U.S. Army to cut 40,000 troops in cost-cutting measure

WASHINGTON, July 8 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army plans to cut 40,000 troops in the coming two years in a reduction aimed at tackling budget shortfalls that will affect most of its domestic and foreign posts.

The reductions, which also includes 17,000 civilian employees, would leave the Army with some 450,000 troops by Sept. 30, 2017, the end of the 2017 budget year, USA Today reported.

The Obama administration has pledged to scale back the Army to its lowest troop level since before World War II. In 2013, the Army said it planned to cut about 80,000 troops. Right after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Army was flush with 570,000 troops.

The announcement about the troop reductions, which could come as soon as this week, comes as the White House ponders its next move against the Islamic State (IS), also known as ISIS or ISIL. President Obama said Monday there has been no discussion about sending additional troops to Iraq to supplement the 3,500 already there to help fight the extremist group.