Charles Skelton: “Last year I stood in this well and called on my colleagues to support an increase in the Nation's military end strength…”

“Last year I stood in this well and called on my colleagues to support an increase in the Nation's military end strength, the number of people in our uniformed services. I am pleased that my colleagues rose to the challenge and recognized the increased pressures that have been placed on our servicemembers. As a result, Congress last year authorized an increase in end strength of 2,400 soldiers for the Army and 300 airmen for the Air Force. Unfortunately, this increase is just a small down payment on what the services, particularly the Army, need in order to meet today's increased operational tempo. Nearly a decade ago, Congress heard from the Army leadership about the need for an increase in end strength. The then Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, General Ted Stroup, testified before the Committee on Armed Services that the Army needed 25,000 more soldiers to meet ongoing operational needs. Our ongoing operations in Afghanistan and Iraq have only made the need for additional troops more imperative. I think we need an additional 40,000-person end strength increase in the Army alone, not to mention the other services.”