WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Senate today adopted an amendment to the budget resolution, introduced by Senator Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), to increase the end strength of the United States Army by 30,000 personnel. Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX), Mark Begich (D-AK) and John Thune (R-SD) co-sponsored the amendment. “Today’s vote shows that Congress is ready and willing to support those who voluntarily serve our country,” Lieberman said. “This amendment is an important step in the right direction, and will help grow the Army to prepare for both its immediate challenges and its future missions.” “In recent years, the soldiers of our all-volunteer Army have gone above and beyond to defend our nation and carry out the Global War on Terror, but the demands on our men and women in uniform and their families have been substantial,” said Cornyn. “Through the amendment, the Army would be able to increase the size of its force by an additional 30,000 soldiers, alleviating much of the strain placed on the current force and giving Army leaders the needed breathing room to assess our personnel needs and more accurately plan for future requirements. In addition, it would accomplish this without increasing the federal deficit. Given President Obama’s recent announcement of a surge in troops to Afghanistan, it is more important now than ever to give the Army the resources it needs to accomplish our mission.” “Increasing the size of our military is vital to achieving our strategic goals and maintaining the world’s most impressive fighting force,” said Begich. “Our current personnel levels have stretched our troops thin as those in uniform have boldly gone above and beyond what we originally asked of them. Recruiting more brave Americans to serve will reduce the strain that we currently face, increase the efficiency of our fighting forces, and allow us to better support the upcoming expansion of operations in Afghanistan.” “America has the best Army in world, but the strains of war due to extended and repeated deployments are taking a toll on the quality of life of Army personnel and their families. To alleviate this stress, it is vital to increase the size of the U.S. Army. By adding these troops, we enable the Army to reduce some of the pressure of multiple deployments and increase their ability to protect America, our allies and our interests. As we begin to put additional troops into Afghanistan, this measure will help the Army retain its flexibility and reduce the strain on the force” said Thune.