Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 116 Part 4.djvu/123

 PUBLIC LAW 107-314—DEC. 2, 2002 116 STAT. 2551 (4) Military chaplains currently serve in humanitarian operations, rotational deployments, and in the war on terrorism. (5) Religious organizations make up the very fabric of religious diversity and represent unparalleled levels of freedom of conscience, speech, and worship that set the United States apart from any other nation on Earth. (6) Religious organizations have richly blessed the uniformed services by sending clergy to comfort and encourage all persons of faith in the Armed Forces. (7) During the sinking of the USS Dorchester in February 1943 during World War II, four chaplains (Reverend Fox, Reverend Poling, Father Washington, and Rabbi Goode) gave their lives so that others might live. (8) All military chaplains aid and assist members of the Armed Forces and their family members with the challenging issues of today's world. (9) The current war against terrorism has brought to the shores of the United States new threats and concerns that strike at the beliefs and emotions of Americans. (10) Military chaplains must, as never before, deal with the spiritual well-being of the members of the Armed Forces and their families. (b) COMMENDATION.— Congress, on behalf of the Nation, expresses its appreciation for the outstanding contribution that all military chaplains make to the members of the Armed Forces and their families. (c) PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION.— The President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to recognize the distinguished service of the Nation's military chaplains. Subtitle F—Administrative Matters SEC. 551. STAFFING AND FUNDING FOR DEFENSE PRISONER OF WAR/ MISSING PERSONNEL OFFICE. (a) REQUIREMENT FOR STAFFING AND FUNDING AT LEVELS REQUIRED FOR PERFORMANCE OF FULL RANGE OF MISSIONS. —Subsection (a) of section 1501 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph: "(5)(A) The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that the office is provided sufficient military and civilian personnel, and sufficient funding, to enable the office to fully perform the complete range of missions of the office. The Secretary shall ensure that Department of Defense programming, planning, and budgeting procedures are structured so as to ensure compliance with the preceding sentence for each fiscal year. "(B) For any fiscal year, the number of military and civilian personnel assigned or detailed to the office may not be less than the number requested in the President's budget for fiscal year 2003, unless a level below such number is expressly required by law. "(C) For any fiscal year, the level of funding allocated to the office within the Department of Defense may not be below the level requested for such purposes in the President's budget for fiscal year 2003, unless such a level of funding is expressly required by law.".

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