US Army killing off more of its Brigade Combat Teams.

via Sputnik

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The GAO noted that the US Army prioritized retaining combat units, such as BCT and combat aviation brigades when planning to reduce its end strength to 980,000 soldiers.

"The Army completed analyses showing that it could reduce its BCTs from 73 in fiscal year 2011 to a minimum of 52 in fiscal year 2017; however, the Army plans to retain 56 BCTs," according to the report on Wednesday.

The US Army "plans to eliminate proportionately more positions from its support or ‘enabler’ units, such as military police and transportation units," the report added.

By redesigning its combat units, the US Army plans to retain 170 combat battalions — units that fight the enemy — totaling only three fewer battalions than in fiscal year 2011, the GAO observed.

In a more dangerous world, the US Army is forced to cut the number of BCTs.  No big deal you say because the combat units remain virtually unchanged?  I disagree.  The push to field self contained combat teams is dying in the Army.  The mythical "tooth to tail" ratio will increase but considering the way that our modern forces fight and the need to maintain complex equipment, is this a smart move?