Hawaii Army Escapes Troop Cuts

Army Chief of Staff, General Ray Odierno, stated that the entire service will shrink by approximately 14 percent by 2017.  This represents a force reduction of about 80,000 troops from the peak of 570,000 soldiers in 2010.  Army officials added that the reductions are mostly due to federal budget cuts.

Fortunately for Hawaii's economy, the Army will actually be increasing the number of troops in the Hawaiian Islands slightly.  The Army has approximately 23,000 troops in Hawaii, and an additional 165 soldiers are expected to become a part of Schofield Barracks and Fort Shafter.  United States Senator Mazie Hirono, stated, "I am very pleased that the Army decided to leave its force structure in Hawaii untouched for the near future.  This is important because the Army, along with the other branches of the armed forces, will play a critical role in President Obama's strategy to re-balance to the Pacific."

United States Representative Colleen Hana­busa, added that this news "reaffirms our nation's commitment to Asia-Pacific, and I am pleased to hear that both Schofield Barracks and Fort Shafter will gain soldiers for enhanced engineer and mission command capabilities, as well as headquarters functions to better serve our military personnel based in Hawaii.  Our men and women in uniform not only risk their lives to defend our nation, they also enrich our state's diverse culture and contribute to our communities."

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 6-26-2013, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, REALTOR®
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