The U.S. Army has paused its plan to convert the airborne brigade combat team in the Pacific into a smaller task force in an effort to help address global threats, Army Times reported Tuesday.
Michelle Tan writes the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division based in Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, was one of two brigades set for conversion as the Army announced in July 2015 amid budget cuts.
“Given continued Russian aggression, the nuclear provocations of North Korea, and the continued threat from ISIL, we need this capability,†said Patrick Murphy, acting Army secretary.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told the Senate Armed Services Committee in February that he wants at least a one-year delay to the plan to convert the brigade, according to the report.
Milley said at the time his recommendation was based on a study that suggested concerns over Russian aggression in Europe and the Arctic, Tan reports.
