Is this related to the BRAC?
This is separate from the BRAC. All of the base closings and realignments identified in the 2005 BRAC law had to be completely implemented by the end of 2011. However, this new reduction in the number of brigades could very well pave the way for another round of base closings under a new BRAC law. There have been rumblings that another BRAC was needed. This could speed things along.
No, this is not related to BRAC. This is a reduction in Army end strength that has been in the works for several years. The Obama Administration wants a smaller military so that they can spend more money on direct payments to Democrat voters. The Army always take the biggest hit when these these happen, just like they always have the lion’s share of the fight when we go to war.
Here is my summary of the cuts from another thread:
3d Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Ft. Bliss, TX
4th Brigade, 82d Airborne Division, Ft. Bragg, NC
4th Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, Ft. Campbell, KY
3d Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Ft. Carson, CO
3d Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Ft. Drum, NY
4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Ft. Hood, TX
3d Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Ft. Knox, KY
4th Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Ft. Riley, KS
2d Brigade, 3d Infantry Division, Ft. Stewart, GA
4th Brigade, 2d Infantry Division, Jt. Base Lewis-McChord
Also the 170th and 172d Infantry Brigades in Germany who are already undergoing inactivation.
Unaffected are the 25th Infantry Division (2 Brigades in Hawaii, 2 in Alaska); the 2d Cavalry Regiment, Germany; the 3d Cavalry Regiment, Ft. Hood; and the 173d Airborne Brigade, Italy. Each remaining brigade will have 3 maneuver battalions instead of the current 2, and the engineer battalions come back to the brigades. The total cuts include 6 heavy brigades, 5 light brigades, and 1 Stryker brigade. Expect some reflagging at battalion and brigade level as the sort this all out. The addition of the 3d maneuver battalion is a good thing, but the overall reduction of the Army makes it more likely that some country hostile to our interests will attempt to intimidate us.