Leadership: March 16, 2005

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The U.S. Army is spending $48 billion over the next seven years, in a program to reorganize its combat divisions and brigades. This will create over twenty new active and reserve combat brigades. The result will be an army with some eighty active and reserve combat brigades. This expansion will be accomplished by having fewer combat, and more non-combat, troops in each brigade. This year, the reorganization of troops and equipment is costing $5 billion, with about ten percent of that going to construction of new buildings, vehicle maintenance and storage areas, with the rest buying new equipment. Long term,  the bulk of the money will be buying a lot of new gear that has not really been designed yet. The army believes that there is so much new technology appearing in the next few years, that the main problem will be deciding which of it will be most useful on the battlefield. So far, the reorganization has created three new brigades, with another three due to appear in the next year.