I'm Carl Azuz, hope you Tuesday is going well so far. First up, with US combat troops out of Iraq in the war in Afghanistan winding1 down, the US government wants to shrink its military. It could have affected2 some of you who are planning to go into the US armed forces. Defense3 Secretary Chuck Hagel says there are difficult decisions ahead as the plan is to reduce the military to the size it was before World War II. The government wants to cut costs and take advantage of modern military technology, but Congress has to approve the reduced budget and some lawmakers may not be on board.
Since 9.11, the US military has boarded up its resources, enabling it to wage wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and the global war on terror. Now a carefully crafted plan announced on Monday at the Pentagon, the military says it will scale back to force levels not seen since before World War II.
We must now adopt,
innovate4 and make difficult decisions to ensure that our military
remains5 ready and capable.
The details the army will reduce its forces from a high of 570,000 to around 450,000 troops. The
marine6 corps7 will cut its forces by 8,000 or about 4%, and the
elimination8 of the 8/10 ? which would save 3.5 billion dollars over 5 years.
The cuts not only reflect they are changing political ?, but also in evolution in how the military engages in its enemies. Case in point, a cyber
warfare12, special operations will not be impacted.
You are gonna conduct counter-terrorism operations. They rely more heavily on great intelligence and great technology.
Critics argue fewer resources will leave the US more vulnerable to attacks at home and abroad. Hagel recognizes these cuts do not come without
uncertainty13.
Our future force will assume additional risk in certain areas.
The Pentagon will present its plan to Congress next week. In Washington, I'm Karin Caifa.
We don't get many snow days here in the south. We don't get much snow. I remember Saturday school wants to make up for a winter storm we did gift, but after a particularly
brutal14 snow storming winter, this is an issue that a lot of schools from the midwest to the east coast to deal with. How do you
fulfill15 a typical 180-day school year with so many days off from school? Here is our colleague from CNN. com, Jenny ?.
Hey Carl, many schools around the country are
dealing16 with snow days in the double
digits17, and as much as you love them, your teachers hate them. Instead of adding days to the end of the school year or cutting spring break, some schools are trying something new-
virtue18 school days. About 2,000 students from ? regional high school, the district in New
Jersey19, tried this month after snow days pile down. By 8 am students were required to crack open their school-provided laptops, so they can participate in English class discussions, finish up their ? problems or ask teachers questions. Don't think it was just a little extra homework. All the students to break to
shuffle20 snow or make lunch. Most said it took them until 3 pm to finish up all their assignments, and yes, this ? their ? graves. No word yet on whether the New Jersey Department of
Eduction21 will count ? regional virtue day as a full day of school, but don't think you are off the hook if you don't have a computer provided by the school. With so many snow days, teachers around the country said they are looking for ways to keep students on track while they are stuck at home. Some were asking students to have internet access to check class websites and complete their assignments even if you think you should be sleeping in and drinking hot chocolate. Thanks Carl.