Deep Army cuts to help support realigning towards Indo-Pacific region
Austin Dahmer and Alexander Velez-Green are among Donald Trump’s defense advisors. Both are hawkish when it comes to dealing with China. Dahmer previously generated a report on how to help accomplish the Indo-Pacific strategy. He proposed $70 billion less for the Army each year. Together with other cuts, the Navy and Air Force would each get $40 billion.
From Stars and Stripes:
In the report, Dahmer does not take a position on how big the DOD budget should be. But without a big boost in expenditures, he wrote, the Pentagon would need to search for savings or “bill payers” to surge capabilities required to deter potential Chinese aggression against Taiwan, Okinawa or the Philippines.
“One of the largest bill payers in resourcing the strategy of denial should be the Army,” the report said.
The strategy targets both the Army’s active-duty cohort and the National Guard and calls for deactivation of four Stryker brigades, six infantry brigades and two aviation brigades.
Also headed to the chopping block would be a number of Army ground vehicle and aviation modernization and procurement programs, and all the Air Force’s A-10C aircraft would be retired, according to the report’s recommendations.
Drastic reductions would also be made in the DOD civilian workforce under Dahmer’s prescriptions. For the Army to avoid big cuts while still meeting Pentagon objectives in the Pacific, DOD would need a roughly 10% annual budget increase, the report said.
Overall, Dahmer’s report recommends about $70 billion less annually for the Army, which along with other cuts would give about $40 billion more apiece to the Navy and Air Force.
The realignment he calls for in the report would also exact a heavy toll on the security structures that Europe has been relying on for over a decade. For one thing, the U.S. European Command mission would be slashed.
Additional Reading:
Vandiver, J. (2025, January 22). Deep cuts in Army, EUCOM downsizing among plans pushed by 2 Trump defense strategists. Stars and Stripes. Link.
Category: Air Force, Army, Illegal Immigrants, International Affairs, Navy
Balancing a budget? Cutting one thing to get another? I have it on good authority that our only options are: stealing it from our grandkids, inflation printing or raising taxes.
WHO ARE THESE MAD MEN? How did they get to be in charge? Why do they refuse to print more money out of thin air? My eye is on them.
Your right, air today gone tommoro…
Fuck this clown.
Going to do away with the 25th? Who the fuck you think covers down on PACRIM?
Retire the A-10s?!? There is a reason we still have those.
Looks like these two clowns are HELPING China!
Bless you. I knew someone would come along and explain in detail why budget choices are hard. Couldn’t have had a more perfect example.
Austin Dahmer previously served as a defense aid to Senator Josh Hawley. He was sworn in on Tuesday as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy.
Not sure about his level of expertise, but apparently Trump wants him to serve in that capacity for some reason, and a Senate confirmation isn’t required for it.
Just an observation.
Wasn’t the Military already slashed during the Biden/Harris curse? Slash it again and then sit & shit when the SHTF again? Fuck those two.
Here’s a coupla novel ideas. (1) Don’t get involved in a land war in Asia (we could kill a billion Chinese and they would still outnumber us). That has never worked out well for anyone. (2) Do NOT plan on fighting the next war with the tactics and equipment that you used in the last war. That doesn’t generally work out well either. Today’s technology has defeated yesterday’s Art of War. No doubt that China is bent on world domination, both economically and militarily. Defeat them economically by not buying their sh*t. Either make it here or source it from another country. Defeat them militarily by making weapons that actually work and destroy their sh*t from a distance. Somehow I don’t see us landing Armies on beachheads of China or digging in on Formosa. As much as I admire floating air bases or artillery platforms, those are just big, expensive targets today. And they take decades to replace.
I’m all for letting the Euro Trash take care of themselves. Many of the LEGAL immigrants of the 1800s/1900s came here to avoid the never ending generational wars of Europe and then their sons and grandsons had to go back to Europe and save their asses…twice…or more. Enough is enough, either they learn to get along or they can do as the ME idiots do and continue to slaughter one another. I’m good either way.
Keep the A-10s…FOREVER. The Wart Hog may not be so useful on a modern battlefield where air superiority is questionable, but it would damn sure come in handy defending our borders.
Ah, well other than transferring the A10 to the Air National Guard for border defense I can’t think of much use for it. I guess if Mexico were an ally we could give them to Mexico. If we did that it would increase the firepower of the Mexican Air Force by about 1000% over night. Within weeks they would be running coke across the border on them so that seems not a great option.
The irony here is that it was 45th President that saved it from cancellation in 2017. Even Trump knows that it is simply past it’s prime, or even ancillary usefulness.
The 25th Light OTOH, might be needed if we are looking to counter China, so I don’t know the reasoning there.
Agreed.
There is some speculation the A-10 will outlive its usefulness by 2029, but with future advanced upgrades (avionics, propulsion, armament, defensive measures) it seems to me its life could be extended like the B-52, which has an expected life span beyond 2040.
Incidentally, the B-52s currently in service are receiving a propulsion, avionics, and other systems upgrades and will be redesignated as the B-52J.
You are comparing apples and pineapples, both of which sail through the air nicely but have vastly different missions. Nobody intends to be the French at Agincourt but it happens when people don’t keep up with the times.
Dahmer. Like the cannibalism dude, right? Sounds like the name carries some inherent traits….
I can think of a whole lot of things we can cut before the Army. Mostly they start with “free” and rhyme with heebie jeebies.
Also, sending a couple of million illegals out of the country should start freeing up some funds because the proposed pivot is necessary but not at the expense of the Army.