Whereas since fiscal year 2010, United States Marine Corps active duty end strength has shrunk by 8 percent from 202,100 to 186,000; Whereas, on March 1, 2016, Marine Corps Commandant Robert Neller stated, The fiscal reductions and instability of the past few years have impacted our readiness. As resources have diminished, the Marine Corps has protected the near-term operational readiness of its deployed and next-to-deploy units in order to meet operational commitments. This has come at a risk. ; Whereas, on February 26, 2015, now Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph F. Dunford stated, [a]pproximately half of our non-deployed units—and those are the ones that provide the bench to respond to unforeseen contingencies—are suffering personnel, equipment and training shortfalls. ; Whereas, on February 8, 2017, Assistant Commandant Glenn Walters stated, A focus on [ongoing] operations, the decrease in funding levels from Fiscal Year (FY) 2012, fiscal instability and the lack of an inter-war period have left your Marine Corps insufficiently manned, trained and equipped across the depth of the force to operate in an evolving operational environment. ; Whereas the Marine Corps’ Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV–7A1) and Light Armored Vehicle (LAV) average over 40 and 26 years old, respectively; Whereas the Marine Corps has a stated requirement for 38 amphibious ships to support the operations of 2 Marine Expeditionary Brigades, but the amphibious fleet numbers only 32 ships today; Whereas former Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert testified on March 12, 2014, that, [t]oday, in the world that we live in, the world that the Navy and Marine Corps lives in, and the future, we probably need 50 [amphibious ships].