laststandonzombieisland

According to an article over at Military Times  , no less than 24 units across the US Army will no longer be ‘jump capable’. This means they will no longer train to parachute into combat zones.

“The legendary Pathfinders have taken their final jump and the Red Devils aren’t too far behind. The two paratrooper units — formally known as the 5th Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division and the 508th Infantry Regiment — are closing out long histories as a result of the U.S. Army’s reconfiguration and budget cutting.

Among the changes being made is a reduction in the number of parachute positions across the service.“You have to make the best use of resources across the Army to make sure we’re using tax dollars as best we can,” said Jim  Hinnant, a former 1st lieutenant and paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg and spokesman for U.S. Army Forces Command.

The military is capping parachute positions at 49,000 as part of the 2012 Defense Strategic Guidance, a plan detailing the development of military forces through 2020. The plan calls for some units, including paratrooper units, to change their focus”

Such is progress.

Of course, no one uses paratroopers anymore so lets get rid of the rest while we are at it.

Oh wait, how about earlier this year in Mali…..

The above some 300 French Foreign Legion (2e régiment étranger de parachutistes – 2eREP) make a nighttime combat para-drop into Timbuktu, Mali, from a C-160 Transal airlifter of the French Air Force. It was taken on Jan. 28, 2013 from the Infra-Red camera of a Harfang drone, supporting Operation Serval from Niger.

You never know when you have to jump into Timbuktu.