Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly, chief of the Army Reserve,
said he expects his 205,000-member force to be cut
and that he supports some of the reduction. He refused
to provide numbers, although a senior, defense official
said the Army is looking at a reduction of 5,000
reservists between fiscal 2007 and fiscal 2011. In
addition, the National Guard could drop by 17,000 in
fiscal 2007, with more cuts later. Many state National
Guard leaders oppose the cuts. Helmly agreed that it
is possible to cut the force too much, but “we’re a
long way from doing that,” he said. The cuts were
recommended in a classified Program Decision Memorandum,
which is the Defense Department vehicle that guides
future budget submissions. Helmly said he was
comfortable with the level proposed by the PDM.
