A woman has been sentenced to prison after she protested outside Fort Benning for the Army to close a controversial training school. (credit: Mathieu RABECHAULT/AFP/Getty Images)
FORT BENNING, Ga. (AP) – Military officials say Fort Benning is expected to train 35,000 fewer troops in the 2012 fiscal year than it did in 2011.
The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reports the post will train 96,000 soldiers this fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, 2011, and ends Sept. 30. That is compared to 131,000 soldiers trained for fiscal year 2011.
Authorities the new numbers are based on revised projections as troops return from Iraq. Gary A. Jones, director of public affairs for the Maneuver Center of Excellence, says the revised number is dramatically lower than previous projections.
He said the Army’s draw-down of personnel and the departure of U.S. forces from Iraq in 2011 have affected training requirements across the Army.
