Geez, I just can't keep waiting for Thereitis, Lipstick or AQ to post this story, so I'll throw it out there myself.
US to cut almost 100,000 troopsBBC News
The US will cut almost 100,000 troops as part of its plans for a "smaller, leaner" military, Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has announced.
Unveiling a restructure of the armed forces, Mr Panetta said the US would retain the ability to defeat "any enemy on land", and boost special forces.
The Pentagon is facing cuts of $487bn (£310bn) over the next 10 years.
Over five years, 92,000 active duty Army and Marine Corps soldiers would be cut, with some bases closed, he said.
The military's budget would rise, albeit at a slower rate, to $567bn by 2017.
'Technical edge'
Mr Panetta said the US would continue purchases of F-35 jets, but would slow its purchase of the stealth fighter planes.
Focus would shift from large-scale conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan to areas of key national interest, he said, including a strengthened commitment in Asia.
"Our approach was to use this as an opportunity to maintain the strongest military in the world, to not hollow out the force,'' Mr Panetta said in a statement.
Some members of Congress did not agree that such a budget would maintain a strong US military.
"Taking us back to a pre-9/11 military force structure places our country in grave danger," said Texas Senator John Cornyn, a member of a committee that will hold hearings on the budget plan.
Amid a shrinking budget - put at $525bn for the fiscal year 2013 - the US military as envisioned by the new plan would still be larger than it was before 9/11.
...LINK TO THE FULL ARTICLE
