How Big Should the Army Be? Considerations for Congress

Abstract

In addition to the decision for FY2017, the debate about the size of the Army may well continue into the next Congress, as the Department of Defense plans further reductions in the size of the Army, proposing FY2018 end strength of 450,000. There will also be a new President in January, and his or her policy priorities may revise the contours of this debate. This report provides an overview of active duty Army personnel strength changes in recent years, outlines the different end strength authorizations in the House and Senate versions of the FY2017 NDAA, highlights the perspectives which have contributed to these diverging approaches in the respective NDAAs, and outlines some factors which Congress may consider as it determines the appropriate size for the Army.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 02, 2016
Accession Number
AD1172128

Entities

People

  • Andrew Feickert
  • Kathleen J. McInnis
  • Lawrence Kapp
  • Lynn M. Williams

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Cyber
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Air Defense
  • Army Personnel
  • Artillery
  • Congress
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Department Of Defense
  • Emergencies
  • Military Budgets
  • Military Personnel
  • National Security
  • Nato
  • Personnel Management
  • Test And Evaluation
  • United States
  • United States Government
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.