forty-thousand soldiers from the
United States Army. This new budget cut will reduce the numbers in the Army to its lowest in
decades. To understand this current budget cut, you need to look back at the previous budget
cuts. Within the army, many of the posts will be cutting soldiers across the United States; such
examples include Fort Bliss. Fort Bliss is an important component of the surrounding city: El
Paso. By downsizing the Army, The cities around will also feel repercussions. The safety of the
United States relies on how the cut affects the Army.
Keywords: Department of Defense.

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In 2015, the Army will face another issue among finances: a new budget cut. While
budget cuts arent new, this new budget cut will cut forty-thousand troops from the Army. In
comparison to previous budget cuts, this budget cut will be one of the hardest hitting for the
United States Army. Most Army posts are being downsized throughout the United States, which
includes Fort Bliss. This downsize of posts such as Fort Bliss will have negative effects on the
cities surrounding, such as El Paso. Whether the effects are positive or negative, the underlying
outcome is that the City of El Paso will feel repercussions of this Budget Cuts.
Current Budget Cut
As of 2015, the Department of Defense plans to cut
up to forty-thousand soldiers from the Active duty
component of the Army. This means our country will have
its smallest active Army since before the World War II. The
United States Army will be losing soldiers from posts all
across America. Forts such as Fort Bliss, Fort Benning, and
Fort Stewart will be losing soldiers.
Previous Budget Cuts
Over the last sixty years, since World War II, The United States Army has been
progressively getting smaller. Since World War 2, the size of the army has decreased by over
eight-million. Over the last sixty years, the demand for soldiers has been decreasing throughout
the last few decades. There hasnt been a need for soldiers as there was in World War 2, although
the need grew for the Vietnam Conflict, Korean War, and the Wars in the Middle East. However,

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the Army has never been below four-hundred-and-fifty-thousand troops since before the last
World War.
Fort Bliss and El Paso
The City of El Paso surrounds Fort Bliss, sharing not only land- but people and economy.
The City of El Paso is known as a Military City, due to the size of Fort Bliss in comparison of
other forts and how El Paso benefits from the military presents. Contrary to popular belief, there
are large amounts of soldiers who live off post for various reasons. This population of soldiers
stimulates the local economy, buy renting/buying apartments and houses, shopping off post, and
buying gas off post. The soldiers who live off post tend to be enlisted, while a lot of officers live
in officer housing on post. The cuts of soldiers will force will consist of many enlisted, losing
that support of the local economy.
Downsize?
Army Chief of Staff Raymond Odierno said in 2014, that the service needs a minimum
of four-hundred-and-fifty-thousand soldiers, With twenty percent of its numbers in the
institutional Army, it cannot afford to drop further and meet the nation's national security
demands thirty-thousand makes a huge difference in the capabilities that we have, he said.
(Gould 2015)
By 2015, the peace between countries is strained all around the world. The United States
is still reeling in from the War on Terror. Even outside of the United States there is unnerving
scenarios unfolding: Russia expanding power, North Korea turning to South Korea, ISISs
looming threat, and China becoming tense with the U.S. The Safety of America is becoming

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more and more important. By reducing the size and force of the United States Army, The overall
Readiness and Fighting Capacity is limited.

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References
Alexander, David., & Shalal, Andrea. (Feb 2014). Budget cuts to slash U.S. Army to smallest
since before World War Two. Reuters. Retrieved from:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/25/us-usa-defense-budgetidUSBREA1N1IO20140225
Barrouquere, Brett., & Schafer, Susanne. M., (November 2013) Military Training Altered Due to
Budget Cuts. Huffington Post. Retrieved From:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/24/military-training_n_4333561.html
CNN., (January 2011) CNN: US military budget cuts. YouTube. Retrieved from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kA-9OnVxCU
Gould, Joe. (July 2015) Lawmakers Blast US Army Force Cuts. Defense News. Retrieved From:
http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/policybudget/budget/2015/07/08/lawmakers-blast-us-army-force-cuts/29883503/
House Subcommittee Cuts Corps of Engineers Budget for FY 2012. (2012). This Week in
Washington. Retrieved from: http://0web.b.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/ehost/detail/detail?sid=ec1a17b9-349c-4694-be9dc78d90500898%40sessionmgr120&vid=1&hid=106&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2
ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=78548157&db=a9hv
Lardner, Richard., & Cassata, Donna. (July 2013) Chuck Hagel Warns Congress to Stop Defense
Budget Cuts. Huffington Post. Retrieved from:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/10/chuck-hagel-defense-cuts_n_3575304.html

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Maze, R. (2014). Leaders Explain Tough Budget Decisions. Army Magazine. Retrieved from:
http://0-web.b.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=86323fe7f3f2-4de7-ba52-f982f5974dc8%40sessionmgr111&vid=7&hid=106
Warwick, G. (2015). Army: Budget Cuts Would Threaten Industry Ability To Deliver
FVL. Aviation Week & Space Technology. Retrieved from: http://0web.b.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/ehost/detail/detail?sid=46cde7c7-466b-4f06-8cb4c41798ef4f07%40sessionmgr112&vid=1&hid=106&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2Z
SZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=109233457&db=a9h