Army expected to announce 40,000 troops to be cut
The U.S. Army is expected to 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 told CNN Tuesday. USA Today first reported the story.
The reductions will also include 17,000 civilian employees and are part of a longstanding plan that has been publicly discussed since last year.
Congressional notification of specific cuts at individual bases is expected to start later this week.
A Fort Carson spokesperson told KRDO NewsChannel 13 that the post hasn’t been notified of any cuts yet.
Paul Rochette, senior partner with Summit Economics, conducted a study for the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, looking at the economic impact and contribution from the Department of Defense to the state of Colorado. Rochette estimates Fort Carson is responsible for roughly 20 percent of southern Colorado’s economy.
“The dollars that flow into the community as a result of the military being here get spread out throughout every sector of the economy,” Rochette said. “Restaurants, car dealerships, retail, physicians, real estate, construction, you name it.”
Rachel Southern, the owner of Ruffing It, a natural pet foods store in Colorado Springs located near Fort Carson, said roughly 30 percent of her clientele is military, whether it be active duty or retired. Southern said the possibility of cuts at the Mountain Post would likely hurt her business.
“I would imagine we’d see a significant drop in some of our sales,” Southern said.
But Rochette said it’s too soon to worry. He believes the Army is making the cuts strategically, and will likely view Fort Carson as a valuable asset partly because of high altitude training and access to the Pion Canyon Maneuver Site.
“The fourth infantry division actually has three war-fighting brigades,” Rochette said. “It’s the only division that does.”
At one point, right after the 9/11 attacks, the Army had 570,000 troops.
