Fort Jackson to shed 180 military personnel as Army shrinks

COLUMBIA, SC (AP) — The Army’s worldwide personnel cuts are leading to Fort Jackson losing about 180 active duty personnel.

The cuts announced by the Army on Thursday will be minimal for the South Carolina post where more than half of the country’s soldiers receive basic training.

The Army is in the midst of shrinking by 40,000 soldiers to about 450,000 as 14 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down. Army officials said the plan calls for cuts at nearly every installation in 2016 and 2017.

Fort Benning in Georgia and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska are taking the largest reductions. Benning is to lose 3,400 soldiers, or 30 percent of its current personnel. Elmendorf-Richardson will lose 2,600 soldiers, a 60 percent cut.

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