[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5132 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5132

 To express the sense of Congress concerning the fiscal year 2003 end 
  strengths needed for the Armed Forces to fight the War on Terrorism.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 16, 2002

 Mr. Skelton introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To express the sense of Congress concerning the fiscal year 2003 end 
  strengths needed for the Armed Forces to fight the War on Terrorism.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS CONCERNING FISCAL YEAR 2003 END STRENGTHS NEEDED 
              FOR THE ARMED FORCES TO FIGHT THE WAR ON TERRORISM.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Before September 11, 2001, the uniformed chiefs of the 
        Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps testified before the 
        Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives 
        that they did not have sufficient personnel to meet all their 
        current operational requirements.
            (2) Since September 11, 2001, Admiral Dennis Blair, then-
        commander of the United States Pacific Command, General Joseph 
        Ralston, commander of the United States European Command, and 
        General William Kernan, commander of United States Joint Forces 
        Command, have testified before that committee that United 
        States military forces are being stressed by the increased 
        operational tempo and have insufficient forces to fully meet 
        their war-fighting requirements and to fully execute all 
        assigned missions and that further strains on the Armed Forces 
        may be anticipated.
            (3) Following the terrorist attacks against the United 
        States on September 11, 2001, Congress adopted a joint 
        resolution (Public Law 107-40) authorizing the President to use 
        all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, 
        organizations, and persons he determines planned, authorized, 
        committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on 
        September 11, 2001.
            (4) Since the adoption of that resolution, United States 
        Armed Forces have been actively waging war against terrorists 
        and terrorism around the globe in operations known as Operation 
        Noble Eagle and Operation Enduring Freedom.
            (5) In the prosecution of the war against terrorism, 
        thousands of active-duty servicemembers and over 80,000 
        reservists and National Guard members have participated in 
        Operations Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom.
            (6) President Bush has publicly stated numerous times that 
        the war on terrorism will continue for some time.
            (7) United States forces are currently searching for 
        terrorists in Afghanistan, helping fight terrorism in the 
        Philippines, training military forces in the Republic of 
        Georgia, equipping and training government forces in Columbia, 
        and aiding the peace process in the Balkans and Kosovo.
            (8) The pace of operations for United States military 
        personnel has only increased since September 11, 2001, and that 
        pace increases the strain on servicemembers and their families.
            (9) Prosecuting the war on terrorism will require increased 
        expenditures for military personnel, operations and 
        maintenance, and for the procurement of equipment that is lost, 
        expended or consumed.
            (10) In response to the increased missions for military 
        personnel associated with the prosecution of the war on 
        terrorism, the House of Representatives and the Senate, in 
        their respective versions of the National Defense Authorization 
        Act for Fiscal Year 2003, have each voted to increase the 
        authorizations for military end strengths above the level 
        requested by the President in his defense budget for fiscal 
        year 2003.
            (11) Recent press reports indicate that the Secretary of 
        Defense has under consideration substantial reductions in 
        military end strengths below the levels proposed to be 
        authorized in the House and Senate versions of the National 
        Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    In light of the findings in section 1, it is the sense of Congress 
that--
            (1) the increases in end-strength authorizations for the 
        Armed Forces for fiscal year 2003 that are recommended by the 
        Senate and House of Representatives in their respective 
        versions of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
        Year 2003 are wholly appropriate and justified by the increased 
        missions and tempo of operations associated with prosecution of 
        the war against terrorism;
            (2) the President and Secretary of Defense should not 
        reduce, or seek to reduce, the number of members of the Armed 
        Forces so long as the Nation is at war against terrorism; and
            (3) the President should support the increase in end-
        strengths for the Armed Forces recommended by the Senate and 
        House of Representatives for fiscal year 2003 due to the 
        exigencies of the war against terrorism.
                                 <all>