BUDGET CUTS FORCE US ARMY TO REDUCE TRAINING PROGRAMS: REPORT

Sun 17 May 2026:

The US military is facing a budget shortfall due to rising expenditures and is preparing to cut spending on training programs as part of cost-reduction measures, ABC News reported Wednesday, citing US officials.

The report said that the sudden budget crunch is to make up for a shortfall of some $4 billion to $6 billion, as the service has significantly expanded its operational footprint at home and abroad.

The cuts, affecting everything from premier schools to unit training programs, have led to a surge of sudden cancellations and heightened scrutiny over spending well before the fiscal year concludes on Sept. 30.

According to the report, the service’s multibillion-dollar budget gap stems from growing operational pressures and increasing expenses throughout the force.

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Additionally, expansive National Guard missions, including the ongoing deployment in Washington, D.C., which alone is projected to cost roughly $1.1 billion this year, according to estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

At the same time, the service is absorbing ballooning personnel expenses and stepping in to cover missions tied to Department of Homeland Security funding lapses, including at the southern border and construction projects. The Army is expected to be reimbursed for covering down for some of DHS’ expenses incurred during the record 76-day DHS shutdown.

The Army’s III Armored Corps, an umbrella of the Army’s heavy armor and cavalry units, is expected to bear a lot of the brunt, a document outlining projections to units on consequences of funding cuts shows.

That internal plan warns that the corps’ aviation units will deploy next year at “a lower state of readiness,” and “career stagnation” of mid-level officers who would oversee key training events and noted it would take a full year for units to rebuild “combat proficiency.”

The corps commands some 70,000 soldiers representing nearly half of the service’s combat power.

The reductions there include slashing roughly half of the formation’s budget and gutting pilots’ flight hours down to minimum mandatory levels.

The cuts come amid skyrocketing fuel costs, which can quickly drive up the price of large-scale training exercises, aviation operations and travel. But it remains unclear whether those soaring costs are directly behind the moves now rippling through Army commands.

Key factors include costs tied to the war with Iran and the expanding mission to secure the southern US border.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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