[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3678-S3679]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 6549. Mr. THUNE submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle A of title IV, add the following:

     SEC. 402. EXCLUSION FROM ACTIVE-DUTY PERSONNEL END STRENGTH 
                   LIMITATIONS OF CERTAIN MILITARY PERSONNEL.

       (a) Exclusion.--Except as provided in subsection (d), 
     members of the Armed Forces on active duty who are assigned 
     to an entity specified in subsection (b) for any of the 
     duties specified in subsection (c) shall not count toward any 
     end strength limitation for active-duty personnel otherwise 
     applicable to members of the Armed Forces on active duty.
       (b) Specified Entities.--The entities specified in this 
     subsection are the following:
       (1) The military departments.
       (2) The Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

[[Page S3679]]

       (3) The combatant commands.
       (c) Specified Duties.--The duties specified in this 
     subsection are the following:
       (1) Duty in connection with the Foreign Military Sales 
     (FMS) program.
       (2) Duty at an embassy of the United States in support of 
     bilateral security cooperation.
       (3) Duty at an embassy of the United States in support of 
     intelligence requirements.
       (d) Inapplicability to General and Flag Officers.--
     Subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to any general or 
     flag officer assigned as described in that subsection.
       (e) Rule of Construction.--The exclusion described in 
     subsection (a) shall only be applied in instances when--
       (1) any additional revenues relating to the activities 
     described in subsection (c) as a result of the exclusion 
     provided in subsection (a) could be reasonably expected to 
     offset any additional personnel costs relating to the 
     exclusion provided under subsection (a); or
       (2) any cost avoidance achieved by the exclusion provided 
     under subsection (a) as a result of increased burdensharing 
     by security partners and allies relating to the activities 
     described in subsection (c) could be reasonably expected to 
     offset any additional personnel costs relating to the 
     exclusion provided under subsection (a).
                                 ______