Due to the recruiting shortfall experienced in recent years, the Army announced a new "Army Force Structure Transformation" plan that will reduce its structural size by around 24,000 personnel.
This transformation will enable the Army to bring in new capabilities to meet requirements under the National Defense Strategy. It will also allow the Army to narrow the gap between force structure, which was designed to accommodate 494,000 soldiers, and current Active Duty end strength, which is set by law at 445,000. TAA decisions will bring down “authorized” troop levels to approximately 470,000 soldiers by FY2029. Guided by the results of the TAA process, the Army will shrink excess, largely unmanned “hollow” force structure and build new formations equipped with new capabilities needed for large-scale combat operations.
Army White Paper Army Force Structure Transformation by Veronica Silveri on Scribd
Recruitment problems
The Department of Defense (DOD) has experienced severe personnel shortages in recent years and has failed to meet its recruiting goals. In 2023, it fell short by more than 41,000 recruits across all branches of service. The document stated:
The Army is currently significantly over-structured, meaning there are not enough soldiers to fill out existing units and organizations. Army leaders seek to have at least 470,000 soldiers in the Active Component by FY29, which is nearly 20,000 above the current end strength but a reduction of about 24,000 authorizations compared to currently planned force structure.
According to the new transformation plan, the Army "must reduce force structure to protect readiness in light of decreased end strength":
Transformation of the Army's force structure and recruiting will not happen overnight, but changes in both areas are underway. "In the coming years, the Army will continually transform and improve to be more prepared, agile and lethal while meeting our critical responsibilities to our nation," the Army said in its statement.
