Legislative updates - Reserve Officers of America opinions about defense spending plans

The staffers from the House and Senate Armed Services Committees are working their way though the House (HR 2586) and Senate (S 1438) versions of the FY02 National Defense Authorization (NDAA) bills, which were approved on 25 September and 2 October, respectively. As we go to press, the conferees have yet to be appointed, though the push is clearly on to finish the conference and get the bill to the floors of both chambers by 26 October. Those on the inside remain dubious about this schedule, which they consider somewhat optimistic. ROA sent the following letter to the NDAA conferees, voicing the association's views and preferences regarding legislative provisions that differed between bills or appeared only in one of the bills.

October 12, 2001

The Honorable Carl Levin

Chairman, Senate Committee on Armed Services

Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Mister Chairman:

On behalf of the 80,000 members of the congressionally chartered Reserve Officers Association, I would like to thank you and the other members of your committee for your long-standing and steady support of our nation's Reserve forces. Your confidence in Reservists' abilities, professionalism, and patriotism has not been misplaced. As you proceed with the conference process for the FY02 Defense authorization bill, we would like to provide our views on a number of issues that we consider to be of particular significance.

INTERSERVICE ISSUES

Original Appointments in Regular Grades for Academy Graduates and Certain Other New Officers. The House approved a provision that would require certain newly appointed officers to be given initial appointments in the active components of the armed services. The Senate bill contains no similar provision. It is essential that the services have the widest possible choice of the best-qualified officers from all commissioning sources when awarding regular commissions. This provision would drastically limit that choice. ROA recommends that the House recede to the Senate.

Placement on the Active-Duty List of Certain Officers on Active Duty for a Period of Three Years or Less. The House approved a provision that would require the members recalled to active duty for three years or less to be placed on the active-duty list unless the service secretary specifies in the member's orders that the member will be retained on the Reserve active-status list. The Senate bill would allow the service secretaries to retroactively place members on the active-duty list or the Reserve active-status list. ROA recommends approval of language that would require Reservists on active duty for three years or less to be retained on the Reserve active-status list, and that the service secretaries direct a review of the promotion consideration of Reservists who, during the past three years, having been placed on the active-duty list, failed to select for promotion.

Expanded Application of Reserve Special Selection Boards. The House bill contains a provision that would authorize Reserve special selection boards to consider officers from below the promotion zone who were either not considered for promotion because of material error, or were considered but not selected for promotion because of material error. This change would afford Reserve officers the same special selection board access as active-duty officers. There is no similar Senate provision. ROA recommends approval of the House provision.

Time-in-Grade Requirements for Reserve Officers with a Non-Service Connected Disability. The House bill contains a provision that would authorize retirement-eligible Reserve officers with non-service-connected disabilities that disqualify them from continued service to be retired in the highest grade held by them for six months, regardless of other time-in-grade requirements. This provision would afford officers with non-service-connected disabilities the same retired grade determination process as officers with service-connected disabilities. There is no similar Senate provision. ROA recommends approval of the House provision.

Continuation of Reserve Component Professional Military Education Test. The House bill contains a provision that would require the Secretary of Defense to continue the concept validation test of the joint professional military education course for Reserve officers in FY02, and would authorize a broader program in FY03 if the secretary determines that the results of the concept validation test merit it. There is no similar Senate provision. ROA recommends approval of the House provision.

Payment of FEHBP Premiums for Certain Reservists Called to Active Duty in Support of Contingency Operations. The House bill contains a provision that would authorize federal agencies to pay the employee portion of the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program premiums for federal employees who are Reservists called to active duty for more than 30 days. There is no similar Senate provision. ROA recommends adoption of the House provision.

Eighteen-Month Enlistment Pilot Program. The House bill contains a provision that would authorize an 18-month enlistment pilot program to increase the participation of prior-service persons in the Ready Reserve and increase the pool of participants in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). There is no similar Senate provision. ROA recommends adoption of the House provision.

Commissary Benefits for New Members of the Ready Reserve. The House bill contains a provision that would authorize immediate eligibility for commissary benefits for Reservists. The Senate bill would grant new members of the Ready Reserve access to commissary stores at the rate of two days for each month of satisfactory participation. ROA recommends adoption of the House provision.

One-Year Extension of Expiration Date for Certain Force Management Authorities. The House bill contains a provision that would extend through 31 December 2002, certain force drawdown transition authorities. There is no similar Senate provision. ROA recommends adoption of the Hose provision.

Equal Treatment of Reservists Performing Inactive-Duty Training for Receipt of Aviation Career Incentive Pay (ACIP). The House bill contains a provision that would entitle qualified aviators to be paid the full amount of monthly ACIP in the same amount paid to active-duty aviators with the same number of years in service. There is no similar Senate provision. ROA recommends adoption of the House provision, modified to extend the entitlement to similarly qualified enlisted Reservists.

Equal Treatment of Reservists and Full-Time Active-Duty Members for Purposes of Managing Deployments of Personnel. The Senate bill contains a provision that amends the definition of deployment for Reservists to include performance of duty that makes it impossible or infeasible to spend off-duty time in housing that the member usually occupies during off-duty time when on garrison duty. There is no similar House provision. ROA recommends adoption of the Senate provision.

Modification of Physical Examination Requirements for Members of the IRR. The Senate bill contains a provision that would eliminate the requirement for members of the IRR to have a physical examination every five years. There is no similar House provision. Elimination of this requirement will compromise medical readiness of early deploying IRR members. ROA recommends that the Senate recede from its position.

Expansion of Financial Assistance for Health-Care Professionals in the Reserve to Include Students in Programs of Education Leading to Initial Degrees in Medicine or Dentistry. The Senate bill contains a provision that would authorize payment of a financial assistance stipend to a student who has been accepted into an accredited medical or dental school. Provides a robust incentive program to offer students in the health-care professions to accept an appointment as Reserve officers of the armed forces. There is no similar House provision. ROA recommends approval of the Senate provision.

Reserve Component Compensation for Distributive Learning Activities Performed as Inactive-Duty Training (IDT). The Senate bill contains provisions that would authorize compensation for members in grades E6 and below for distributed learning activities performed as IDT. The House bill contains no similar provision. ROA recommends approval of the Senate provision, amended to include all Reservists, officer and enlisted.

Payment for Unused Leave in Excess of 60 Days Accrued by Reservists on Active Duty for One Year or Less. The Senate bill contains a provision that would authorize payment for accrued leave in excess of the current limit of 60 days to certain Reservists. There is no similar House language. ROA recommends approval of the Senate provision.

Repeal of Requirement for Periodic Screenings and Examinations and Related Care for Members of Army Reserve Units Scheduled for Early Deployment The Senate bill contains language that would repeal the requirement to provide annual medical and dental screenings to members of the Selected Reserve of the Army Reserve scheduled to deploy within 75 days after mobilization. There is no similar House provision. ROA believes this requirement is essential to ensuring medical and dental readiness of high-priority units, and recommends that the Senate recede to the House position.

Study of Health-Care Coverage of the Selected Reserve. The Senate bill contains a provision that would require a study of health-care coverage of the Selected Reserve and a report on cost-effective options for providing health-care coverage for members and their families. There is no similar House provision. ROA recommends approval of the Senate provision.

Extension of Transitional Health-Care Coverage for Certain Reservists and Their Dependents. The Senate bill contains a provision that would extend transitional healthcare coverage for certain Reservists and their dependents leaving active duty. The House bill contains no similar provision. ROA recommends approval of the Senate provision.

Concurrent Receipt of Earned Military Retirement and Disability Compensation. The Senate bill contains a provision that would authorize the immediate full receipt of both military retirement and disability compensation. There is no similar House provision. ROA strongly recommends approval of the Senate provision.

SERVICE-SPECIFIC ISSUES

Army Reserve

Full-Time Support. The Senate bill contains a provision to increase the AGR end strengths of the Army Reserve and Army Guard and a provision to increase MILTECH end strengths of the Army Reserve and Army Guard. The House has no similar provisions. ROA recommends approval of the Senate provisions.

Military Construction. The House bill contains a provision that would increase MILCON, Army Reserve by $61.6 million over the budget request and provide essential Army Reserve centers, controlled humidity projects, and planning/design. The Senate bill does not contain a similar provision. ROA recommends approval of the House provision.

Equipment

Cold Weather Gear. The Senate bill contains a provision authorizing $6 million for critically needed cold weather gear and sleep systems. The House bill contains a provision for $2 million cold weather gear. ROA recommends approval of the Senate provision.

High-Frequency Radios. The House bill contains a provision authorizing $10 million to procure critically needed high-frequency radios for the Army Reserve to enable communication with the Total Force. There is no similar Senate provision. ROA recommends approval of the House provision.

Airborne/Air Assault Scraper. The House bill contains a provision authorizing $13.2 million for procurement of critically needed airborne/air assault scrapers. The Senate has a provision for $7.2 million. ROA recommends approval of the House provision.

Water Distribution System. The House bill contains a provision to add $5 million for critically needed water distribution systems. The Senate bill contains no similar provision. ROA recommends approval of the House provision.

UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopters. The Senate bill contains a provision authorizing procurement of 22 UH-60 critically needed Blackhawk helicopters. The House has authorized 12 UH-60s. The Army Reserve has a recognized requirement for 24 UH-60s. The Army Reserve regional support commands (RSCs) support homeland defense on a regional basis. The UH-60s give the RSCs the capability to rapidly transport crisis response teams and civil assets to the most critical and inaccessible areas. ROA recommends approval of the Senate provision and designation of 16 UH-60s for the Army Reserve.

NAVAL RESERVE

Procurement of C-40A Aircraft. Neither the House nor the Senate bills contain provisions to support the immediate procurement of 25 C-40A aircraft. These aircraft are needed now to replace the aging C-9B Skytrain flown by the Navy and Marine Corps. The C-9B is approaching the end of its service life and is not in compliance with international environmental, noise and air traffic requirements. It will soon be barred from supporting Naval and Marine Task Force deployments around the world. These 25 replacement aircraft are essential to continued Naval and Marine Corps operations. ROA recommends funding of immediate procurement of 25 C-40A aircraft.

AIR FORCE RESERVE

Reserve Personnel Air Forcel Operation and Maintenance Air Force Reserve. The Senate bill fully funded the Air Force Reserve personnel and O&M budget requests. The House bill reduced the level of funding in both accounts by a total of $33 million. This funding remains critical to Air Force Reserve recruiting and readiness. ROA recommends approval of the Senate provision.

KC-135 Re-engining Kit for the Air Force Reserve. The House bill added one KC- 135 reengining kit. The Senate bill contained no similar provision. ROA recommends approval of the House provision.

Military Construction, Air Force Reserve. The House bill provided funding for military construction projects at Luke AFB, March AFB, Homestead AFB, and Minneapolis-St. Paul AFB, as well as planning and design funding. There were no similar Senate provisions. ROA recommends approval of the House provisions.

Multiyear Procurement of C-17 Aircraft. The House bill contains a provision authorizing the Secretary of Defense to enter into a follow--on multiyear contract or extend the current multiyear contract in order to procure up to 60 C-17 aircraft if he certifies that it is in the interest of the department to proceed with either of these options. There is no similar Senate provision. ROA recommends approval of the House provision.

Sincerely,

Jayson L. Spiegel

Executive Director

COPYRIGHT 2001 Reserve Officers Association of the United States
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group