Rep. Adam Smith: Proposed defense cuts would impact JBLM
Feb 25, 2014, 11:04 AM | Updated: 12:29 pm
Proposed cuts in defense spending are likely to mean the closure or reduction of military bases and that has some wondering what that means for Joint Base Lewis McChord. (AP Photo/file)
(AP Photo/file)
Proposed cuts in defense spending are likely to mean the closure or reduction of military bases and that has some wondering what that means for Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the House Armed Services Committee’s top Democrat, supports some base closures but says the cuts proposed by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel would give Congress some very difficult decisions to make.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is proposing to shrink the Army to its smallest size in three-quarters of a century, hoping to reshape the military after more than a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan and roped in by fiscal constraints set by Congress.
“The Army is going down from what their high was 575,000 active duty down to somewhere between 440,000 and 450,000,” said Smith. “That’s a significant drop. Fort Lewis is a large Army base so there will undoubtedly be some cuts in that force.”
The last time the active-duty Army was below 500,000 was in 2005, when it stood at 492,000. Its post-World War II low was 480,000 in 2001, according to historical tables provided by the Army. In 1940 the Army had 267,000 active-duty members, and it surged to 1.46 million the following year as the U.S. approached entry into World War II.
Smith acknowledged the difficult financial constraints facing the Pentagon. Congress authorized across-the-board spending cuts that went into effect last year and were only eased somewhat by a budget agreement two months ago.
“Under these conditions, our military leaders are doing their best to put forward a budget that provides national security,” Smith said
In terms of support for military families, Smith believes that will remain strong.
“The support that was done in the last decade, the new GI bill, increases in combat pay, increases in pay in general, housing allowance and all of that, there’s been huge increases in an effort to support our troops and their families and I think that will continue. They will continue to receive very solid support it’s just a matter of the overall force structure coming down in size.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
