ANCHORAGE — The U.S. Army on Monday said it will delay reducing a unit at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage by 2,600 soldiers because of world events.
Acting Secretary of the Army Patrick J. Murphy said in a release that the 4-25 Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) can rapidly deploy and conduct operations in urban and mountainous environments.
Murphy says the Army needs this capability given continued Russian aggression, the nuclear provocation of North Korea and the continued threat from the Islamic State.
The Army announced the reductions in July.
The Alaska congressional delegation hailed the announcement in a joint statement.
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski called it good news for Alaska, and said she knew the direction or world events would expose the reduction plan as short-sighted.
