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National Guard Bureau Legislative Liaison
 
 
 

FY 2013 Defense Bills

Introduced

Passed

Conference Report

Conference Report Passed

Signed into Law

House

Senate

House

Senate

House

Senate

National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)

30 MAR 12 (H.R. 4310)  House Report 112-479 

26  APR  12 (S. 2467) 

 

 

Defense Appropriations Act

 

MILCON Appropriations

 

 

House Appropriators Move MILCON Appropriations  

 

The House Appropriations Committee approved their draft of the Fiscal Year 2013 funding bill on 16 May.  The draft funds the Army and Air National Guard at the requested levels.  The full House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to take up the draft on 16 May.  The draft Committee Report can be found here.

 

The Senate Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee approved their draft bill on 15 May.  The draft also funds the Army and Air National Guard at the requested levels.  The full Senate Appropriations Committee will act on the bill on 17 May.

 

An anlaysis of the bills can be found here.

 

HASC Approves FY13 Defense Authorization Act

 

On 10 May, the House Armed Services Committee approved H.R. 4310, the Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act. Debate lasted over 16 hours and the Committee accepted a number of amendments. The bill includes a number of provisions related to the National Guard and specifically to the Air National Guard. Representative Hunter (R-CA-52) introduced an amendment that was later approved that would prohibit the divestiture, retirement, or transfer of any C-23 aircraft or Air Force aircraft. The amendment would also increase Air National Guard end strength and full time support above the requested levels and hold them at roughly Fiscal Year 2012 levels.

 

The Committee also approved amendments from Rep. McIntyre (D-NC-7) that would create a State Partnership Program Center of Excellence, Rep. Roby (R-AL-2) that would require a report on the analysis behind any future C-130 retirements, Rep. Owens (D-NY-23) for additional report language on the disestablishment of two Civil Support Teams.

 

The marks previously approved by the Subcommittees also include numerous National Guard related provisions. Among other things, the bill would require a report on the Army's airlift needs, prohibit the retirement of C-27J aircraft, codify the Staff Assistant position on the Joint Staff for National Guard and Reserve matters, authorize automatic Federal recognition of Army Guard Warrant Officers promoted to Chief Warrant Officers, protect BAH funding for transferring full-time National Guardsmen, and extend TRICARE coverage for Guard members involuntarily separated due to force structure changes. Committee report language also touches National Guard issues such as Yellow Ribbon Outreach, increased utilization of the UH-72, and the National Guard's role in cyber security.

 

The Full House is expected to take up the bill starting 16 May. All amendments submitted to the House Rules Committee can be found here.

 

The Senate Armed Services Committee is schedule to begin working on their bill, S. 2467, during the week of 21 May.  The Subcommittees wil mark on 22-23 May with the full Committee marking 23-25 May.

 

An analysis of the HASC approved bill  and the Senate introduced bill can be found here. The HASC approved bill can be found here.

 

Appropriators Beging Work on FY13 Bills

 

The House Appropriations Committee took the first steps toward the Fiscal Year 2012 Defense Appropriations bills.   

 

The House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee marked-up their draft on 8 May.  The draft bill includes an increase of $591.7 million in Air National Guard Operations and Maintenance funding to "pause" the retirement of Air National Guard aircraft.  The bill would also require the Air Force to procure the remaining 17 C-27J aircraft to bring the total to 38 aircraft.  For the Army National Guard, the draft bill also provides an additional $100 million for HMMWV upgrades, funding for ten additional UH-60M aircraft , additional funding for UH-60A to UH-60L upgrades, and funding for three additional UH-72 aircraft for the Army National Guard.  The draft also prohibts the retirement of C-23 aircraft.

 

The draft bill would provides $2 billion for NGREA, with $650 million each for the Army and Air National Guard. The bill would allow up to three percent of that NGREA funding for Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation. 

 

The bill also provides an additional $130 million for National Guard Counter Drug programs.

 

The full House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to take up the draft on 17 May.  An analysis of the bill can be found here.  The draft Committee Report can be found here.

 

National Guard Leaders Discuss Budget on Hill

 

National Guard senior leaders spent the week on the Hill providing testimony about the Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Request.  On 28 March, the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, General McKinley, along with the Directors of the Army and Air National Guard provided testimony to the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee.  During the hearing members asked about the quality and quantity of National Guard equipment.  In his opening statement, General McKinley stated that, "The National Guard is a more ready, more capable, and more rapidly deployable force than ever in our nation's history." He went on to highlight the National Guard's role as an operational force and recent contributions at home and abroad. Members of the Committee were very complimentary of Guardsmen.  Both Representatives Cole (R-OK-9) and Calvert (R-CA-7) said that the National Guard is the best bang for the buck.

 

Also this week, the Deputy Directors of the Army and Air National Guard provided testimony at separate hearings on the Military Construction Request at the Senate Appropriations Military Construction Subcommittee.

 

Hearings provide an opportunity for members of the House and Senate to learn about the specifics of the National Guard's budget request.

 

NGB Testifies At House Armed Services Hearing on Mobility Airlift Capabilities

 

On 7 March, Lieuteant General Harry Wyatt, Director of the Air National Guard, testified at a House Armed Services Subcommittee hearing on mobility airlift capabilities, and operational risks under the 2012 defense strategy. Also testifying was General Raymond Johns, Commander, Air Mobility Command, Maj Gen Christopher Bogdan, Director, KC-46 Tanker Mobilization Directorate, MG James Barclay, Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, and Mr. Kerry Russell, Acting Director, Defense Capabilities and Management Directorate, Government Accountability Office.

 

The hearing focused primarily on C-27 and C-130 aircraft, proposals to retire or relocate a number of those aircraft, and potential impacts to domestic response capabilities.

 

Statements from the witness and a video of the hearing can be found on the Committee website here.

 

Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Released

 

The details of the Fiscal Year 2013 President's Budget were transmitted to the Hill during the second week of February, officially starting the budget process.  The budget includes $28 billion for the National Guard.  The Army National Guard Personnel and Operations and Maintenance account requests are above the Fiscal Year 2012 funding levels and reflect the increasing role of the National Guard as an operational force.  The Air National Guard accounts reflect the Air Force plan to lower personnel and aircraft levels within the total Air Force.  The first budget hearing will be held on 14 February with the Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs tesifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee.  The will be followed with hearings before the House Armed Services Committee on 15 Feb and the House Defense Appropriations Subcommitte on 16 Feb.  A regularly updated list of all hearings can be found here.

 

An analysis of the budget request can be found here and National Guard budget documents can be found here.  All National Guard military construction projects in the Fiscal Year 2013 request and the Future Years Defense Programs can be found here.

 

NGB Testifies At House Hearing on Unemployment

 

On 2 Feb, BG Marianne Watson, the National Guard Bureau Director of Manpower and Personnel testified at a House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee hearing on lowering the unemployment rate of members of the National Guard.  In her statement, BG Watson stated that approximately 20 percent of Guardsmen returning from deployments are unemployed.  BG Watson focused her testimony on the programs the National Guard Bureau is currently using to mitigate the unemployment problem. 

 

Also testifying at the hearing were the Adjutants General from Iowa and Tennessee and the Assistant Adjutant General of Indiana.  Statements from all the witness can be found on the Committees website here.

 

DOD Releases New Strategic Guidance and Budget Preview

 

In coordination with development of the Fiscal Year 2013 budget, the Department of Defense has released a new strategy and guidance for the armed forces.  To meet the budget cutting requirements of the Budget Control Act of 2011 the Department examined the future roles and missions of the armed forces.  During a January press conference, the Department released a document outlining the Priorities for the 21st Century as well as an accompanying fact sheet.  The Department also released the Joint Operational Access Concept document that outlines the requirements needed for joint forces to operate in emerging threat scenarios. 

 

The Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Request release has been delayed a week from the customary timeline and will reach Congress on 13 Feb.  On 26 January, the Department held a press conference and provided a preview of the full budget release.  The Deparment also released a document entitled  Defense Priorities and Choices that outlines the major areas impacted by the budget.

 

Historic NDAA Becomes Law

 

The Chief of the National Guard Bureau is now a statutory member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  On 31 Dec, the President signed the Fiscal Year 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, a law that includes historic changes for the National Guard.

 

The law includes numerous provisions that demonstrate continued Congressional support for the National Guard's transition to an operational force. The law places the Chief of the National Guard Bureau on the Joint Chiefs of Staff with the specific responsbility of addressing matters related to the non-Federalized National Guard role in homeland defense and civil support missions. The law also re-establishes the Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau position at the three star level, authorizes certain activites of the State Partnership Program, and requires a comprehensive report on intra-theatre airlift including both Title 10 and Title 32 requirements. The law also includes an important provision that modifies the call-up authority of the Reserve Components to allow up to 60,000 members ordered to active duty other than during times of war or national emergency.

An analysis of the bill can be found here.

 

President Signs Omnibus Appropriations Bill

 

On 23 Dec, the President signed an omnibus spending package of nine appropriations bills including the Defense and MILCON Appropriations bills.

 

The Omnibus bill provides a total baseline funding of $518.1 billion, nearly $21 billion below the President's request. The Army and Air National Guard Personnel and Operations and Maintenance accounts are funded below the requested amounts. These cuts are in line with budget cuts across all services. The bill also provides $1 billion in NGREA which includes $325 million for the Army National Guard and $315 million for the Air National Guard. The bill also provides an additional $50 million for National Guard Counter Drug State Plans, $47.2 million for Air National Guard F-15 AESA Radar, and an additional $5 million for the Youth ChalleNGe program. The bill also funds Army and Air National Guard MILCON at the requested levels.

 

An analysis of the bill can be found here.

 

Senate Confirms New Army Guard Director

 

The Senate confirmed a number of military nominations before leaving for Veteran's Day.  Major General William Ingram, Jr. was confirmed to the rank of lieutant general and as the new Director of the Army National Guard.  Ingram had served as the Adjutant General of North Carolina.  The National Guard Public Affairs story can be found here.   

 

 

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