Title: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Marine Corps faces significant readiness challenges and that budgetary uncertainty impedes the Corps' ability to meet ongoing and unexpected national security threats, putting United States national security at risk.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Marine Corps faces significant readiness challenges and that failing to provide the Marine Corps with stable, robust, and on-time funding impedes its ability to meet ongoing and unexpected security threats.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 994 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 994

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
  States Marine Corps faces significant readiness challenges and that 
 budgetary uncertainty impedes the Corps' ability to meet ongoing and 
 unexpected national security threats, putting United States national 
                           security at risk.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 16, 2018

  Mr. Gallagher (for himself, Ms. Cheney, Mr. Wittman, Mr. Wilson of 
 South Carolina, Mrs. Hartzler, Mr. Byrne, Ms. McSally, Mr. Cook, and 
Mr. Abraham) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
  States Marine Corps faces significant readiness challenges and that 
 budgetary uncertainty impedes the Corps' ability to meet ongoing and 
 unexpected national security threats, putting United States national 
                           security at risk.

Whereas since fiscal year 2010, United States Marine Corps active duty end 
        strength has shrunk by 8 percent from 202,100 to 186,000;
Whereas, on March 1, 2016, Marine Corps Commandant Robert Neller stated, ``The 
        fiscal reductions and instability of the past few years have impacted 
        our readiness. As resources have diminished, the Marine Corps has 
        protected the near-term operational readiness of its deployed and next-
        to-deploy units in order to meet operational commitments. This has come 
        at a risk'';
Whereas, on February 26, 2015, now Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph 
        F. Dunford stated, ``[a]pproximately half of our non-deployed units--and 
        those are the ones that provide the bench to respond to unforeseen 
        contingencies--are suffering personnel, equipment and training 
        shortfalls'';
Whereas, on February 8, 2017, Assistant Commandant Glenn Walters stated, ``A 
        focus on [ongoing] operations, the decrease in funding levels from 
        Fiscal Year (FY) 2012, fiscal instability and the lack of an inter-war 
        period have left your Marine Corps insufficiently manned, trained and 
        equipped across the depth of the force to operate in an evolving 
        operational environment'';
Whereas the Marine Corps' Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV-7A1) and Light Armored 
        Vehicle (LAV) average over 40 and 26 years old, respectively;
Whereas the Marine Corps has a stated requirement for 38 amphibious ships to 
        support the operations of 2 Marine Expeditionary Brigades, but the 
        amphibious fleet numbers only 32 ships today;
Whereas former Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert testified on 
        March 12, 2014, that, ``[t]oday, in the world that we live in, the world 
        that the Navy and Marine Corps lives in, and the future, we probably 
        need 50 [amphibious ships]'';
Whereas, on April 5, 2017, Marine Corps leaders testified that, ``The most dire 
        readiness situation lies within our Aviation element. An unhealthy 
        percentage of our aviation units lack the minimum number of ready basic 
        aircraft (RBA) for training, and we are significantly short ready 
        aircraft for wartime requirements. We simply do not have the available 
        aircraft to meet our squadrons' requirements'';
Whereas during parts of 2016, only 43 percent of the Marine Corps' total 
        aviation fleet was available for operational employment, including less 
        than \1/3\ of its F/A-18 Hornets;
Whereas from fiscal year 2013 through fiscal year 2017, Marine Corps aviation 
        accidents increased by 80 percent from 56 to 101 per year;
Whereas between 2011 and 2017, aviation accidents killed more than 60 Marines, 
        including 19 over a 2-month period in 2017; and
Whereas, on March 10, 2017, Deputy Commandant Gary L. Thomas stated, ``Unstable 
        fiscal environments prevent the deliberately planned, sustained effort 
        needed to recover current readiness of our legacy equipment in the near 
        term, and to modernize in the longer term . . . We must work to avoid a 
        budget-driven strategy and return to a strategy-driven budget, informed 
        by the strategic requirements of the current and future operating 
        environments. Unless we do so, the range of options we have to address 
        current and future threats will further erode'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes that the United States Marine Corps faces 
        significant readiness challenges, as well as shortfalls in end 
        strength and delayed modernization;
            (2) finds that failing to provide the Marine Corps with 
        stable, robust, and on-time funding impedes its ability to meet 
        ongoing and unexpected security threats, putting United States 
        national security at risk; and
            (3) commits to enhancing the Marine Corps' ability to meet 
        our Nation's threats ``In the air, on land, and sea''.
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