US to cut 40,000 soldiers from army

WASHINGTON:

The US Army is to cut 40,000 soldiers from
its ranks over the next two years at home and
abroad a defense official said  Tuesday in a
move that will raise doubts about its ability
to fight wars,

 Under the cost -cutting plan,the Army will be
down to 450,,000 soldiers at the end of 2017
budget year,even though in2013 it argued
in budgetary documents that going below
450,000 troops might mean it could not win
a war, USA Today said

By comparison ,the Army swelled to 570,000
men and women during the peak of fighting
in Iraq and Afghanistan,the newspaper said.

Some 17,000 civilians working fr the Army
will also be laid off ,the official told AFP
confirming the USA Today report..

The paper quoted a document it had  obtained
and said the cuts are being made to save money.
AFP