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Army to cut 40,000 troops and 17,000 civilian employees by 2017

As part of a longstanding plan to reduce its force, 17,000 civilian employees and 40,000 troops will be cut from the Army payroll by 2017.

Editor's note:  It was unclear yet whether any of the cuts would affect the Rock Island Arsenal.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Army this week will announce specific bases around the country that will be part of the next round of reductions in the force, with 40,000 troops to be cut by 2017, a U.S. defense official said Tuesday.

The reductions, which will also include 17,000 civilian employees to be cut from the payroll, are part of a longstanding plan that has been publicly discussed since last year.

Congress has been regularly briefed on the plan, but there has been discussion inside the Pentagon leadership that the cuts could grow even deeper if there are additional mandatory budget reductions from Congress.

Congressional notification of specific cuts at individual bases is expected to start later this week.

 

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