Army cuts training as service is short billions of dollars

[mahatmakanejeeves]

The story is two weeks old, but for some reason, CNN revived it this morning.

Army cuts training as service is short billions of dollars

The Army faces a shortfall of between $4-$6 billion, one official said.

By Steve Beynon
May 13, 2026, 5:13 AM ET • 6 min read

The Army is grappling with a sudden budget crunch and scrambling to slash training costs across broad swaths of the force, according to internal documents reviewed by ABC News and multiple U.S. officials.

The move is to make up for a shortfall of some $4 billion to $6 billion, according to one of the officials, as the service has drastically expanded its operational footprint at home and abroad.

The cuts, which range from elite schools to unit-level training, have triggered a wave of abrupt cancellations and unusually aggressive spending scrutiny months before the fiscal year ends Sept. 30.


Secretary of War Pete Hegseth prepares to testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee on the FY2027 budget request on Capitol Hill, May 12, 2026 in Washington.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

The service's multibillion-dollar shortfall is the product of a widening set of operational demands and rising costs across the force. ... Major drivers, a U.S. official noted, have been costs associated with the Iran war and an expanding mission securing the southern U.S. border.

{snip}

Here's CNN from this morning. If we wait three days, The Independent will pick up the story, at which point it will appear in LBN.

Politics • 4 min read
Iran war spending drains US military budgets, triggering cancelled trainings, delayed maintenance

By Davis Winkie
1 hr 31 min ago
PUBLISHED May 27, 2026, 5:00 AM ET


Two soldiers assigned to III Armored Corps Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion conduct an obstacle course on Fort Cavazos, Texas, March 25, 2025. (Spc. Brandi Frizzell/US Army)

The Pentagon is feeling the financial squeeze and is struggling in some cases to carry out routine training and maintenance amid its ongoing operations against Iran, with uniformed military leaders pressing Congress to support additional funding. ... The Navy’s top officer, Adm. Daryl Caudle, told House Armed Services Committee lawmakers earlier this month that his 2026 budget “didn’t bake in [Operation] Epic Fury” and that the Navy faces impacts on “routine operations” as a result.

That includes having to limit training exercises, flight training hours and training for new recruits, he said. ... “My record recruiting is going to be thwarted without additional funding to [move] those individuals from boot camp and to pay enlistment and reenlistment bonuses,” Caudle told lawmakers.

The Army’s III Armored Corps, a Texas-based headquarters that oversees roughly 70,000 troops and hundreds of tanks, saw a nearly $292 million cut to its training budget in late April, according to an internal document reviewed by CNN. ABC News was first to report on the cuts.

The service’s medical schoolhouse cancelled dozens of courses and eliminated centralized funding for others, according to an April 27 memo also reviewed by CNN. ... The Pentagon declined to comment for this story.

{snip}

[Lovie777]

1. This makes no sense................

but the GQP want a slush fund of billions to J6 and beyond?

The USA security is in jeopardy.

[Irish_Dem]

2. And money for a ballroom, arch, etc etc.

[bucolic_frolic]

5. $400,000,000.00 for a ballroom would buy a new fridge for 500,000 American households

at $800 for a fridge.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. That's an entry-level refrigerator anymore.

I bought a refrigerator last year, one devoid of features. It was "on sale," (which was a periodic event), and it cost me more than that. With the war tax, it probably costs more now.

And good morning.

[bucolic_frolic]

7. I am being accused of being out of touch with modern prices, or buying cheap refrigerators

Which is worse? I don't know what the world is coming to.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

8. Freezer on top, main compartment on the bottom are about the only ones

Last edited Wed May 27, 2026, 08:37 AM - Edit history (1)

priced under $1,000 anymore. You get the basics. Mine does what it needs to do.

[bucolic_frolic]

16. I have planned to replace my 1998 model for several years

I found the brand known as the best, USA made, about 10% smaller than the current one and lower energy usage by about 12%.

But I read online, they don't make them like they used to, and the guy at depot store told me he used to work in the NJ factory and they are not very durable. So my Gibbie trudges along.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

17. Don't be surprised to find foreign parts in it.

I ended up with a Frigidaire. 20 cu. ft., $699.99 "on sale." Delivery, removing the old one, and tax ran the price up. It works, which is basically all a refrigerator has to do. I went for the totally highfalutin stainless steel finish, as it was only $30 more. It looks terrific. Go for it if you can.

Frigidaire might be owned by Electrolux now, or maybe that's someone else.

The same model is sold for the same price everywhere, but one small local company had a super reputation. So did another small local company in the adjacent county. The delivery was a bit challenging. It took four of us to guide this device through a narrow passageway and immediately make a 90-degree turn. We/they pulled it off flawlessly.

This looks like what I got. I did not get mine from Home Depot. It was $699 before the extra charges a year ago.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Frigidaire-30-in-20-cu-ft-Garage-Ready-Freestanding-Top-Freezer-Refrigerator-in-Stainless-Steel-ENERGY-STAR-FFHT2022AS/327511518

Scratch and dent was not an option for me. Moving a refrigerator is an involved task. It's going to take more than you and a couple of buddies with a pickup truck.

One caveat: if you're getting up in years, think twice about having the main compartment down below. Old folks might find themselves wishing the main compartment were on top.

[Irish_Dem]

10. You are being accused of both.

Just thought you should know.

[mopinko]

15. i bought a tiny fridge last yr. $847.

it does have a freezer, but it was the smallest 1 i cd find.

[Irish_Dem]

9. Gas, food, healthcare, education as well.

[underpants]

3. Look at how much ICE has coming in...and going out

ICE will get more than the FBI, DEA, ATF, (and I think the CIA) combined.

[underpants]

4. Maybe they could hold a bake sale

for anyone who remembers the old saying/bumper stickers

[GCG]

11. This

"...it'll be a great day when our schools get all the money they need and the military has to hold a bake to buy a bomber!"

[underpants]

14. ☝️☝️☝️

[sinkingfeeling]

12. What a sob story. They need a new accountant who can track a trillion dollar budget.

[2MuchNoise]

13. While Hegseth is chowing down on lobster tails.