PAGE 1
000 A000000 03/31/2018
000 C000000 1299393
000 D000000 N
000 E000000 NF
000 F000000 Y
000 G000000 N
000 H000000 N
000 I000000 6.1
000 J000000 A
001 A000000 WESTERN ASSET VARIABLE RATE STRATEGIC FUND
001 B000000 811-21609
001 C000000 8887770102
002 A000000 620 EIGHTH AVENUE, 49TH FLOOR
002 B000000 NEW YORK
002 C000000 NY
002 D010000 10018
003 000000 N
004 000000 N
005 000000 N
006 000000 N
007 A000000 N
007 B000000 0
007 C010100 1
008 A000001 LEGG MASON PARTNERS FUND ADVISOR, LLC
008 B000001 A
008 C000001 801-66785
008 D010001 NEW YORK
008 D020001 NY
008 D030001 10018
008 A000002 WESTERN ASSET MANAGEMENT COMPANY, LLC
008 B000002 S
008 C000002 801-08162
008 D010002 PASADENA
008 D020002 CA
008 D030002 91101
008 A000003 WESTERN ASSET MANAGEMENT COMPANY LIMITED
008 B000003 S
008 C000003 801-21068
008 D010003 LONDON
008 D050003 ENGLAND
008 D060003 EC2A2EN
008 A000004 WESTERN ASSET MANAGEMENT COMPANY PTE. LTD.
008 B000004 S
008 C000004 801-67298
008 D010004 SINGAPORE
008 D050004 SINGAPORE
008 D060004 049145
012 A000001 COMPUTERSHARE INC.
012 B000001 85-11340
012 C010001 LOUISVILLE
012 C020001 KY
PAGE 2
012 C030001 40202
013 A000001 PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP
013 B010001 BALTIMORE
013 B020001 MD
013 B030001 21202
014 A000001 Clarion Partners Securities LLC
014 B000001 8-69204
014 A000002 EnTrustPermal Securities LLC
014 B000002 8-67822
014 A000003 Financial Guard, LLC
014 B000003 8-0178197
014 A000004 LEGG MASON INVESTOR SERVICES, LLC
014 B000004 8-53089
014 A000005 PERMAL (HONG KONG) LIMITED
014 B000005 8-00000
014 A000006 ROYCE FUND SERVICES, INC.
014 B000006 8-28663
015 A000001 STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY
015 B000001 C
015 C010001 BOSTON
015 C020001 MA
015 C030001 02111
015 E010001 X
018 000000 Y
019 A000000 Y
019 B000000 149
019 C000000 LEGGMASONF
020 A000001 BARCLAYS CAPITAL, INC.
020 B000001 06-1031656
020 C000001 4
021 000000 4
022 A000001 BARCLAYS CAPITAL INC.
022 B000001 06-1031656
022 C000001 16076
022 D000001 17757
022 A000002 MORGAN STANLEY
022 B000002 13-2655998
022 C000002 759
022 D000002 30074
022 A000003 BANK OF AMERICA-MERRILL LYNCH
022 B000003 56-2058405
022 C000003 3866
022 D000003 23684
022 A000004 STATE STREET BANK & TRUST CO.
022 B000004 04-1867445
022 C000004 17817
022 D000004 5163
022 A000005 T. ROWE PRICE INVESTMENT SERVICES, INC.
022 B000005 52-1184650
022 C000005 0
022 D000005 15410
PAGE 3
022 A000006 CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS, INC.
022 B000006 11-2418191
022 C000006 1534
022 D000006 2130
022 A000007 CREDIT SUISSE SECURITIES (USA) LLC
022 B000007 05-0546650
022 C000007 1850
022 D000007 1187
022 A000008 JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
022 B000008 13-3224016
022 C000008 2556
022 D000008 278
022 A000009 GOLDMAN SACHS & CO.
022 B000009 13-5108880
022 C000009 1776
022 D000009 35
022 A000010 AMHERST PIERPONT SECURITIES LLC
022 B000010 27-1656380
022 C000010 521
022 D000010 505
023 C000000 49060
023 D000000 98847
024 000000 Y
025 A000001 JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
025 B000001 13-3224016
025 C000001 D
025 D000001 1322
025 A000002 BANK OF AMERICA CORP.
025 B000002 56-2058405
025 C000002 D
025 D000002 1349
025 A000003 CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS INC.
025 B000003 11-2418191
025 C000003 D
025 D000003 1513
025 A000004 GOLDMAN SACHS & CO.
025 B000004 13-5108880
025 C000004 D
025 D000004 374
025 A000005 STATE STREET BANK & TRUST CO.
025 B000005 04-1867445
025 C000005 E
025 D000005 1343
026 A000000 N
026 B000000 Y
026 C000000 N
026 D000000 Y
026 E000000 N
026 F000000 N
026 G010000 N
026 G020000 N
PAGE 4
026 H000000 N
027 000000 N
028 A010000 0
028 A020000 0
028 A030000 0
028 A040000 0
028 B010000 0
028 B020000 0
028 B030000 0
028 B040000 0
028 C010000 0
028 C020000 0
028 C030000 0
028 C040000 0
028 D010000 0
028 D020000 0
028 D030000 0
028 D040000 0
028 E010000 0
028 E020000 0
028 E030000 0
028 E040000 0
028 F010000 0
028 F020000 0
028 F030000 0
028 F040000 0
028 G010000 0
028 G020000 0
028 G030000 0
028 G040000 0
028 H000000 0
030 A000000 0
030 B000000 0.00
030 C000000 0.00
031 A000000 0
031 B000000 0
032 000000 0
033 000000 0
035 000000 0
036 B000000 0
038 000000 0
042 A000000 0
042 B000000 0
042 C000000 0
042 D000000 0
042 E000000 0
042 F000000 0
042 G000000 0
042 H000000 0
043 000000 0
044 000000 0
PAGE 5
045 000000 Y
046 000000 N
047 000000 Y
048 000000 0.750
048 A010000 0
048 A020000 0.000
048 B010000 0
048 B020000 0.000
048 C010000 0
048 C020000 0.000
048 D010000 0
048 D020000 0.000
048 E010000 0
048 E020000 0.000
048 F010000 0
048 F020000 0.000
048 G010000 0
048 G020000 0.000
048 H010000 0
048 H020000 0.000
048 I010000 0
048 I020000 0.000
048 J010000 0
048 J020000 0.000
048 K010000 0
048 K020000 0.000
049 000000 N
050 000000 N
051 000000 N
052 000000 N
053 A000000 N
054 A000000 Y
054 B000000 Y
054 C000000 Y
054 D000000 N
054 E000000 N
054 F000000 N
054 G000000 Y
054 H000000 Y
054 I000000 N
054 J000000 Y
054 K000000 N
054 L000000 Y
054 M000000 Y
054 N000000 N
054 O000000 Y
055 A000000 Y
055 B000000 N
056 000000 Y
057 000000 N
058 A000000 N
PAGE 6
059 000000 Y
060 A000000 N
060 B000000 N
061 000000 0
062 A000000 Y
062 B000000 0.0
062 C000000 0.3
062 D000000 0.0
062 E000000 0.0
062 F000000 0.0
062 G000000 0.0
062 H000000 0.0
062 I000000 0.0
062 J000000 0.0
062 K000000 0.0
062 L000000 1.2
062 M000000 0.9
062 N000000 2.2
062 O000000 0.0
062 P000000 42.5
062 Q000000 75.3
062 R000000 2.5
063 A000000 0
063 B000000 6.1
064 A000000 N
064 B000000 N
066 A000000 N
067 000000 N
068 A000000 N
068 B000000 N
069 000000 N
070 A010000 Y
070 A020000 N
070 B010000 Y
070 B020000 N
070 C010000 Y
070 C020000 N
070 D010000 Y
070 D020000 N
070 E010000 Y
070 E020000 Y
070 F010000 Y
070 F020000 N
070 G010000 Y
070 G020000 Y
070 H010000 Y
070 H020000 N
070 I010000 N
070 I020000 N
070 J010000 Y
070 J020000 Y
PAGE 7
070 K010000 Y
070 K020000 Y
070 L010000 Y
070 L020000 Y
070 M010000 Y
070 M020000 Y
070 N010000 Y
070 N020000 N
070 O010000 Y
070 O020000 Y
070 P010000 Y
070 P020000 N
070 Q010000 N
070 Q020000 N
070 R010000 N
070 R020000 N
071 A000000 13614
071 B000000 17025
071 C000000 108909
071 D000000 13
072 A000000 6
072 B000000 2938
072 C000000 57
072 D000000 0
072 E000000 0
072 F000000 419
072 G000000 0
072 H000000 0
072 I000000 20
072 J000000 4
072 K000000 0
072 L000000 14
072 M000000 11
072 N000000 6
072 O000000 0
072 P000000 303
072 Q000000 0
072 R000000 39
072 S000000 23
072 T000000 0
072 U000000 0
072 V000000 0
072 W000000 12
072 X000000 852
072 Y000000 0
072 Z000000 2143
072AA000000 1064
072BB000000 0
072CC010000 0
072CC020000 577
072DD010000 2171
PAGE 8
072DD020000 0
072EE000000 0
073 A010000 0.4700
073 A020000 0.0000
073 B000000 0.0000
073 C000000 0.0000
074 A000000 297
074 B000000 0
074 C000000 1347
074 D000000 103936
074 E000000 2100
074 F000000 6
074 G000000 0
074 H000000 0
074 I000000 0
074 J000000 0
074 K000000 0
074 L000000 642
074 M000000 58
074 N000000 108386
074 O000000 140
074 P000000 73
074 Q000000 0
074 R010000 21709
074 R020000 0
074 R030000 3
074 R040000 509
074 S000000 0
074 T000000 85952
074 U010000 4668
074 U020000 0
074 V010000 18.41
074 V020000 0.00
074 W000000 0.0000
074 X000000 3605
074 Y000000 24474
075 A000000 0
075 B000000 85706
076 000000 16.88
077 A000000 Y
077 B000000 N
077 C000000 Y
077 D000000 N
077 E000000 N
077 F000000 N
077 G000000 N
077 H000000 N
077 I000000 N
077 J000000 N
077 K000000 N
077 L000000 N
PAGE 9
077 M000000 N
077 N000000 N
077 O000000 N
077 P000000 N
077 Q010000 N
077 Q020000 N
077 Q030000 N
078 000000 N
080 C000000 0
081 B000000 0
082 B000000 0
083 B000000 0
084 B000000 0
086 A010000 0
086 A020000 0
086 B010000 0
086 B020000 0
086 C010000 0
086 C020000 0
086 D010000 0
086 D020000 0
086 E010000 0
086 E020000 0
086 F010000 0
086 F020000 0
087 A010000 COMMON STOCK
087 A020000 957667108
087 A030000 GFY
088 A000000 N
088 B000000 N
088 C000000 N
088 D000000 N
SIGNATURE RICHARD F. SENNETT
TITLE PFO