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.”
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
