End Strength Push

Congress should fund an Army force of 700,000 active-duty soldiers, according to an Association of the U.S. Army statement released today. The 700,000 troops should be "drawn from the Active Army, the Army National Guard and Army Reserve," a goal that is a "key piece" of the organization's legislative agenda for 2011, the statement reads. Specifically:

In the preamble to its resolutions approved by 122 of AUSA's chapters, the Association noted, "The demand for our forces exceeds the sustainable supply." The preamble added that legislative and regulatory policy changes are needed to "allow the Reserve Component to execute its role" as an operational reserve to meet the requirement for 700,000 Soldiers to be serving in the active force.

To pay for this, the Association is seeking congressional approval to increase "non-supplemental defense spending to at least 5 percent of gross domestic product," increase the Army's share of the defense budget from 24 to 28 percent and provide a consistent funding stream.

As in the past, the resolutions "focus on people, readiness and Army modernization." Adding,  "People are the heart and soul of the Army – Soldiers, Civilians, Family Members and Retired Soldiers."

The resolutions call for closing the pay gap between soldiers and Army civilians and the private sector; revising and enhancing the compensation package for the reserve components; and warns against an "erosion of benefits, especially in health care . . . to ensure the continued success of the all-volunteer force."

They also recognize the Army's efforts in "refining understanding of Full Spectrum Operations through training and professional dialogue [and] reducing the backlog in professional military education."

The resolutions recognize the stress of continued conflict upon soldiers and their families and acknowledge the efforts to build resilience through programs such as Comprehensive Soldier Fitness and Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention.

On modernization, the resolutions state, funding must be available to execute the revised strategy "for developing the interoperable network and a new ground combat vehicle." The resolutions also address the Army's need for funds for research, development and testing for future forces.

Money to repair and replace equipment lost during nine years of war will need to continue for several years after hostilities end.  At the same time, "Funds associated with base realignment and Closure, Global Posture Reviews and the Quadrennial Defense Review must be provided" to all the Army "to remain the world’s dominant land power."

Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey told Inside the Army in a September interview that he fears that efforts to save money on defense could turn on cutting end strength, a step he believes should not be taken in the near term as the service recovers from combat operations in Iraq and continues fighting in Afghanistan. Specifically:

"For the Army, the big thing for us is to maintain our end strength for a sufficient amount of time so that we can reset and reconstitute the force," Casey told Inside the Army on Sept. 14 after speaking at an economic-development event on Capitol Hill sponsored by the North Carolina congressional delegation. "I worry . . . the first thing folks look at is Army end strength," he said.

His comments come amid efforts at the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill to find savings in the defense budget. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has set a target of $100 billion in savings over the next five years through improved efficiencies. He has been careful to note that the move does not amount to a cutting of the defense budget.

Meanwhile, lawmakers are more closely scrutinizing the Pentagon budget, with the Senate Appropriations Committee last week approving a spending bill $8 billion below President Obama's $678 billion request for fiscal year 2011.

"We've seen this coming," Casey told ITA, noting Army efforts since 2008 aimed at reforming "the way we manage ourselves." The idea, he said, is to generate enough efficiencies through these reforms so end strength cuts are unnecessary. "We were already moving down this road" before Gates announced his savings push earlier this year, he added.