U.S. Army to eliminate 10 brigades at bases in drawdown - Odierno

General Ray Odierno, commanding general of the Multinational Force Iraq, holds a news conference at Camp Victory in Baghdad January 1, 2010. REUTERS/Saad Shalash

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army said on Tuesday it would eliminate 10 brigade combat teams at bases across the United States and cancel some $400 million in construction projects as it cuts about 80,000 soldiers over the next four years.

General Ray Odierno, the Army chief of staff, said the move was part of the largest organizational change in the Army since World War Two as the service winds down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and responds to tighter U.S. budgets.