NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) _ The Army plans to eliminate more than 400 soldiers from three bases in Virginia. U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine’s office says the cuts will affect Fort Eustis, Fort Lee and Fort Belvoir. They are part of a decision to shrink the Army from 490,000 active-duty soldiers to 450,000. The Army has said the plan calls for cuts at nearly every installation in 2016 and 2017. Kaine’s office says the Army told it that Fort Eustis will lose 94 soldiers, Fort Lee will lose 127 soldiers and Fort Belvoir will lose 250 soldiers. At Fort Eustis, the cuts include inactivating an engineer diving team and a transportation detachment. Kaine says the impact on Virginia is less than he feared, but he’s concerned that troop levels are being affected by artificial budget reductions.
