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Before Republicans took control of the U.S. House of Representatives more than four and a half years ago, lawmakers already knew that Americans desired change. But unlike the “change” that President Obama promised throughout his campaign and then strong-armed through a closed-door, Democrat-led Congress, Americans wanted to see a government that reined in regulatory excess, controlled government spending and demanded greater transparency and accountability. The Republican members of the House understood that then, and we still understand and fight for that now.

Lawton Constitution - Editorial

Were you scared and nervous about the Pentagon’s announcement about downsizing 40,000 troops that was released at noon on Thursday? Net impact is adding about 219 soldiers over next two years.

All that worry for nothing, eh? It’s time to concentrate on making Lawton an even more attractive place to invest, work, live and raise a family.

There are some things about the Army’s decision you might not have thought about lately.

Lawton Constitution - Mitch Meador

The sun popped out at Fort Sill on Thursday after Army officials announced where the 40,000 cuts to its active force would be.

Fort Sill will have zero job cuts, according to Joe Gallagher, deputy to the commanding general of the Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill.

It’s one of only four installations that will see gains from the Army’s force structure decisions and stationing plan — and the only one seeing triple-digit growth, he added.

The Oklahoma - Chris Casteel

Fort Sill, the U.S. Army artillery post in southwestern Oklahoma, will gain more than 200 positions over the next two years while other bases are hit with deep personnel cuts.

The Army, which must reduce its active duty ranks by 40,000 and its civilian workforce by 17,000, released its specific base-by-base changes on Thursday. While bases in Texas, Georgia, Alaska and other states are absorbing thousands of lost positions, Fort Sill will gain 219 active duty slots.