Army Plans Major Cuts to Special Forces – Over Objections
Biden Administration proposes cutting Army special forces by 10% despite the biggest Middle East U.S. military buildup in recent memory and American hostages taken by Hamas in Gaza
Despite the insanity of the current state of the world, featuring American hostages in Gaza, not to mention the deployment of one of the largest groups of U.S. military power in recent memory, as we reported here, U.S. Military Power In Middle East Grows, it turns out that the Biden Administration is about to drastically cut one of the U.S. military’s premier fighting units – Army Special Forces.
From a Wall Street Journal article published two days before the Hamas terrorist butchery in Israel: Army Plans Major Cuts to Special-Operations Forces, Including Green Berets:
The Pentagon is poised to make controversial cuts to the Army’s storied special-operations forces, amid recruiting struggles and a shift in focus from Middle East counterterrorism operations to a threat from China.
The Army is cutting about 3,000 troops, or about 10% from its special-operations ranks, which could include so-called trigger-pullers from the Green Beret commando units who have conducted some of the nation’s most dangerous and sensitive missions around the world, from the jungles of Vietnam to the back alleys of Baghdad.
The article goes into further detail about the shift in strategy from the Middle East to defending against aggression from China:
The reductions would enable the Army to rebalance toward the large conventional ground forces needed in a potential fight in Asia….
But more broadly, the reduction would mark the beginning of a new era for the Pentagon. The U.S., long engaged in Iraq, Afghanistan and other conflict zones, has relied heavily on special-operations troops as the go-to force to fight counterterrorism and conduct the counterinsurgency operations in the war on terror….
Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, SOCOM, which also includes the Navy SEALs, the Marine Corps’ special-reconnaissance force, Air Force special operators and others, has grown to about 75,000 from 45,000, according to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office. The Army contributes about half of those forces, or about 36,000. Troops and civilian support staff now operate in about 80 countries.
Special Operations Command oversaw the hunt and ultimate killing of Osama bin Laden, the ground raid in Syria that killed the head of Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and the 2003 rescue of soldier Jessica Lynch in Iraq, and hundreds of other sensitive, perilous operations over the years.
But as the U.S. focuses more on the so-called great power competition with China, some policy makers see less of a need for the highly trained and specialized troops, officials said. Instead, they favor pouring more resources into the kind of conventional forces expected to be more relevant in a peer-on-peer conflict. The Pentagon has shrunk its presence in the Middle East, leaving half-empty the sprawling American bases that were a hallmark of the war on terrorism and the springboard for some special-operations missions.
The article also reveals, however, that the cuts may be due more to recruiting problems than any real shift in geopolitical strategy:
The trims in the ranks of special forces would also help the Army cope with a recruiting shortfall in a strong labor market….
Mostly, the Army plans to cut special-operations troops in supporting roles such as psychological warfare, civil affairs, intelligence operators, communications troops, logistics and other so-called enablers, U.S. military officials said. The cuts would follow the reallocation last year of more than 700 special-operations troops from the Army and other services. In sum, the cuts to the Pentagon’s umbrella Special Operations Command would amount to about 3,700 troops since last year.
In addition, the Army is struggling with a debilitating, multiyear recruiting crisis amid a strong economy. This year, the service missed a 65,000-soldier recruiting goal by 15,000 people, and its overall strength is projected to drop it as low as 440,000 in 2025 from about 453,000 now. Special-operations forces have contributed to an imbalance, Army officials said, in which some jobs have gone unfilled and units aren’t fully manned.
And others believe the cuts may be due to other issues:
SHOCKER
The military is taking an axe to the numbers of the most deadly, least woke & diverse units
Special OpsThe claim is 'cuz China
The reality is they can't get the equity they want in these units so cut 'emhttps://t.co/xllRwLp48U— Jim Hanson (@JimHansonDC) October 6, 2023
The U. S. Army is down in numbers but they're going to cut special forces.
You don't have to guess why if you know the agenda of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman. https://t.co/txHEKGNkzU
— Margo (@MargoinWNC) October 7, 2023
We have reported on the new Chairman, Air Force General C.Q. Brown, Joint Chiefs Chairman Milley’s Replacement Even More Woke, If That is Possible, and his plan while Air Force Chief of Staff to cut the numbers of white male pilots to 43%, so this X commenter may be on to something.
In any case, military observers are not impressed:
US to cut special Forces in pivot from Mideast China threat readiness. The army is already cutting 10% of special forces.
Biden keeping America vulnerable. I’m so sick of Biden & Company destroying our country. 😡😡😡😡
— Amanda Stafford (@RosannaM1970) October 6, 2023
The Pentagon has announced plans to cut 10% of Army Special Forces personnel, a decision that will be devastating for national security and USASOC’s lethality.
We are calling on Congress and the Biden Administration to put a stop to this disastrous decision. Read more:… pic.twitter.com/5ySFjO08AH
— SOAA – Special Operations Association of America (@SOAAorg) October 6, 2023
As the world 🌎 becomes a more dangerous place, the Army plans to cut the size of special forces. Brilliant! 💡https://t.co/Io5XnEMSJl
— Phoenix33 (@PhoenixFree33) October 6, 2023
This is especially galling given the fact that numerous American citizens are currently being held hostage in Gaza, and the only way the U.S. military could extract them is with special forces. I like this idea:
@NRSC You must stop the proposed cuts to the Special Forces in the Army by Biden and the Pentagon. If cuts are needed cut the useless people in the Pentagon!
— Mark Weber (@web61) October 8, 2023
We will keep you posted.
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Comments
$43 bought the life of a friend, according to Hank Jr.
How much will $40k buy now?
I can see the reasoning behind this. It only takes one person to surrender the country and all of those special forces just get in the way.
They are waving the white flag. Horrible.
Those special force operators will be picked up by private security firms and then will charge the government 10x what they cost in uniform.
So there is that.
10% to the big guy.
DoD gets way more value from SOCOM than conventional forces. The creation of Advise and Assist units as a standing force (which replaced the ad hoc the MiTT /PiTT teams that did Yoeman service in the ‘War on Terror’) to work with foreign conventional forces play a big role in freeing up Army SF from those missions. This allowed Army SF to focus on direct action missions and their traditional insurgency/counter insurgency missions.
In an era of smaller DoD budgets at least in growth if not quite yet in real terms dismantling SOCOM units is gonna have very bad consequences. First the mission load for the remaining units will increase b/c the Pentagon isn’t gonna view a reduction in units available as an obstacle. So those units will deploy more often.
That’s fair enough but they also need to have some time at home. They have wives and children who they don’t see much now. The increased deployment cycle and the consequent increase in the training cycle to support those extra deployments can be done for a bit. However it is gonna lead to members retiring or transferring to the conventional Army. That undercuts the remaining units personnel strength and their ability to meet mission. It’s a vicious cycle that won’t end until the Pentagon figures out that they will have to learn to stay do less with less and to stop over promising when they damn well know it can’t continue.
Unfortunately the folks who make decisions are only concerned with their next annual performance evaluation. If that means the guys on the sharp end get effed over and their wives and children convince them to leave SOCOM …well that is in the future and by then these folks making bonehead decisions with predictable bad results will have been promoted into another position and it will be someone else’s problem to solve. No silver linings.
Meanwhile, Bitch McConnell is teaming up with his palz across the aisle to trash Tuberville’s stand against unanimous consent for Biden’s woke officers. Tuberville is sacrificing military readiness, dontcha know.
These Pentagon Perfumed Princes (and Princesses) whine that Tuberville is damaging national security, when it is obvious that they consider illegally using taxpayer money to facilitate pregnancy termination more important than national security. You can’t make this stuff up!
The problem with special forces is they demonstrate how effective you can be if you train properly, with a focus on mission, rather than the woke DEI nonsense.
What blockhead at the Pentagon thought it would be a good idea to reduce the most effective force multiplier in this nation?
Between cuts in forces and the new DEI JCS/chain of command, the goal of the administration is for us to lose a war ASAP.
Subotai Bahadur
Special Forces requires Alpha males. The “New” military requires Beta males who will be subservient to DIE and perverse sexuality. Alpha males won’t wear high heels and dresses so they need to be removed.
Seems to be a common Democrat tactic. Propose cuts where they will hurt the most, make a lot of noise, then increase DEI while still making the cuts you signalled earlier.
Equity demands that all forces be deemed special.
It’s about time. While 15% of the American public is transexual and 30% of our military is TS, these “special forces” are less than 2%. This is a great way to stop these discriminatory people.
Come on man! Money wasted on tough men with guns takes away resources from what’s important! You know: abortions, trans surgeries and drag queens! And ice cream! nom nom nom…
The US military seems intent on becoming a world-wide joke. Instead of taking responsibility for a botched Afghanistan withdrawal, our woke military leaders are making sure the most effective forces are reducerd to something that won’t embarrass them by their competence. And the excuse: a land war in China! How ridiculous! No wonder recruitment goals can’t be met. The brass doesn’t want patriotic, Christian soldiers. They want wimpy woke guys and dolls. Geez, we had better stay armed at home. These jokers aren’t going to be able to defend the heartland.
The Army Special Forces had it coming: their pronoun usage is pre-woke, which makes America’s enemies feel unsafe. World peace must start with use of more diverse pronouns.
The US military has become a DEI, CRT, trans cult. Stay out.
“Throughout the week, noncommissioned officers across the Army have received notices through their branch managers and other officials
that the service needs more recruiting NCOs — and it needs them fast.”
https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2023/11/01/army-apologizes-for-sending-soldiers-last-minute-recruiting-orders/
Automatic promotions to Staff Sgt or SFC just for completing the recruiting school and reporting to recruiting command? Regardless of points and time towards promotions? Cash bonuses for the same? And mention that part of the reason for the shortfall in recruiters is troops to DID NOT report to recruiting command after being assigned?
Things are downright desperate. For some reason, the normal demographic that enlists, isn’t. I’m sure that cutting Special Forces will help that [sarc].
I know that while I and my kids are too old to enlist; I really would be working to keep my grandkids from enlisting in the service of this government.
Subotai Bahadur
The face of the US Military
‘He Sees All White People as Racist’: Military Assessment Criticizes Air Force Colonel’s Leadership”
https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/11/02/he-sees-all-white-people-as-racist-military-assessment-critiques-air-force-colonels-leadership/
“Col. Ben Jonsson, an Air Force officer who accused fellow “white colonels” of being “blind to institutional racism,” is the subject of blistering critiques from subordinates.”
https://twitter.com/RobertBluey/status/1720251539783123124
“Next Joint Chiefs Chair Wants White Male Officers to be a Minority
Milley was bad, Brown will be much worse.”
https://www.frontpagemag.com/next-joint-chiefs-chair-wants-white-male-officers-to-be-a-minority/#.ZFzzXa-aLsU.mailto
Aa someone whose SIL is in an SF unit currently overseas doing things I can tell you that moral is not high in the community since Brandon forced them to get the shot to stay in. Many are just counting the time to retire.
Daughter is in Big Army also overseas and she reports the same thing and that includes her. Advancement if your the right minority, incompetent leadership and more attention paid to woke nonsense than fighting. Brandon and his goons at the Pentagon are close to destroying the greatest military on Earth.
There is also the minor fact that the Special Forces community is the least likely to obey obviously unconstitutional and/or unethical orders and to “deal” with any Politician pretending to be Officers who give those orders.