35-737

2007
110TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION
SENATE
Report

TO AUTHORIZE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2008 FOR MILITARY ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, FOR MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, AND FOR DEFENSE ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, TO PRESCRIBE PERSONNEL STRENGTHS FOR SUCH FISCAL YEAR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

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JUNE 5, 2007- Ordered to be printed

NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2008

35-737

2007
110TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION
SENATE
Report

TO AUTHORIZE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2008 FOR MILITARY ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, FOR MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, AND FOR DEFENSE ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, TO PRESCRIBE PERSONNEL STRENGTHS FOR SUCH FISCAL YEAR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

[Graphic image not available]

JUNE 5, 2007- Ordered to be printed

1st Session

110-77

[To accompany S. 1547]

The Committee on Armed Services reports favorably an original bill to authorize appropriations for the fiscal year 2008 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes, and recommends that the bill do pass.

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

This bill would:

(1) authorize appropriations for (a) procurement, (b) research, development, test and evaluation, (c) operation and maintenance and the revolving and management funds of the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2008;

(2) authorize the personnel end strengths for each military active duty component of the Armed Forces for fiscal year 2008;

(3) authorize the personnel end strengths for the Selected Reserve of each of the reserve components of the Armed Forces for fiscal year 2008;

(4) impose certain reporting requirements;

(5) impose certain limitations with regard to specific procurement and research, development, test and evaluation actions and manpower strengths; provide certain additional legislative authority, and make certain changes to existing law;

(6) authorize appropriations for military construction programs of the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2008; and

(7) authorize appropriations for national security programs of the Department of Energy for fiscal year 2008.

Committee overview and recommendations

The United States armed forces are fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, deployed in other places throughout the globe, or training at home for future deployment. Whether fighting in Afghanistan or Iraq, delivering humanitarian assistance to the victims of natural disasters in Asia or Africa, training foreign national forces in the Philippines, or assisting State and federal agencies responding to emergencies at home, the men and women of our armed forces, both active and reserve, are serving honorably and courageously to promote and defend our national interests. They do so often at great personal risk and at significant sacrifice to themselves and their families.

After more than 5 years of war, our military, particularly our ground forces, and their families are severely stressed. Equipment is wearing out faster than anticipated. In many cases a lack of personnel and equipment is hampering the readiness of non-deployed forces, both active and reserve. As a result, the Nation lacks the strategic depth it enjoyed before the wars began. This lack of depth increases our strategic risk to the point that, although we can defeat potential adversaries in various danger spots around the world, the time it would take to do so would be longer and the cost in casualties to our forces and resources would be higher.

To date in this First Session of the 110th Congress, the Committee on Armed Services has conducted 41 hearings and numerous briefings on the President's budget request for fiscal year 2008 and related defense matters. In order to provide a framework for the consideration of these matters, the committee identified seven priorities to guide its work on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008. These priorities are:

(1) Provide fair compensation and first rate health care, and improve the quality of life of the men and women in the armed forces (active duty, National Guard, and reserves) and their families.

(2) Provide our service men and women with the resources, training, technology, equipment (especially force protection), and authorities they need to participate in combat and stability operations, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan.

(3) Reduce our Nation's strategic risk by starting and, if possible, accelerating the restoration of the readiness of the military services to conduct the full range of their assigned missions.

(4) Improve the efficiency of Department of Defense (DOD) programs and activities, and apply the savings toward high priority programs.

(5) Improve the ability of the armed forces to meet nontraditional threats, including terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

(6) Promote the transformation of the armed forces to meet the threats of the 21st Century.

(7) Conduct aggressive oversight of the Department's programs and activities to ensure proper stewardship of taxpayer dollars and compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

To improve compensation and quality of life for the men and women in uniform and to seek to ease the pressure on our over-committed troops, the committee:

Authorized an across the board pay raise of 3.5 percent, a half percent above the administration's request, as well as a half percent above the average increase in private sector pay raises as measured by the increase in the employment cost index. This additional boost in pay is in recognition of the strain our military personnel and their families are under.

Authorized an end strength of 524,000 for t