From NGAUS.
As committees in the House and Senate meet to find common ground between each chamber’s version of the fiscal 2015 National Defense Authorization Act, the Defense Department has made its opinion known on about 90 issues, sometimes agreeing and often disagreeing on what the two versions propose.
For example, not surprisingly, the Pentagon doesn’t like the establishment of a commission to study the future structure of the Army or limitations put on end strength or other adjustments to the Army’s appearance, including the transfer of any aircraft from the National Guard to the active component. The commission, the department says in a 100-page document addressing the bill, is “unnecessary and untimely.”
And the need to retire the OH-58 Kiowa and remove the AH-64 Apache helicopters from the Guard is an attempt to save money, the Pentagon says. Any disruption of that plan, which is part of the Army Aviation Restructure Initiative, would negatively affect operations and cost savings associated with the plan. The Pentagon and NGAUS are at odds on this issue.
Also, the Pentagon would prefer an employment pilot program for the National Guard and Reserve be placed under the coordination of the assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs as part of what’s known as the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program. NGAUS supports the House and Senate amendments as written, where more flexibility and control of the program remain in the states.
And NGAUS and the Pentagon both want to allow the Air Force flexibility when it comes to modernizing the C-130H fleet. The House version of the NDAA restricts the Air Force in this matter.
NGAUS believes the DoD is not done in its effort to weigh in on the defense bills now being reconciled.