Armed Services Republicans

Former Attorneys General, National Security Officials Support Rigell-Landry Habeas Corpus Language in FY13 NDAA

Mon, 14 May 2012 10:00:00 EST

Oppose Adam Smith - Justin Amash Language ...

NDAA Home

Mon, 14 May 2012 09:00:00 EST

View all resources related to the NDAA including H.R. 4310 bill text, report, fact sheets and more.

Detention Policy Resource Kit

Mon, 14 May 2012 08:30:00 EST

McKeon Responds To Secretary Panetta's Criticism of Defense Bill

Fri, 11 May 2012 05:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON- Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon today sent a letter to the Pentagon, responding to statements made by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta at a press briefing yesterday. Secretary Panetta was criticizing elements of the FY 13 National Defense Authorization Act, a bi-partisan measure that passed the House Armed Services Committee by a vote of 56-5.

The letter, which is available here (link) defends key provisions and funding levels against inaccurate assertions made by the Secretary of Defense. In his letter, McKeon said:

..."Your criticism, that our funding is in excess of the caps prescribed by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA), is surprising to me. As you and I have discussed, and as you testified to my committee, those caps take the Defense Department right to the razor’s edge. They cut through any fat that may have existed in the defense budget and into the muscle. In fact, contrary to your assertion yesterday, in proposing a defense budget that exceeds the BCA caps, the President himself acknowledges the BCA caps are too low to meet the core needs of the new defense strategy, much less address any of the vulnerabilities inherent in that strategy. The $4 billion in funding that my committee restored is applied to address precisely those vulnerabilities. Moreover, the total authorized funding is consistent with the House-passed fiscal year 2013 budget, which actually reduces discretionary federal spending below the caps established by the BCA.

Before I address those vulnerabilities let me touch on one theme that you often repeated in your press conference. You asserted that every dollar added to the defense authorization will come at the expense of another critical national security program. This is false. In crafting the budget, House Republicans were careful to identify other non-defense budget sources to accommodate the needed increase in national security accounts while complying with the overall BCA budget targets. Moreover, the House Armed Services Committee strictly adhered to several principles in putting together this legislation. First, there are no earmarks in this bill. Second, as Chairman, I did not allowed members to “tuck” pet projects into larger accounts that would force you to make the tradeoffs to which you referred. Wherever we have restored programs, platforms, or activities, we have also restored the manpower and operation and maintenance funding needed to sustain them. We understand that adding hollow force structure for pet projects was a very real problem when you served in Congress. I am happy to tell you that at least on this committee, things have changed since then." ...

McKeon Addresses Sequestration

Thu, 10 May 2012 03:00:00 EST

Urges Immediate Senate Action On Reconciliation...

Committee Overwhelmingly Passes the FY13 National Defense Authorization Act

Thu, 10 May 2012 10:00:00 EST

Chairman McKeon Lauds Passage by 56-5...

Fact Sheet: Small Business and the FY13 NDAA

Wed, 09 May 2012 03:00:00 EST

Improving the Relationship between the Pentagon and Defense Industrial base ...

Markup: Full Committee

Wed, 09 May 2012 10:00:00 EST

National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2013...

Full Committee Mark

Mon, 07 May 2012 11:30:00 EST

Click to view the Full Committee Mark in PDF

McKeon Releases Details about National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013

Mon, 07 May 2012 11:30:00 EST

WASHINGTON- Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee today released his version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013. This is the fifty-first annual defense authorization bill and provides valuable funding for the Armed Forces, while proposing significant savings that do not compromise the needs of our nation’s warfighters.

In releasing this legislative text and other materials two days before it is considered by the Armed Services Committee; Chairman McKeon is leading the most transparent process in Congress for considering national security legislation. The full text of the legislative language, plus section-by-section descriptions and Directive Report Language can be found here: FY13 Full Committee Mark (PDF) or here (online). The Committee markup, scheduled for Wednesday, May 9th, at 10:00 AM ET will be streamed on the Committee website.

"I am proud of the bi-partisan way the Committee has worked together to build this bill," McKeon said. "It rebuilds a force strained by ten years of war while restoring both fiscal and strategic sanity to the defense budget. It keeps faith with our troops and their families while keeping America ready to face the threats of the future"

Recognizing that nearly half of discretionary cuts aimed at deficit reduction so far have come from the military, which makes up only 20% of the federal budget; The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, achieves Chairman McKeon’s goals by funding $554 billion for National Defense and $88 billion for Overseas Contingency Operation Funds. The FY13 NDAA also:

Improves the way the Pentagon does business, maximizing support for our warfighters and minimizing waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer money.
Invests in the capacity and end strength needed to keep our force strong and prepared;
Ensures that even in an era of declining resources, our military can sustain the combat power needed to defend vital national interests and maintain America's leadership role in the face of rising threats.

Chairman McKeon addresses the following in his “mark” of the annual defense authorization bill:

Bolsters Critical Defense Capabilities to Preserve Military Readiness

Provides funds to modernize 3 guided missiles cruisers scheduled to be retired before the end of their service life.
Preserves tactical airlift critical to the United States ability to project power, such as C-130 Hercules and C-27J Spartan aircraft proposed for early retirement.
Eases strain on heavily stressed military by slowing the pace of the Administration’s end-strength reductions.

Preserves Sacred Agreements with All-Volunteer Military

Prevents Obama Administration from increasing Tri-Care fees or establishing new fees.
Establishes for the first time in law pharmacy co-payment amounts and caps any future increases in pharmacy co-payments to the percent cost of living increase in retirement pay.
Continues the Chairman’s commitment to preventing sexual assault in the military, by providing the Defense Department with additional recourses.

Supports the War in Afghanistan and Efforts to Combat the Threat of International Terrorism

Requires the President to notify Congress of any planned force reductions in Afghanistan, and justify those reductions based on conditions on the ground.
Prohibits use of private security contractors for force protection of US troops in Afghanistan.
Reinforces two important principles - that our military has the authority to detain terrorists and that every American must have his day in court. Reaffirms the fundamental right to Habeas Corpus of any person detained in the United States pursuant to the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force.
Extends the prohibition on the transfer of detainees from Guantanamo Bay to the United States.

Solidifies the Defense Department’s Relationship with the Industrial Base, Enhancing Competition and Spurring Innovation

Requires the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress on areas of risk within the defense industrial base, potential single points of failure, and overreliance on foreign sourcing.
Requires the Secretary of Defense to develop a national security strategy for the defense industrial base, clarifying that the base is must be capable of supplying, equipping, and supporting required force structure.
Establishes new goals for procurement contracts awarded to small business concerns.

Aligns Military Posture In A Dangerous World

Reinforces the United States’ commitment to use all elements of national power to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and enhances the credibility of the military option, should it prove necessary.
Includes resourcing in critical areas such as intelligence, surveillance, and combat power to increase the military deterrent against the regime.
Increases funding above the President’s request for ballistic missile defense of the homeland and;
Requires an environmental impact study for a third U.S. missile defense site, potentially on the east coast.

McKeon Seeks Input from Governors on Sequestration

Wed, 02 May 2012 11:30:00 EST

National Guard Cuts, Multiple BRAC Rounds Could Hit States Hard...

Sequestration Resource Kit

Wed, 02 May 2012 11:00:00 EST

A Complete resource page that includes: Official Documents, Statements from the Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and all four Service Chiefs, Effect of Sequestration on Jobs, News Articles and Op-eds, HASC Special Features Videos, Video News Coverage and Hearings

McKeon Statement on the President's Visit to Afghanistan

Tue, 01 May 2012 06:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON- Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following statement on President Obama's surprise visit to Afghanistan and the planned address to the nation tonight:

"After nearly a year of not speaking about the war and 17 months of not visiting the war zone, this visit and speech is long overdue. It shouldn't require congressional pressure, editorials from leading newspapers, and a presidential election to get the President to fulfill his role as commander in chief and speak to the American people about the war in Afghanistan. I sincerely hope that it won't be another year before we hear from our President on this important topic. However overdue, visits like this mean a lot to the men and women serving in Afghanistan and I am glad President Obama is taking the time to speak with them directly."

This year Chairman McKeon has been joined by the editorial boards of the Wall Street Journal (4/16/12) and the Washington Post (3/13/12, 3/20/12, 4/23/12) in calling on the President to make the public case for his strategy in Afghanistan. Last month, Chairman McKeon sent a letter to Secretary Panetta, laying out his concerns on the agreements reached as a precursor to the strategic agreement the President will sign today. That letter can be found here.

Markup: Subcommittee on Readiness

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:30:00 EST

National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2013...

Markup: Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST

National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2013...

Markup: Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 03:30:00 EST

National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2013...

Markup: Subcommittee on Strategic Forces

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 01:30:00 EST

National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2013...

Markup: Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST

National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2013...

Markup: Subcommittee on Military Personnel

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:30:00 EST

National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2013...

Readiness Mark Released

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:30:00 EST

Chairman Randy Forbes ...