Army to announce bases affected by cuts, says force to be reduced by 40,000 troops

Barbara Starr
By Barbara Starr, CNN Pentagon Correspondent
Updated 4:07 PM EDT, Thu July 9, 2015
01:14 - Source: CNN
Army: Major troop cuts in several states
(CNN) —  

The Army this week will announce specific bases around the country that will be part of the next round of reductions in the force, with 40,000 troops to be cut by 2017, a U.S. defense official said Tuesday.

The reductions, which will also include 17,000 civilian employees to be cut from the payroll, are part of a longstanding plan that has been publicly discussed since last year.

Congress has been regularly briefed on the plan, but there has been discussion inside the Pentagon leadership that the cuts could grow even deeper if there are additional mandatory budget reductions from Congress.

Congressional notification of specific cuts at individual bases is expected to start later this week.

U.S. Army Apache helicopters, like the one pictured here, have been used to support Iraqi troops in their fight against ISIS. Click through the gallery to see what other military assets the Pentagon has put into the ISIS battle.
Photos: U.S. military assets used against ISIS
PHOTO: JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images
U.S. Army Apache helicopters, like the one pictured here, have been used to support Iraqi troops in their fight against ISIS. Click through the gallery to see what other military assets the Pentagon has put into the ISIS battle.
The workhorses of the American fighter fleet, F-16s, have been used in dozens of strikes against ISIS. F-16s can travel 1,500 mph, or Mach 2, at altitude.
Photos: U.S. military assets used against ISIS
PHOTO: Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald/U.S. Air Force/File
The workhorses of the American fighter fleet, F-16s, have been used in dozens of strikes against ISIS. F-16s can travel 1,500 mph, or Mach 2, at altitude.
A F-15E Strike Eagle from the 391st Fighter Squadron takes off in July during a mission at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii. The F-15E Strike Eagle can carry more than 23,000 pounds of payload for air-to-ground and air-to-air combat. The plane has been in the Air Force inventory for three decades and is expected to be operational until at least 2035.
Photos: U.S. military assets used against ISIS
PHOTO: Staff Sgt. Alexander Martinez/U.S. Air Force/File
A F-15E Strike Eagle from the 391st Fighter Squadron takes off in July during a mission at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii. The F-15E Strike Eagle can carry more than 23,000 pounds of payload for air-to-ground and air-to-air combat. The plane has been in the Air Force inventory for three decades and is expected to be operational until at least 2035.
The A-10 Thunderbolt II, also known as the Warthog, joined the fight against ISIS in late 2014. The jets are specially designed for close air support of ground forces.
Photos: U.S. military assets used against ISIS
PHOTO: U.S. Air Force/FIle
The A-10 Thunderbolt II, also known as the Warthog, joined the fight against ISIS in late 2014. The jets are specially designed for close air support of ground forces.
U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors saw their first combat during strikes on ISIS targets in Syria, the Pentagon said. The single-seat, twin-engine stealth fighter has a top speed of almost 1,500 mph. Here, a Raptor performs during the Australian International Airshow in March 2013.
Photos: U.S. military assets used against ISIS
PHOTO: AFP/Getty Images
U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors saw their first combat during strikes on ISIS targets in Syria, the Pentagon said. The single-seat, twin-engine stealth fighter has a top speed of almost 1,500 mph. Here, a Raptor performs during the Australian International Airshow in March 2013.
The Air Force's B-1B Lancer bomber was introduced in the 1980s to carry out nuclear missions. The plane was adapted for conventional weapons missions in the 1990s and has flown in combat over Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan. Here a B-1B flies above Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn in February 2011.
Photos: U.S. military assets used against ISIS
PHOTO: Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz/U.S. Air Force/File
The Air Force's B-1B Lancer bomber was introduced in the 1980s to carry out nuclear missions. The plane was adapted for conventional weapons missions in the 1990s and has flown in combat over Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan. Here a B-1B flies above Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn in February 2011.
F/A-18 jets and other aircraft used in strikes against ISIS have been launched from Navy carriers, including the the USS George H.W. Bush, a 103,600-ton aircraft carrier seen here in April as it transits the Strait of Hormuz.
Photos: U.S. military assets used against ISIS
PHOTO: US Navy/AP
F/A-18 jets and other aircraft used in strikes against ISIS have been launched from Navy carriers, including the the USS George H.W. Bush, a 103,600-ton aircraft carrier seen here in April as it transits the Strait of Hormuz.
EA-6B Prowlers are among the U.S. aircraft that took off from the USS George H.W. Bush during attacks on ISIS. The Prowler is used to support attack aircraft by jamming enemy radar and communications and obtaining tactical intelligence. Here, a Prowler -- seen at bottom -- flies in formation with an E-2C Hawkeye in June 2004.
Photos: U.S. military assets used against ISIS
PHOTO: U.S. Navy/Getty Images
EA-6B Prowlers are among the U.S. aircraft that took off from the USS George H.W. Bush during attacks on ISIS. The Prowler is used to support attack aircraft by jamming enemy radar and communications and obtaining tactical intelligence. Here, a Prowler -- seen at bottom -- flies in formation with an E-2C Hawkeye in June 2004.
The guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea, operating in international waters in the North Arabian Gulf, launched Tomahawk cruise missiles used against ISIS targets in Syria in some of the initial strikes on ISIS. The ship has a displacement of 9,589 tons and carries a crew of 370.
Photos: U.S. military assets used against ISIS
PHOTO: U.S. Navy
The guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea, operating in international waters in the North Arabian Gulf, launched Tomahawk cruise missiles used against ISIS targets in Syria in some of the initial strikes on ISIS. The ship has a displacement of 9,589 tons and carries a crew of 370.
On September 22, 2014, the United States fired 47 Tomahawk missiles against targets in Syria. Tomahawks are long-range subsonic cruise missiles used to take out high-value or heavily defended land targets. They were first used in Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Here, the U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) launches a Tomahawk cruise missile in 2011.
Photos: U.S. military assets used against ISIS
PHOTO: U.S. Navy/Getty Images
On September 22, 2014, the United States fired 47 Tomahawk missiles against targets in Syria. Tomahawks are long-range subsonic cruise missiles used to take out high-value or heavily defended land targets. They were first used in Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Here, the U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) launches a Tomahawk cruise missile in 2011.
The guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke, operating in the Red Sea, launched Tomahawk cruise missiles against ISIS targets in the first of three waves of attacks that began on September 22. The ship has a displacement of 8,373 tons and carries a crew of 370. It is part of the U.S. 5th Fleet.
Photos: U.S. military assets used against ISIS
PHOTO: U.S. Navy
The guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke, operating in the Red Sea, launched Tomahawk cruise missiles against ISIS targets in the first of three waves of attacks that began on September 22. The ship has a displacement of 8,373 tons and carries a crew of 370. It is part of the U.S. 5th Fleet.

Confronted by budget constraints, the Obama administration has looked to cut the size of the military, pledging to scale the Army back to its lowest troop level since before World War II. The Army announced in 2013 that it planned to cut about 80,000 troops.

At one point, right after the 9/11 attacks, the Army had 570,000 troops.

Nixing an army base is frequently controversial as community leaders and politicians look to defend their local bases and the jobs they support. At the Fort Polk army base in Louisiana, for instance, a community leader told The Associated Press that he’s confident their base will survive in the short term – though there is little that can be done as they wait.

“We’ll just have to wait and see what the announcement is,” said Michael Reese, chairman of Fort Polk Progress. “We have pretty good confidence we’ll come out of this next round OK.”