Kaine Statement On Army Troop Reduction Announcement

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement on the U.S. Army’s plan to cut 40,000 troops over the next two years:

“Today the Army announced its plan to reduce its active duty ranks by 40,000 soldiers. The impact on Virginia is less significant than we feared, but I remain concerned that decisions like this have also been affected by years of crisis budgeting and other self-inflicted budgetary constraints placed on the Department of Defense – all prior to the emergence of ISIL, Russian aggression in Ukraine, rising tensions in the South China Sea and the Ebola crisis. It’s Congress’ obligation to provide appropriate and predictable budgetary support to our military, as well as the non-defense agencies that are critical to solving these complex national security challenges. While some reduction in end strength is to be expected given drawdowns in Afghanistan and Iraq, I am committed to working with my colleagues on the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Pentagon to ensure that our troop levels match the requirements dictated by events, and not by artificial budget reductions caused by sequestration or artificial budget caps put in place several years ago.” 

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