Virginia's congressional delegation has written to Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George asking for more information about the impending merger of Army Futures Command into Training and Doctrine Command due to concerns about potential cuts at Ft. Eustis, VA where TRADOC is based.
The Army Transformation Initiative, announced in early May, will involve a major restructuring of the force, which will include the merging of AFC and TRADOC into one command that “aligns force generation, force design and force development.”
In a letter to Driscoll and George sent today, Virginia’s two senators and 10 representatives wrote that thus far they have heard from Army senior leaders that AFC will retain a four-star general at its headquarters in Austin, TX, however, TRADOC will not retain a four-star general at Ft. Eustis.
The delegation also wrote it is not yet clear how many servicemembers and their families must move as a result of the merger, and the cost savings from the consolidation are also not yet known.
The delegation also noted in the letter that they have heard from “other community stakeholders” that TRADOC’s G-2 section at Ft. Eustis, which includes about 250 positions, could be eliminated due to the merger.
Additionally, headquarters staff of the three-star general at Ft. Eustis could be reduced to between 20 and 25 soldiers, and general staff reductions could include between 20 and 80 personnel, the letter states. The delegation did not specify which stakeholders provided this information.
The lawmakers are asking Driscoll and George to respond with more details about the merger, including cuts and cost savings, by June 10.
Both the secretary and chief of staff are scheduled to testify before the House and Senate Armed Services committees this week.