Following is information on the Army’s force structure plan.

Why the Army Force Needs to Be Restructured

• As the nature of warfare changes, so must the Army.
• In the past, the Army plan depended on forward-deploying divisions (the largest unit of the Army) to hot spots such as Germany and U.S.-based reinforcements with large-scale deployments over time.
• Now the Army depends more on brigades, a smaller unit, specifically designed for the new forms of warfare.
• Restructuring the Army brigades will ensure the force’s capabilities are balanced and will increase the Army’s readiness.
• The rebalancing will result in a larger operational Army and create more useful brigades across the board.

Principles of the Force-Structure Plan

• While drafting the new force-structure plan, senior Army leaders were guided by these two principles:
• All Army units will be whole; and
• All units will be ready for the missions they are called to fulfill.

The New Force Structure Plan Improves the Army

• Under the new force-structure plan, the Army will be:
• A more-ready force; and
• Fully manned, equipped and trained across all components of the Army.

Funding and Numbers

• Funding: The National Guard and the Army Reserve are being funding to their actual strength.

Army National Guard

• Americans depend on the Guard to be ready to deploy for operations, including long wars such as we are fighting now against terrorism; defend the homeland; and assist with disaster-relief missions.
• National Guard: 106 brigades (same total number as previously)
• 28 Brigade Combat Teams
• 78 Support Brigades
• (this is a change in the mix of the kinds of brigades, but not a change total number of brigades).

Army Reserve

• Will maintain 58 Support Brigades.

Active Army

• Active BCTs build from 33 to 42 and retain 75 supporting brigades.

The new force structure plan will

• Enable more than $21 billion to be invested in National Guard equipment over the next six years.
• Allow for a rotational pool of 70 Brigade Combat Teams across the Army (28 in the National Guard plus 42 in the active Army), in addition to supporting brigades.
• Unlike in the past, fund actual Guard end strength at a fully trained, equipped and operationally ready level.