US Army cutting force by 24K amid recruiting shortfalls

The U.S. Army is slashing about 5% – or 24,000 – of its force in an effort to restructure the service to be better prepared for future wars.

As the U.S. Army struggles with recruitment, the service is cutting its force by about 24,000 in a restructuring that it says will help the service fight in future wars.

The almost 5% of jobs cut will mostly affect posts that have remained empty and not actual soldiers, according to an Army document published Tuesday.

"The Army is not asking current soldiers to leave. As the Army builds back end strength over the next few years, most installations will likely see an increase in the number of soldiers actually stationed there," the Army said.

Most of the jobs being slashed are related to counter-insurgency positions that grew during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but are not in high demand today.

This is a developing news story; check back for updates.