US army is slashing thousands of jobs to focus on Russia and China

WASHINGTON - The US army is cutting 24,000 positions as the Pentagon continues to shift its priority to countering Chinese and Russian military might after two decades of focusing on the fight against terrorism, according to a new army document. The cuts are in line with the national defence strategy begun by President Donald Trump and largely endorsed by the Biden administration that emphasises rising threats to the United States from an emboldened Russia and China. Army numbers swelled to almost 600,000 during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but the end of those conflicts has contributed to a steady…