The U.S. Army has announced that both Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth will see a reduction in troop levels. The army base near Junction City will lose 615 active duty soldiers and the base near Leavenworth will be downsized by 60 soldiers. It could have been much worse for Kansas. Governor Sam Brownback issued this statement today (THUR): “The U.S. Army today confirmed what Kansans already know: Ft. Riley and Ft. Leavenworth will continue to play a critical role in the training and development of our troops. Installation leadership, community support, and service members have worked tirelessly to ensure that both forts remain essential components of the Army. As expected, the Army is being forced to make difficult decisions due to federal budgetary constraints. Although no cuts would be preferable, many other installations fared significantly worse. The limited reductions to the Kansas Army installations are a credit to the remarkable commitment of local communities and those serving on our Kansas installations. If sequestration is not corrected, the Army will be forced to make further substantial cuts, which could negatively affect Army bases in Kansas."
