Pub. L. 92-436, tit. III, sec. 301

Sec. 301. (a) Subject to the provisions of subsection (b) of this section, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1972, and ending June 30, 1973, each component of the Armed Forces is authorized an end strength for active duty personnel as follows: (1) The Army. 828,900; (2) The Navy, 601,672; (3) The Marine Corps, 197,965; (4) The Air Force, 700,516; except that the ceiling for any armed force shall not include members of the Ready Reserve of such armed force ordered to active duty under the provisions of section 673 of title 10, United States Code, members of the Army National Guard or members of the Air National Guard called into Federal service under section 3500 or 8500, as the case may la. of title 10, United States Code, or members of the militia of any State called into Federal service under chapter 15 of title 10, United States Code. Whenever one or more units of the Ready Reserve are ordered to active duty after the date of enactment of this section, the President shall, on the first day of the second fiscal year quarter immediately following the quarter in which the first unit or units are ordered to active duty and on the first day of each succeeding six-month period thereafter, so long as any such unit is retained on active duty, submit a report to the Congress regarding the necessity for such unit or units being ordered to active duty. The President shall include in each such report a statement of the mission of each such unit ordered to active duty, an evaluation of such unit’s performance of that mission, where each such unit is being deployed at the time of the report, and such other information regarding each such unit as the President deems appropriate. (b) The end strength for active duty personnel prescribed in subsection (a) of this section for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1973, shall be reduced by not less than 16,000. Such redaction shall be apportioned among the Army, Navy (excluding the Marine Corps), and Air Force in such manner as the Secretary of Defense shall prescribe, except that, in applying any portion of such reduction to any military86 Stat. 736department. the reduction shall be applied solely to the general support forces of such military department unless the Secretary of Defense (1) determines that the mating of such reduction solely from the general support, forces of such military department will seriously and adversely affect the military mission of such department, and (2) promptly informs the Congress in writing of his determination and the reasons therefor.