IB 
Union Calendar No. 485
107TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5132
[Report No. 107–771] 
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 
NOVEMBER 4, 2002
Additional sponsors: Mr. MCHUGH and Mr. SNYDER
NOVEMBER 4, 2002
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Omit the part struck through] 
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 Representa-
tives 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 com-
mittee that United States military forces are being 
stressed by the increased operational tempo and 
have insufficient forces to fully meet their war-fight-
ing 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) au-
thorizing the President to use all necessary and ap-
propriate force against those nations, organizations, 
and persons he determines planned, authorized, com-
mitted, 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 wag-
ing 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 ter-
rorism, 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 numer-
ous 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 Re-
public of Georgia, equipping and training govern-
ment forces in Columbia, and aiding the peace proc-
ess in the Balkans and Kosovo. 
(8) The pace of operations for United States 
military personnel has only increased since Sep-
tember 11, 2001, and that pace increases the strain 
on servicemembers and their families. 
(9) Prosecuting the war on terrorism will re-
quire increased expenditures for military personnel, 
operations and maintenance, and for the procure-
ment of equipment that is lost, expended or con-
sumed. 
(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 Sec-
retary of Defense has under consideration substan-
tial reductions in military end strengths below the 
levels proposed to be authorized in the House and 
Senate versions of the National Defense Authoriza-
tion 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 Rep-
resentatives in their respective versions of the Na-
tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2003 are wholly appropriate and justified by the in-
creased 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 fis-
cal year 2003 due to the exigencies of the war 
against terrorism.