INSIGHTi

FY2023 NDAA: Active Component End-
Strength
August 23, 2022
Background
The term end-strength refers to either the authorized or actual personnel strength of a specified branch of
the military on September 30 of a given year (i.e., the last day of the fiscal year).
Each year, in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Congress sets an authorized end-strength
for active component personnel in each of the Armed Forces. 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)). Authorized end-strengths are maximum
strength levels on September 30, the end of the fiscal year. Congress also periodically sets minimum end-
strength levels for the active component, which may be identical to or lower than the authorized end-
strength.
While Congress authorizes minimum and maximum end-strengths, each military service manages its
force, through recruiting and retention efforts, to achieve an actual end-strength. The actual end-strength
is the number of individuals who are members of a given Armed Force on September 30. Normally, this
actual end-strength falls within the congressionally authorized minimum and maximum end-strengths.
However, there are circumstances in which the actual end-strength may fall outside the authorized range.
For example, under 10 U.S.C. §115(f), the Secretary of Defense can increase the active component end-
strength of any Armed Force above the authorized end-strength by up to 3%. On the other hand, recruiting
and retention shortfalls may cause one or more of the Armed Forces to fall below their minimum
authorized strength.
Congress varies the authorized end-strengths over time in response to various factors, such as national
security priorities, force structure changes, and budgetary constraints. For example, from FY2001-
FY2011, in response to the demands of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Congress increased the authorized
strength of the Army and Marine Corps substantially. Then, from FY2011-FY2016, Congress reversed
those increases in light of the withdrawal of most U.S. forces from Iraq in 2011, the drawdown of U.S.
forces in Afghanistan beginning in 2012, and budgetary constraints.
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In the FY2020 NDAA, Congress authorized the establishment of the United States Space Force, a new
Armed Force within the Department of the Air Force. At first, Air Force strength authorizations were used
to assign personnel to the Space Force. In the FY2022 NDAA, Congress provided the Space Force with
its own end-strength authorization of 8,400.
Figure 1 below depicts changes in the actual end-strength of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air
Force from FY2001-FY2021. The Air Force line includes Space Force personnel for FY2020-FY2021.
Figure 1. Actual End-Strength of Active Component Armed Forces, FY2001-FY2021

Source: Defense Manpower Data Center, at https://dwp.dmdc.osd.mil/dwp/app/dod-data-reports/workforce-reports.
Actual end-strength for FY2022 will not be available until October 2022, but as of June 30, 2022, the
current personnel strengths of the Armed Forces were as follows: Army (465,239), Navy (344,022),
Marine Corps (174,484), and Air Force/Space Force (333,455). Significant recruiting challenges are
making it difficult for the Armed Forces, particularly the Army, to meet their FY2022 end-strength goals.
FY2023 NDAA
The Biden Administration’s FY2023 budget requested end-strengths of 473,000 for the Army, 346,300 for
the Navy, 177,000 for the Marine Corps, 323,400 for the Air Force, and 8,600 for the Space Force. In
comparison to the FY2022 authorized end-strengths, these requests represented decreases for the Army (-
12,000), Navy (-620), Marine Corps (-1,500), and Air Force (-5,820), with an increase for the Space
Force (+200). See Table 2.
The House-passed version of the FY2023 NDAA, H.R. 7900, seeks end-strengths that are identical to the
Administration’s request for the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force, but a higher end-
strength for the Navy (+1,920) compared to the Administration’s request. The Senate Armed Services
Committee-reported version, S. 4543, would provide end-strengths that are identical to the
Administration’s request for the Army, Marine Corps, and Space Force, but a higher end-strength for the
Navy (+7,700) and Air Force (+1,944) compared to the Administration’s request.
See Error! Reference source not found. for a comparison of active component end-strength
authorizations in the two versions of the FY2023 NDAA discussed above.

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See Table 2 for a comparison of the FY2022 congressionally authorized end-strengths and the FY2023
President’s budget request.
Table 1. Comparison of FY2023 NDAA Active Component End-Strength Provisions
H.R. 7900
S. 4543

House-Passed
SASC-Reported
Enacted
Sec. 401 would have authorized a
Sec. 401 would have authorized a

total active duty end-strength of
total active duty end-strength of
1,330,220 as of September 20, 2023,
1,337,944 as of September 20, 2023,
including:
including:
473,000 for the Army
473,000 for the Army
348,220 for the Navy
354,000 for the Navy
177,000 for the Marine Corps
177,000 for the Marine Corps
323,400 for the Air Force
325,344 for the Air Force
8,600 for the Space Force
8,600 for the Space Force
Source: CRS
Table 2. Comparison of FY2022 Enacted and FY2023 President’s Budget Request for Active
Component End-Strength
FY2022 Authorized, FY2023 President’s Budget Request
Difference
Difference
Between
Between
Service
FY2023
FY2022
FY2022
FY2022
President’s
Authorized and
Authorized and
Authorized
Budget
FY23 Budget
FY2023 NDAA
FY2023
(P.L. 117-81)
Request
Request
Authorized
Authorized
Army
485,000
473,000
-12,000


Navy
346,920
346,300
-620


Marine Corps
178,500
177,000
-1,500


Air Force
329,220
323,400
-5,820


Space Force
8,400
8,600
+200


Total
1,348,040
1,328,300
-19,740


Source: CRS



Author Information

Lawrence Kapp

Specialist in Military Personnel Policy

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Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff
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