[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4294 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4294

 To limit the end strength reductions for the regular component of the 
Army and Marine Corps and to ensure that the Secretary of the Army and 
 the Secretary of the Navy are provided adequate resources in order to 
                  meet the National Security Strategy.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 28, 2012

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To limit the end strength reductions for the regular component of the 
Army and Marine Corps and to ensure that the Secretary of the Army and 
 the Secretary of the Navy are provided adequate resources in order to 
                  meet the National Security Strategy.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Limited End Strength Reduction Act 
of 2012''.

SEC. 2. LIMITATIONS ON END STRENGTH REDUCTIONS FOR REGULAR COMPONENT OF 
              THE ARMY AND MARINE CORPS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The President's fiscal year 2013 budget request 
        provides for a reduction in the end strength for the regular 
        and reserve components of the Armed Forces by 31,300 members 
        and anticipates an additional reduction of 92,600 members over 
        the subsequent four years.
            (2) The pace and size of these proposed reductions are 
        inappropriate while the United States is still engaged in armed 
        conflict in Afghanistan and, if implemented, the reductions 
        will undermine the ability of the Armed Forces to maintain a 
        robust global security posture and increase security risks for 
        the United States.
            (3) A reduction in force structure and end strength will 
        subject members of the Armed Forces and their families to 
        diminished dwell time, repeated deployments, and excessive 
        stress when the assumptions upon which the reductions are based 
        prove to be incorrect.
    (b) Annual Certification.--Subject to subsections (c) and (d), if 
the President determines that a reduction in end strength of the 
regular component of the Army or Marine Corps (or both) is necessary 
for any of fiscal years 2014 through 2017, the President shall submit 
to Congress, with the budget request for that fiscal year, a 
certification that the reduction in end strength, should the 
assumptions of the National Security Strategy prescribed by the 
President in the most recent annual national security strategy report 
under section 108 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 404a) 
prove to be incorrect, will not--
            (1) undermine the ability of the Armed Forces to meet the 
        requirements of the National Security Strategy;
            (2) increase security risks for the United States; or
            (3) compel members of the Armed Forces to endure diminished 
        dwell time, and repeated deployments.
    (c) Annual Limitation on Reductions.--
            (1) Army.--The end strength of the regular component of the 
        Army shall not be reduced by more than 15,000 members during 
        each of fiscal years 2014 through 2017 from the end strength of 
        the regular component of the Army at the end of the preceding 
        fiscal year.
            (2) Marine corps.--The end strength of the regular 
        component of the Marine Corps shall not be reduced by more than 
        5,000 members during each of fiscal years 2014 through 2017 
        from the end strength of the regular component of the Marine 
        Corps at the end of the preceding fiscal year.
    (d) Budgeting Requirement.--The budget for the Department of 
Defense for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2017 as submitted to 
Congress--
            (1) shall include amounts for maintaining an end strength 
        of the regular component of the Army and the Marine Corps 
        sufficient to comply with the active duty end strengths 
        prescribed in section 691(b) of title 10, United States Code; 
        and
            (2) shall not rely on any emergency, supplemental, or 
        overseas contingency operations funding.
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