CRS INSIGHT
DOD's Proposal to Reduce Military Medical End
Strength
May 10, 2019 (IN11115)
|
Bryce H. P. Mendez
|
Bryce H. P. Mendez, Analyst in Defense Health Care Policy (bhmendez@crs.loc.gov, 7-1577)
In accordance with 10 U.S.C. §115
, Congress annually authorizes the end strength for active duty and reserve
component personnel. End strength is the maximum number of personnel permitted in each military service (e.g., Army,
Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force) as of September 30, the last day of the fiscal year. For fiscal year (FY) 2019, Congress
authorized a total end strength of 1,338,100 active duty personnel and 824,700 reserve component personnel, including
subtotals by force. Each military service then decides how to organize, train, and equip the people who compose its
authorized end strength in order to meet combatant commander or service-specific requirements.
This decision includes determining the number of military medical personnel required in each service. The size of each
service's medical force is often dependent on total end strength levels authorized by Congress, demands for medical
capabilities in military operations, and the priority of those demands compared to other nonmedical capabilities. As
major combat operations decreased over the past decade, DOD gradually reduced the active duty military medical end
strength at an average annual rate of 1% (815 personnel). However, for FY2020, DOD proposes to reduce its active duty
medical force by 13% (14,707 personnel).
Military Medical Force
DOD's total medical force includes military (active duty and reserve component), civil service, and contract personnel.
Currently, the active duty medical force is comprised of 116,154 personnel from the Army, Navy, and Air Force–
approximately 65% of the total medical force. This includes uniformed physicians, nurses, medics, and other health care
professionals. Most of the active duty medical force (71%) is assigned to the Military Health System (MHS). The MHS
provides health care worldwide to approximately 9.6 million beneficiaries (i.e., servicemembers, retirees, family
members) in military hospitals and clinics and through civilian health care providers participating in TRICARE. The
remaining active duty medical force (29%) is generally assigned to health service support positions in deployable or
warfighting units, military service headquarters, or combatant commands.
DOD's Proposal to Reduce Military Medical End Strength
DOD's budget request for FY2020 proposes an overall active duty end strength of 1,339,500 personnel. If authorized by
Congress, this would be a 0.1% increase from FY2019 end strength levels. Budget documents detailing this request
indicate that DOD plans to reduce its active duty medical force by 13% (14,707 personnel) in order to "support the
National Defense Strategy." Compared to FY2019 levels, the Army would have the largest reduction in medical forces
