Cole Statement on Army Force Structure Reductions
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after the United States Army announced reductions in active duty personnel. This change comes in response to President Obama’s military budget requirement that the Army force be reduced from 490,000 to 450,000 by fiscal year 2018. Under this timeline, several military installations across the country were notified of cuts to meet the reduced number. However, today’s announcement revealed that Fort Sill is authorized for a military personnel increase of 219 by October 2017.
As part of the Army-wide reduction and before today’s announcement, the Army analyzed the impact of additional personnel cuts. Last summer, a Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Assessment (SPEA) was issued for Fort Sill in the Fourth District of Oklahoma, along with 30 other Army installations across the country. Preparation of the SPEA for Fort Sill included public comments gathered during a meeting on December 8, 2014 in the community. Ahead of that meeting, the office of Congressman Tom Cole was involved in working with the community to prepare and present a report to the Army, highlighting the socioeconomic impacts that a proposed downsizing of 6,842 personnel would have on the Lawton-Fort Sill community.
“While I am relieved that the Army’s restructuring reductions did not impact Fort Sill’s personnel, I remain very concerned about the president’s military policy and continued determination to further cut those who volunteered to defend our nation,” said Cole. “Clearly, the president’s strategy is not based on reality but rather the ill-founded assumption that the world is safe enough, revealing just how limited his understanding is of military deterrence and use of strategic force.
“Unfortunately, because the president is unwilling to address real changes to mandatory government spending, he is leaving fewer critical dollars to fund our military and slowly degrading our national defense in the process. But I believe that no amount of technology or restructuring can ever compensate for a strong national defense and the people who volunteer to serve in our armed forces.
“We live in an increasingly dangerous world. Deep cuts to our military shows incredible disrespect for the selfless sacrifice of those who volunteered to wear the uniform. In the days ahead, I will continue to work to support our service members in Oklahoma and across this great nation, ensuring they have the resources they need to successfully defend the America we love.”
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Contact:Sarah Corley (202) 225-6165