The United States defence secretary has proposed a substantial cut in the size of the army which would make it the smallest since the Second World War.
In a speech at the Pentagon Chuck Hagel suggested a reduction to no more than 450,000 active soldiers along with the closure of military bases and cuts to the air force and naval fleets.
He outlined three key drivers behind the decision.
"First, after Iraq and Afghanistan we are no longer sizing the military to conduct long and large stability operations.
"Second, we must maintain our technological edge over potential adversaries.
"And third, the military must be ready and capable to respond quickly to all contingencies and decisively defeat any opponent should deterrents fail."
The cuts are expected to set up an election-year fight with Congress over defence priorities.
