U.S. REP. RON BARBER’S WORK TO SAVE THE A-10 AFFIRMED WITH PASSAGE OF DEFENSE BILL

WASHINGTON – After a yearlong effort by Congressman Ron Barber to prohibit the Air Force from retiring the A-10 through fiscal year 2015, provisions to keep the plane flying passed the House today as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The NDAA, which passed the House 300-119 with Barber’s support, now goes to the Senate where it is expected to be approved next week. It then will go to the president for his signature.

“This is a huge step forward in providing for a strong national security, protecting our warfighters on the ground and strengthening our economy in Southern Arizona,” Barber said today.

“The A-10 is protected for another year because of our actions and the fight our community put up,” Barber added. “We worked together, Republicans and Democrats in Congress and business and community leaders in Arizona, to tell the Air Force they needed to protect our troops on the ground and sustain missions at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.”

The A-10 is the main aircraft flown at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. The 355th Fighter Wing has about 80 planes and trains A-10 pilots. Davis-Monthan delivers an economic impact in Southern Arizona of about $1 billion annually.

The legislation approved today also:

• Prohibits any transfer of Apache helicopters in fiscal 2015. Barber supported a bipartisan amendment that prohibits the Army from transferring AH-64 Apaches from the National Guard to the Army – a proposal that would have undermined the 1-285th Attack/Reconnaissance Battalion at Silverbell Army Heliport in Marana.
• Provides $350 million for the Iron Dome missile defense program and requires that 55 percent of the components for the Israeli-produced missile be made in the United States. That could mean increased work and employment for Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems.
• Provides additional funding for the Tomahawk cruise missile after the Obama administration sought drastic cuts to the program. The Tomahawk is built in Tucson by Raytheon and Barber worked to ensure funding for Tomahawk remained strong. He also worked to add money to the Raytheon SM-3 missile to further support Southern Arizona’s missile defense industry.
• In the fight against cyberwarfare, the legislation has provisions to help the Pentagon recruit and retain a qualified workforce, support test and training ranges and provide for a ready force. This is good news for Fort Huachuca, where the Electronic Proving Ground and NETCOM work to defend the country against cyber-attacks.

The NDAA passed by the House today prohibits any A-10 retirements in fiscal year 2015. However, it allows the Air Force to place up to 36 aircraft into “backup inventory status” – a reduced operational posture – if the defense secretary certifies that an independent assessment determines the move status is needed to avoid significantly degrading the readiness of the Air Force fighter fleet.

The NDAA also requires the General Accountability Office to conduct a study evaluating the platforms used by the Air Force to conduct close air support missions and to report its findings to Congress within six months.

Barber included a GAO study in his original amendment to save the A-10 when the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) debated the defense bill in May. This amendment was approved by a strong bipartisan coalition in HASC and in the same manner in the full House.

The report will include the cost per plane of carrying out air support missions, the capabilities of each platform and a determination as to whether planes other than the A-10 are able to successfully carry out such close air support missions.

And the NDAA authorizes an additional $334 million to cover the potential cost of retaining all A-10s in their current flying status.

Barber expressed disappointment that the NDAA does not go far enough in helping service members, their families and military retirees.

It calls for only a 1 percent pay raise for service members, increases pharmacy copays for TRICARE beneficiaries and decreases housing allowances by 1 percent.

“We should be doing more for the dedicated women and men who serve our nation in the armed forces,” Barber said. “They and their families make significant sacrifices so the rest of us can live in freedom. We must do more to compensate them for those sacrifices.”

Since he went to Congress in mid-2012, Barber has been committed to working with Republicans and Democrats in both houses of Congress to keep the A-10 flying – despite proposals from the president and the Air Force to retire it.

Just last month, Barber joined a Republican colleague in the House, five Republican senators and two close air support experts to reaffirm his support for the A-10 and its unique ability to protect ground troops.

Because of Barber’s work, the House Armed Services Committee and later the entire House authorized funding for the A-10 in its version of the fiscal year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act. The Senate Armed Services Committee has included language to keep the A-10 flying.

A conference committee of members of both Armed Services committees then drew up a joint version of the NDAA – the legislation that the House approved today. This fall Barber continued working to ensure protection for the A-10 was included in this legislation.

NEWS RELEASE
Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014

CONTACT
Mark Kimble
Communications Director
mark.kimble@mail.house.gov
(520) 881-3588 or (520) 904-5876