Runyan Amendment Protecting KC-10 Fleet Passes House As Part of Fiscal Year 2015 Defense Appropriations Bill

Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4870, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2015 by a vote of 340 to 73. This legislation provides funding for military operations, critical national security needs, and programs which support our nation’s servicemembers and their families. Included in the bill is an amendment to protect the KC10 fleet authored by Rep. Runyan.  The amendment ensures that no funds made available by the bill can be used to retire or transfer, or to prepare or plan for the retirement or transfer of the entire KC-10 fleet during fiscal year 2015.

"My amendment is not only critical to protecting our military’s air refueling mission, but also critical for Joint Base MDL. Prematurely eliminating our KC-10 aircraft could lead to unacceptable mission risk," said Rep. Runyan. "The KC-10 is vital to supporting our men and women in uniform as they continue to serve across the globe."

The KC-10, which entered service in 1981, is the largest refueling aircraft currently in the military's inventory and has made a significant impact on combat operations and overall mission effectiveness. With almost twice the capacity of the much older KC-135, the KC-10 is key because it combines the operations of aerial refueling, long-range cargo transport, and aerial medical transport in a single aircraft.   It can be refueled in flight.

Congressman Runyan's KC-10 amendment passed the House of Representatives by voice vote. 

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