FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Issues Page: 5 of 44
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FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Issues
Introduction
Each year, the House and Senate armed services committees take up national defense
authorization bills. The House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act
for Fiscal Year 2017 (H.R. 4909) on May 26, 2016. The Senate passed its NDAA bill (S. 2943) on
June 14, 2016. These bills contain numerous provisions that affect military personnel, retirees,
and their family members. Provisions in one version are sometimes not included in the other, are
treated differently by, or are identical in both versions. Following passage of these bills by the
House and by the Senate, a conference committee was convened to resolve the differences
between the respective chambers' versions of the bill. The House and Senate agreed to the
conference report on December 2, and December 8, 2016, respectively. The President signed the
final bill into law (PL. 114-328) on December 23, 2016.
This report is intended to highlight selected personnel-related issues that may generate high levels
of congressional and constituent interest.
Related CRS products are identified in each section to provide more detailed background
information and analysis of the issues. For each issue, a CRS analyst is identified and contact
information is provided.
Some issues discussed in this report previously were addressed in the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (PL. 114-92) and discussed in CRS Report R44120,
FY2016 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Issues, coordinated by
Don J. Jansen, or other reports. Those issues that were considered previously are designated with
an asterisk in the relevant section titles of this report.
*Active Duty End-Strengths
Background: The authorized active duty end-strengths for FY2001, enacted in the year prior to
the September 11 terrorist attacks, were as follows: Army (480,000), Navy (372,642), Marine
Corps (172,600), and Air Force (357,000).' Over the next decade, in response to the demands of
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Congress increased the authorized personnel strength of the Army
and Marine Corps. However, in recent years Congress began reversing these increases in light of
the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq in 2011, the drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan
beginning in 2012, and budgetary constraints. End-strengths for the Air Force and Navy have
been generally declining since 2001. Authorized end-strengths for FY2016 and FY2017 are in
Figure 1.
House-Passed H.R. 4909 Senate-Passed S. 2943 P.L. I I 4-328
Sec. 401 would authorize a total Sec. 401 would authorize a total Sec. 40 I authorizes a total FY2017
FY2017 active duty end-strength of FY2017 active duty end-strength of active duty end-strength of 1,305,900
1,310,615 including 1,281,900 including including
480,000 for the Army 460,000 for the Army 476,000 for the Army
324,615 for the Navy 322,900 for the Navy 323,900 for the Navy
1 The term "end-strength" refers to the authorized strength of a specified branch of the military at the end of a given
fiscal year, while the term authorized strength means "the largest number of members authorized to be in an armed
force, a component, a branch, a grade, or any other category of the armed forces." 10 U.S.C. 101(b)(11). As such, end-
strengths are maximum strength levels. Congress also sets minimum strength levels for the active component, which
may be identical to or lower than the end-strength.Congressional Research Service
1
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Kamarck, Kristy N.; Jansen, Don J.; Kapp, Lawrence; Mason, R. C. & Torreon, Barbara Salazar. FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Issues, report, January 23, 2017; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc990766/m1/5/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.