It is reported that the Department of the Army (DA) is planning to eliminate about 24,000 troop slots, or 5% of the Active Duty force, to “reorient” towards the next expected war. Many of these are Special Operations and counterinsurgency postings.

As usual, the Pentagon just seems to react and not be proactive. And to do a lot of stupid things.

If the DA and DoD were really serious about leaning up the US Army, and making it more capable of fighting and winning wars to defend these States, in our humble opinion, there are many better choices.

First, start by cutting the massive and corrupt bureaucracy, including a good many denizens of the puzzle place.

Then, cut civilian slots -bureaucrats as well as true support personnel – around the world at the same time.

While we are at it, cut the garbage positions: the DEI non-productive people and the ones working so hard at creating Woke troops and policies.

Oh, and find a few dozen-thousand slots in the occupation forces we have around the world: especially Africa and the Middle East, but not exempting Europe and Latin America and even much of Asia.

The United States Army does not, contrary to legendary and history understanding, exist in order to die, and Congress is not supposed to send soldiers to the place they are to die. As General Patton said, the glory is not in dying for your country, but making the enemy die for his. The real enemy, not whatever some special interest group in Congress decides is the enemy de jour.

The US Army exists to defend the Constitution and therefore defend the people of these Fifty States, and their rights, and their land and other property. (The Navy, and Marines, exist not just to defend the Constitution and the States and people, but also to ensure the freedom of the seas. The proper mission of the Air Force (and Space Force) is both defense of Constitution and liberties and freedom of the skies and at a minimum, the orbitals.) Yes, Congress has given the Army and other services additional missions, like the US Army Corps of Engineers’ responsibility for improving and maintaining waterways, but that is secondary to the PRIMARY duty to defend the Fifty States and the Constitution which holds us together.

At which mission the Army has singularly failed for the last half-century, if not more. What the Army and other services have spectacularly succeeded at is beggaring the American taxpayers, past, present, and future. It has indeed succeeded in doing what Congress wants: increase the power (and wealth) of Congress (both Senate and House) and those to whom they are beholden. Really, not their constituents according to the Constitution, but the elite, the powers-that-be. Not just the Deep State, but the 1/2 of 1 percent that call the shots. And gave us people like Nixon, Bush, Clinton, and Obama.

Meanwhile, our homeland, our economy, our society, and virtually everything else the Constitution was intended to maintain, has been trashed time and time again. All the time the lies have been getting bigger and bigger. 99% of American troops in 2023 do not defend the Constitution, the people and land and other possession of those people. They are used by Congress – with the willing cooperation and greedy participation of all of the Executive Branch and the tacit consent and approval of the Judicial Branch – for the sake of stealing as much as possible and keeping, gaining, and consolidating power over others. Starting with the ordinary citizens of the Fifty States.

A rational US Army could be half the size and a quarter of the cost of the bloated system (including both those in uniforms and civilians who “support” them and control them, and are parasites on them) and defend the political system, society, economy, and homeland – AND our interests. But that would not be what the bloated plutocrats in and out of Congress want. So, barring major upheavals, it ain’t gonna happen.