UK defense secretary outlines army cuts
Jul 5, 2012, 11:48 AM
LONDON (AP) – Britain’s Defense Secretary Philip Hammond is outlining a major restructuring of the country’s armed forces as the military prepares to lose 20,000 soldiers.
The U.K. army is shrinking from 102,000 troops to 82,000 by the end of the decade _ one aspect of the steep cuts to government spending ordered by Prime Minister David Cameron’s government.
Hammond on Thursday is laying out to lawmakers how the army will be overhauled and what the smaller force will look like under the plan dubbed “Army 2020.”
He said the Army will lose 17 major units.
Under the plans, reductions in regular Army strength would be offset by increases in part-time reservists and greater reliance on civilian contractors.
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