WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — The U.S. Army may scale back its Special Operations forces, including Green Berets, in favor of more conventional military operations, according to multiple reports.

The Wall Street Journal and Military.com report a 10% cut in Special Forces personnel. The move, which would impact about 3,000 troops, is being made to “enable the Army to rebalance toward the large conventional ground forces needed in a potential fight in Asia,” according to the Journal.

With America’s evacuation from Afghanistan and scaled-back counterterrorism operations in the Middle East, the Army may see an opportunity to boost lagging enlistment numbers among the rank and file.

Military.com reports the Pentagon is investing in other capabilities, namely cyberwarfare and long-range missiles.

Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., a former Green Beret, sharply criticized the reported cuts Friday.

“I am stunned and appalled by reports indicating the U.S. Army will cut 3,000 troops from its special operations ranks as a means to manage their worst recruiting crisis since the Vietnam War,” a statement from Waltz read in part.

Last year, the Army fell 15,000 short of its enlistment goal of 60,000 while competing with higher-paying companies in a tight job market and trying to overcome two years of the coronavirus pandemic, which shut down access to schools and public events. In the fiscal year, the Army brought in a bit more than 50,000 recruits, falling short of the publicly stated “stretch goal” of 65,000, according to The Associated Press.

Not all former military personnel, however, agree with Waltz.

Ret. Lt. Col. Daniel Davis told NewsNation he believes the cuts to special forces are “overdue.”

“We don’t need to be sending a bunch of these limited resources out to places that are incidental to American national security,” Davis said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.