U.S. Troop Rollbacks Is Only The Start For More Cuts

U.S. Marines depart a checkpoint and patrol back to Forward Operating Base Geronimo, Afghanistan, May 30, 2010. The Marines are assigned to Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Mark Fayloga

U.S. Troop Rollbacks May Not Stave Off Calls For More Pengaton Cuts -- Washington Post

The Pentagon's plan to shrink the size of the Army and Marine Corps for the first time in two decades is unlikely to stave off pressure to impose deeper cuts as U.S. troops pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan, according to defense officials and analysts.

"This is the opening salvo," said David W. Barno, a retired Army lieutenant general and former commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

In a bid to save money, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced Thursday that the Marine Corps would shed between 15,000 and 20,000 members and the Army 27,000 soldiers starting in 2015, the first time either service has faced reductions in troop strength since the mid-1990s.

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My Comment: The gutting of the military continues.