Estimated Cost of the Administration's Proposal to Increase the Army's and the Marine Corps's Personnel Levels

Abstract

In January 2007, the Administration announced plans to permanently increase the size of the active-duty Army to 547,400 personnel and the Marine Corps to 202,000 over the next 5 years. The Administration also plans to increase the size of the Army Reserve and National Guard. The cost of the Administration's proposal to increase the size of the armed forces depends on the personnel levels it is being measured against. The 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) and other long-term planning documents issued by the Department of Defense (DoD) recommended an end strength of 482,400 personnel for the Army and 175,000 for the Marine Corps. Relative to those levels, the Administration's plan represents an increase of 65,000 and 27,000 personnel for the Army and Marine Corps, respectively. The combined increases for the Army Reserve and National Guard would total about 9,200 personnel. The plan also encompasses initiatives to reallocate military personnel from overhead functions to the operational force. To support operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and to facilitate the reorganization of their forces, the Army and the Marine Corps are currently exceeding the personnel levels specified in the QDR through the use of authorities provided by the Congress in title 10 of the U.S. Code. In addition, the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 (2007 NDAA) authorizes end strengths of 512,400 personnel for the Army and 180,000 for the Marine Corps. The Administration's plan would exceed those authorized levels by 35,000 personnel for the Army and 22,000 for the Marine Corps. Personnel strength for the Army Reserve and National Guard would increase by a total of 14,200 relative to levels authorized by that law. At the request of the Senate Armed Services Committee, CBO has estimated the costs of the Administration's plan relative to the force levels recommended in the QDR and the force levels authorized in the 2007 NDAA.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 16, 2007
Accession Number
ADA474773

Entities

People

  • David Newman
  • Jason Wheelock
  • Matt Schmit

Organizations

  • Congressional Budget Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Army Personnel
  • Civilian Personnel
  • Cost Estimates
  • Department Of Defense
  • Department Of Veterans Affairs
  • Employment
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Maintenance
  • Military Operations
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Procurement
  • Training
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Naval Personnel Management
  • Public Financial Management and Budgeting