WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Chuck Hagel (R-NE), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will introduce legislation to expand the size of the Army by 30,000 soldiers and the size of the Marine Corps by 3,000 troops. The legislation would increase troop strength (officially know as end strength) in FY 2006 from 502,400 to 532,400 for the United States Army and from 178,000 to 181,000 for the Marine Corps with funding provided in the annual Defense Authorization budget. According to the Congressional Budget Office the authorized end strength increase of 30,000 soldiers for the Army would cost $2.5 billion next year. In FY 2005, the Marine Corps is expected to pay $200 million for an additional 3,000 Marines. Last year, as part of the fiscal year 2005 Defense Authorization Bill, Congress approved an amendment by Reed and Hagel to increase the authorized troop strength of the Army by 20,000 troops with funding provided through the fiscal year 2005 budget. However, due to an amendment by Senator John Warner (R-VA) the increase in troop strength was paid for through an emergency supplemental appropriation. We have an opportunity to increase the effectiveness of the Army and Marines, alleviate the stress placed on the National Guard and Army Reserves and to budget for the long-term commitment the Administration has made in Iraq, Reed stated. But hiding the financial costs of the end strength increase from the annual Defense Department budget is disingenuous."Our current over-dependence on Army National Guard and Army Reserve mobilization is irresponsible policy. This policy threatens to break the United States Army and severely damage our national security.America should not leverage its security interests upon a Reserve and National Guard force that is already over-stressed and over-burdened. There are 100,000 soldiers in the Army National Guard mobilized and serving on Active Duty. An additional 50,000 Army Reserve soldiers have been mobilized. Many of these Reservists are in critical specialty areas and are completing two years on active-duty," Hagel said. In October 2003, Reed and Hagel introduced an amendment to the Presidents $87 billion Iraqi Supplemental Bill that would expand the size of the Army by 10,000 soldiers. The Senate had approved the amendment, but at the urging of the Bush Administration it was eliminated in a joint House of Representatives-Senate Conference Committee.In January 2004, however, the Pentagon announced that 30,000 soldiers temporarily would be added to the force using emergency powers and paid for by the supplemental.The number of active personnel in the United States Army is at its lowest point since prior to World War II and the Department of Defense has ordered the largest mobilization of National Guard and Reserve units since 1950. During the fifteen-month period of March 2003 to June 2004, 31 of 33 brigades were engaged in combat operations.