The commander of US European Command told lawmakers that cutting personnel by more than a third—from 114,000 troops to 71,000—will not hamper EUCOM’s capability. Marine Corps Gen. James L. Jones said that the 71,000 will be “better positioned, better capable, and better organized to do the things we need to do” in Europe and Africa. Testifying at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday, Jones went on to say that he was concerned about having the right number of soldiers to maintain three Army brigades, but he believes the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps numbers are “fine.”
Retired Col. Carlyle "Smitty" Harris, known for introducing the "tap code" by which American POWs in North Vietnam could surreptitiously communicate with one another, died July 6. Harris was brutalized by the North Vietnamese over almost eight years of captivity.