A House Armed Services Committee (HASC) member-introduced amendment would divert $200 million to replace storm-damaged aircraft ground and training equipment from other Defense Department funding streams in the fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who represents Nebraska’s second district adjacent to Offutt Air Force Base, is a retired Air Force brigadier general and former commander of the 55th Wing at Offutt. His amendment would shift $200 million from DoD operations and maintenance funds and various Air Force procurement and research-and-development dollars to pay for training and ground mission equipment for the RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft that had been damaged in recent storms that ravaged Nebraska and the Midwest.
The diverted funds would come from:
– Operation and Maintenance, Defense-wide, admin & servicewide activities, Defense Contract Management Agency ($25 million);
– Operation and Maintenance, Defense-wide, admin & servicewide activities, Office of the Secretary of Defense ($25 million);
– Aircraft Procurement, Air Force, Initial Spares/Repair Parts ($40 million);
– Aircraft Procurement, Air Force, Other Production Charges ($33 million);
– Aircraft Procurement, Air Force, Flares ($14 million);
– Research, Development, Test & Evaluation, Air Force, Acquisition Workforce-Global Vigilance and Combat Systems ($25 million);
– Research, Development, Test & Evaluation, Air Force, Acquisition Workforce-Global Battle Management ($16 million);
– Research, Development, Test & Evaluation, Air Force, Acquisition Workforce-Capability Integration ($22 million).
Collectively, the funds would account for $171 million in Air Force aircraft procurement dollars and $29 million in “other procurement” for the Air Force, according to the amendment language.
The House Rules Committee accepted Bacon’s amendment as one of over 400 approved for a floor vote this week ahead of a vote on the full FY ’20 NDAA.
A second amendment that relates to Air Force aircraft procurement was introduced by Rep. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.), and directs the service secretary to ensure the forthcoming OC-135 Open Skies recapitalization program is “a full and open competition” and that any requests for proposal to replace the service’s two aging OC-135 surveillance aircraft.