'Smallest Army': Pentagon Set To Slash Military To Pre-World War II Levels

A Pentagon budget that considerably reduces the size of the United States military will be proposed by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on Monday, the Wire reported.

The budget would "aggressively push the military off the war footing adopted after the terror attacks of 2001," according to officials who spoke to The New York Times.

The federal government's fiscal woes and President Obama's attempts to end the nation's extended wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are two main reasons that the proposal has been initiated.

According to the Wire, the resultant downsizing would make the U.S. capable, according to anonymous officials who spoke to the paper, "capable of defeating any adversary, but too small for protracted foreign occupations." In other words, great defense, but a little warier on offense.

"This strategic choice would result in a force that would be technologically dominant but would be much smaller and able to go fewer places and do fewer things, especially if crises occurred at the same time in different regions of the world," Hagel said back in July 2013.

Since the first days of the Cold War, when the Pentagon expected to need boots on the ground in both Europe and Asia, this idea of a military being able to fight on multiple fronts has been perpetuated.

While the elimination of an entire class of Air Force jets is part of the proposal, other areas will retain much or all of their current support. Those are, specifically, Special Operations and divisions focused on cyberwarfare, the Wire reported.

"The plan for an Army of about 450,000 personnel-the smallest since World War II-will likely face a lot of pushback, despite reportedly having the full support of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Cuts to benefits will draw criticism, including pay raise limits, higher fees for health benefits, and smaller housing allowances," the Wire reported.

While measures that delay the shipbuilding industry will be opposed by companies and representatives, war hawks will probably argue that a smaller military makes the country weaker and more susceptible to attack.

Real Time Analytics