{"id":2419997,"date":"2025-04-04T14:34:01","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T18:34:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/army-considering-massive-force-reduction-following-hegseth-directive-report\/"},"modified":"2025-04-04T14:36:42","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T18:36:42","slug":"army-considering-massive-force-reduction-following-hegseth-directive-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/army-considering-massive-force-reduction-following-hegseth-directive-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Army Considering Massive Force Reduction Following Hegseth Directive: Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Farmy-considering-massive-force-reduction-following-hegseth-directive-report%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2419997&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-most-memorable-2024-senate-moments-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"The most memorable 2024 Senate moments ... Washington Examiner\">article discusses meaningful<\/a> changes proposed by President Donald TrumpS management concerning the U.S. Army. Under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, there are considerations for a reduction of up to 90,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newt-gingrich-greater-danger-means-less-pay\/\" title=\"Newt Gingrich: Greater Danger Means Less Pay\">000 active-duty troops<\/a> amid budget pressures. The Army currently has approximately 450,000 troops, and the target is to cut this number to between 360,000 and 420,000. This move aligns with the administration&#8217;s focus on reducing military expenditures and a shift away from involvement in European conflicts, in line with Trump&#8217;s criticisms of NATO and European nations not paying their fair share for defense.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth is emphasizing cuts to specific programs viewed as leftist, like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/goldman-sachs-commits-to-reach-net-zero-carbon-emissions-by-2030\/\" title=\"Goldman Sachs Commits To Reach Net...Zero Carbon Emissions By 2030\">climate change initiatives<\/a>, but acknowledges that such cuts alone won&#8217;t meet the budget reduction target, leading to potential troop cuts. In addition, the Army is merging and slashing training programs for efficiency. Another notable change includes the announcement of <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">equal combat readiness standards<\/a> for both men and women, eliminating previously unequal standards in military roles. These changes signify a broader strategy of reforming military policies under the current administration.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The administration of President Donald Trump promised big changes to the status quo in short order when it re-took the White House last November.<\/p>\n<p>And as far as the U.S. Army goes, it appears to be doing just that.<\/p>\n<p>Now under the purview of Secretary of Defense <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-hegseth-hilarious-trump-impression-reveals-2-things-trump-told-nomination\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pete Hegseth<\/a>, a report has surfaced that the military &ldquo;is quietly considering a sweeping reduction of up to 90,000 active-duty troops,&rdquo; according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.military.com\/daily-news\/2025\/04\/03\/army-mulling-dramatic-reduction-of-tens-of-thousands-of-troops.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Military.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;[T]hree defense officials familiar with the deliberations&rdquo; have cited pressure from the Pentagon to cut expenditures, as well as a general move away from spending military resources in Europe, as the reasons for this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/musk-to-take-potentially-drastic-action-as-twitter-buyout-in-serious-jeopardy-twitter-makes-major-cuts\/\" title=\"Musk To Take \u2018Potentially Drastic Action\u2019 As Twitter Buyout \u2018In Serious Jeopardy\u2019; Twitter Makes Major ...s\">potentially drastic action<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As far as the Pentagon goes, that group appears to be working on an order from Hegseth, who demanded that it cut 8 percent from the budget.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Hegseth has specifically targeted leftist programs, such as climate change, as ones to cut at the Pentagon, but as Military.com noted, &ldquo;Eliminating such programs alone would not yield anywhere close to 8 percent savings, making reductions in combat forces likely unavoidable.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The current number of troops sits at roughly 450,000, and top officials are reportedly looking to bring that figure down to anywhere from 360,000 to 420,000.<\/p>\n<p>The concerns of European involvement, meanwhile, come from the very top down.<\/p>\n<p>Both President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance have been critical of various aspects of America&rsquo;s relationship with Europe, especially when it comes to armed conflict.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has gone on record to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/bombshell-trump-just-blew-nato-apart-several-members-no-longer-have-us-protection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">criticize<\/a> NATO and European nations for not paying their fair  for what virtually amounts to year-around American protection.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128680;BREAKING: Trump announces The United States WILL NOT defend any countries who are not paying NATO dues. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cMWrh54sJp\">pic.twitter.com\/cMWrh54sJp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DerrickEvans4WV\/status\/1897991622169596330?\">March 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Vance, meanwhile, has just generally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/multiple-republican-senators-publicly-slam-jd-vance-drawing-fiery-response-trump-jr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">been resistant<\/a> to America&rsquo;s involvement in any conflict abroad.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stripes.com\/branches\/army\/2025-04-03\/army-soldiers-training-courses-17355972.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stars and Stripes<\/a> also reported that the Army is slashing and\/or merging training programs to streamline it, marking another cut and change to the military under Hegseth.<\/p>\n<p>But perhaps no change for the military got more national attention than when Hegseth announced that he&rsquo;s ordering combat readiness standards <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/pete-hegseth-announces-ordering-equal-standards-men-women-combat-roles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">to be the same<\/a> for both men and women on Monday.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">For far too long, we have allowed standards to slip. We&rsquo;ve had different standards for men\/women serving in combat arms MOS&rsquo;s and jobs&hellip;.<\/p>\n<p>That&rsquo;s not acceptable, and it changes right now! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Zn9OyBew6G\">pic.twitter.com\/Zn9OyBew6G<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SecDef\/status\/1906677003400442284?\">March 31, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;For far too long, we have allowed standards to slip,&rdquo; Hegseth posted to X. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had different standards for men\/women serving in combat arms MOS&rsquo;s and jobs&hellip;.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s not acceptable, and it changes right now!&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The administration of President Donald Trump pledged to implement significant changes quickly upon regaining the White House last November, and it seems the U.S. Army is following suit. Under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, a report from Military.com indicates that the military is &#8220;quietly considering a substantial reduction of up to 90,000 active-duty troops.&#8221; Three defense officials familiar with the discussions have pointed to pressure from the Pentagon to reduce spending and a shift away from military resource allocation in Europe as reasons for this potential cut. The Pentagon appears to be acting on Hegseth&#8217;s directive to trim 8 percent from its budget.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth has specifically targeted left-leaning initiatives like climate change for cuts at the Pentagon; however, as noted by Military.com, eliminating such programs alone would not achieve an 8 percent reduction, making cuts in combat forces likely necessary. Currently, troop levels are around 450,000, with officials reportedly aiming to reduce that number to between 360,000 and 420,000.<\/p>\n<p>Concerns regarding European involvement stem from high-level criticism by both President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance about America&#8217;s relationship with Europe concerning armed conflicts. Trump has publicly criticized NATO and European nations for not contributing their fair share towards what amounts to year-round American protection.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Stars and Stripes reported that under Hegseth&#8217;s leadership, the Army is merging or cutting training programs for efficiency\u2014another significant change within the military structure. One notable announcement was Hegseth&#8217;s decision that combat readiness standards will now be uniform for both men and women\u2014a move aimed at addressing long-standing discrepancies in standards across genders in combat roles<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2419998,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Pete-Hegseth.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4367,40745,52859,52860,38478],"class_list":["post-2419997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-army","tag-defense-policy","tag-force-reduction","tag-hegseth-directive","tag-military-report"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Pete-Hegseth.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2419997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2419997"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2419997\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2420001,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2419997\/revisions\/2420001"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2419998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2419997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2419997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2419997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}